Martin Davies has reflected on the success story of Britannia Inn, 19 years after he and his wife took over
Lindsey Davies and Martin Davies, landlady and landlord of The Britannia Inn(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
In the quiet picturesque village of Llanmadoc in Gower lies a 17th century pub which is the only survivor of four taverns that existed there in the early 1800s. Well-preserved and complete with a fascinating history, it is a real gem in the food and drink scene in Swansea.
But its reputation goes far beyond the city itself. It has now been named the best pub anywhere in Wales. The Britannia Inn is run by Martin and Lindsey Davies took over in 2006, having previously been backpacking for six years working in hotels and restaurants in Australia and New Zealand, and restaurants in their hometown in Swansea.
Outside The Britannia Inn in Llanmadoc(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
Mr Davies recalled: “We were about to set off to backpack India, but my mum was retiring, and she put to us whether we’d be interested in taking over the Britannia Inn.
“It felt like a new challenge for us. and so we took it on. We’d previously started restaurants with people, so we knew what was involved and how hard it was going to be, but we had the experience. We travelled a lot, and we came back so proud of where we live, you realise, we’ve got all of this on our doorstep, and maybe we don’t get the weather like some places, but the Gower is so special.”
Llanmadoc
The pair worked hard on developing the business, with a breakthrough coming after its kitchen was extended.
Mr Davies said: “it was quite run down in the beginning, but over the last 18 years we’ve invested and built it up to what it is today.
“Every year we reinvested into the pub without it losing its character, as it is mid 17th century. We built an extension to the kitchen, and the business grew. We brought in a local interior designer to renovate the inside of the bar, without losing its character, to make it look nice and clean and tidy.”
The couple, who have a 15-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, explained how they are there 24/7, leading from the front.
“Staff don’t work for us, they work with us, and we’ve been lucky enough to hold onto our staff through the years, which is quite hard in hospitality,” Mr Davies said.
The stunning views that can be enjoyed from the pub’s beer garden(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
“It’s been a hell of a journey. We’ve come through two recessions, Covid. I think consistency is key. We’ve kept our business consistent and has built massively through the years in number of customers.
“We offer a full restaurant menu, bar menu, snack menu and everything is made here. Everything is good homemade food using fresh local produce. We use salt marsh lamb from two miles up the road, we use a third-generation butcher from up the road, we use rhubarb locally, it goes on.
“Lindsey is front of house, and she tries her best, even in busy times, to stop and speak to people, so there’s still that hospitable side of things. I think after Covid people started using the order to the table app, and you started losing that hospitality side of things where you wouldn’t be talking to anyone when you’re ordering on the phone.
“We didn’t want to do that because we didn’t want to lose what we do, which is hospitality. We’ve got people coming in from all over the world and we want to give them that Welsh welcome. They want to speak to our staff if they’ve got time and ask about the local area and get that local information as well.”
The Britannia Inn was named Wales Pub & Bar of the Year at The National Pub & Bar Awards 2025, organised by Pub & Bar magazine, in a glittering ceremony held in London back in June.
Lindsey and Martin pictured with their staff behind the bar at The Britannia Inn(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
“To win this award and bring it back to Swansea, it’s special for us. We’ve gone through some really tough times, especially during Covid when it was just me and Lindsey rattling around keeping the business going doing takeaways – whilst having two kids to look after as well.
“Next year we celebrate our 20th year and there’s plenty more to come. We want to keep building on what we’re doing, and we can only do that with a good team of staff. I think this award helps, because people want to work in a good place.
“We’re going to keep on building on what we’ve built and won’t take our eye off the ball. We want to develop another part of the building which will offer customers another area, but it about keeping on doing what we’re doing.”
The Britannia Inn can be found at Llanmadoc, Swansea SA3 1DB and is opens at 12 noon seven days a week. On Monday to Fridays, its kitchen is open 12pm until 3pm, and then 5pm until 8.30pm, on Saturdays it is 12pm until 8.30pm, and on Sundays it is 12pm until 6.30pm.
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