Most people walk past The Fat Cat on Bangor High Street without ever noticing the history above them.
If you stop and look up, you’ll see something many people pass every day without realising, the faded name “Josiah Hughes”, still visible on the building above.
It’s a small detail, but it tells a much bigger story.
More than a century ago, this same building was part of one of Bangor’s busiest and most ambitious businesses.
Newspaper records show that Josiah Hughes, an ironmonger, was trading in the city as early as 1874, operating from 237 High Street. His shop supplied a wide range of goods — from tools and cooking equipment to household items.
By 1891, the business had grown significantly. Advertisements from the time show Hughes relocating to what were described as “splendid premises” at 159 and 161 High Street — the very site now occupied by The Fat Cat.
Hughes was no small trader.
Records show he operated across multiple premises in Bangor, including warehouses and workshops, supplying everything from:
- tools and hardware
- cooking ranges and stoves
- beds, mattresses and furniture
- cutlery, tea sets and household goods
- building materials and gardening equipment
In one advert, he promised customers an “enormous stock” and a level of service that would spare “no expense or exertion”.
At its peak, his business would have played a key role in supplying the growing town.
Josiah Hughes died in 1893, aged 64, and was described as a “commoner of this City” — a term often used at the time to refer to a well-known and established local resident.
Evidence suggests that ironmongery and builders’ goods continued to be sold on the High Street in the years that followed, reflecting the importance of the trade in Bangor during the late Victorian period.
While the tools, stoves and iron goods have long disappeared, one thing remains.
Look up above The Fat Cat and you’ll still see it — the name “Josiah Hughes”, part of the original signage, quietly overlooking Bangor High Street more than 130 years later.
In recent times, the venue itself has appeared to be open less frequently, but regardless of what the future holds for the building, its past is still there for anyone who takes a moment to look up.
It’s a reminder that while the city has changed — from ironmongers to café bars — traces of its past are still hiding in plain sight.
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