Vaughan Family's 1600

THE COW INN: This was probably built about 1600 as a town house of the Vaughan family. It would then have been a half-timbered building with its gable end towards the street and its first storey jettied out beyond the first floor. Inside, a well carved Elizabethan Jetty post can still be seen. In 1780 the house become the Cow Inn and remained so until the 1860's. In this early market area there was also the Bull Inn (close to the front of the Post Office) and Annett's (now the computer shop) was once the Pied Bull Inn. In 1780 the ground floor of the Cow Inn was built out flush with the upper storey, the height of the first floor windows was doubled and a third floor added.
The cow heads under the eaves were added at this time. The carving from the beam supporting the jetty was cut up and placed on top of the windows and the little goats heads put on the ends to hide the cut edges. The chevron with three children's heads is the Vaughan family crest and can be seen again in the Herbert Chapel in St. Mary's. The single roses may be in remembrance of members of the Vaughan family who fought in the Wars of the Roses - on each side perhaps for there is the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York. Note also the Welsh dragon, the little fox and the letters H.L. - probably the initials of the carver.