Eat · Drink · Stay at the Heart of Tenby
Our Story
Tucked into the ancient walls of Tenby, The Billycan occupies a building that has stood at the heart of this community for generations. The former British Legion Club, a place of camaraderie, remembrance, and fellowship for the town's servicemen and women, has been given extraordinary new life as one of Pembrokeshire's most talked-about gastropubs and boutique hotels.
"We didn't want to erase the history — we wanted to honour it, then write the next chapter."
The conversion has been done with immense care and attention to detail. Original architectural features — the broad arched windows, the solid timber panelling, the handsome proportions of the main hall — have been preserved and celebrated. They now frame a modern, confident interior that speaks of warmth and welcome: deep copper accents, burnished leather, candlelight, and the smell of good food drifting from the kitchen.
The name itself is a nod to history. A billycan — the tin vessel beloved of soldiers, campers, and outdoor workers alike — represents self-sufficiency, warmth in the cold, and the simple pleasure of a good hot brew amongst good company. It felt exactly right.
A building that has served this community for nearly eighty years, reborn for the generations ahead.
Following the Second World War, the British Legion Club opens its doors to Tenby's ex-servicemen and their families. Built in a handsome, solid style befitting the era, the club quickly becomes a cornerstone of the town's social fabric — a place of comradeship, remembrance, and quiet community pride.
Through the sixties and seventies the club serves as one of the most active social venues in the Tenby area. Dances, meetings, memorial events, and the ordinary pleasures of community life — all played out beneath its arched windows overlooking the town.
As with many working men's clubs and ex-service establishments across Britain, the club faces the pressures of changing social habits and an ageing membership. After years of gradual quiet, the building eventually closes its doors as a Legion Club, leaving one of Tenby's most distinctive properties without purpose.
New ownership acquires the building with a clear vision: to honour the heritage of the site whilst creating something genuinely exciting for modern Tenby. Working closely with local craftspeople and conservation specialists, a sensitive but ambitious transformation begins. Original features are painstakingly restored; new elements are chosen with care and confidence.
The Billycan opens its doors to the people of Tenby and visitors from across Wales and beyond. A modern British gastropub with boutique hotel rooms above, it immediately draws attention for the quality of its cooking, the warmth of its welcome, and the beauty of the space. The building is alive again — and Tenby loves it.