The Official Jester of Conwy opens coffee shop in Conwy with partner and it even has its own tower!

Russel Erwood, known as Erwyd Le Fol, and Kimberly Edmunds opened the The Jester’s Tower on Castle Square last month.

The cafe is described as set in a ‘unique and quirky space’ over two floors in one of the original medieval towers of Conwy town walls, originally used as a lookout tower.

The building has been used for a number of purposes over the years including a solicitors office, a benefits office and even a Catholic Church.

The Jester’s Tower offers a range of food and drink options including house cured salt beef, sandwiches, Welsh cakes made to the jester’s family recipe and coffee made with beans from Heartland Coffee Roasters in Llandudno

Kimberly, who met Russel at Llandudno Victorian extravaganza in 2014, said: “We have loved the venue for many years and it was always a dream to get hold of it and be able to run our own business sharing our passion for good food and coffee and creating a social and creative hub in the heart of Conwy.

Opening Day: The Jester's Tower Coffee Shop in Conwy

“The opportunity came about during lockdown for us to buy the lease and it has meant that we have being able to work towards something positive as we move away from the pandemic.

“We have always wanted this particular venue as it is ideal for the jester to have his own tower.

“Set in the medieval quarter of Conwy right next to the knight shop, it is the perfect place for us to settle and open our doors to locals and visitors from further afield .

“The tower has a rich and varied history which we find fascinating and it feels great to be a small part of this moving forward.”

Kimberly said opening weekend was "phenomenal" and saw appearances the Knights of Conwy, musical performances from the Old Time Sailors, magic from Jay Gatling, the Conwy Wizard and caricature drawings by Mitchell Cowell.

“We had the venue officially opened by cllr Collette Ryan, the mayor of Conwy,” Kimberly added.

“We were humbled by the amount of support and help given by the town and our friends and family. We would like to especially thank Toby, Jo and Bryan Tunstall of The Knight Shop International without whom the opening event would not have happened in the way that it did.”

The coffee shop is set in the medieval quarter of Conwy, right next to the knight shop

Russel is not only the official jester of Conwy but is the second person in the town’s 730 plus year history to hold the jester title. The first vacated the post in 1295.

“The fact that Russ is the official jester of Conwy and the second only in almost 750 years makes us different to a lot of other places,” Kimberly said.

“It has certainly helped to bring people to us.

“We also plan to be a social and creative hub which has started to develop organically with many groups of people wanting to use the space already including art and comedy groups.”

The couple hope to put on regular comedy, magic and spoken word nights.

Russel Erwood, known as Conwy Jester Erwyd Le Fol, makes a coffee

They also plan to host season specific events such as Halloween evenings and a bilingual grotto at Christmas.

Kimberly is from Solihull originally and moved to North Wales in 1998. Russel grew up in Bristol and has lived in places including London, Birmingham and Bielefeld in Germany.

Kimberly was an organiser for the Victorian extravaganza when they met and Russel was a performer.

The couple are delighted to be working together after meeting in 2014

Russel was made the official jester of Conwy by the Conwy chamber of trade in August 2015.

Kimberly added: “He has loved every minute of it and is excited about the future.

“He loves being the jester and is honoured to be able to continue in the role, expanding it by now having his own tower.”