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Heritage Pub

Black Horse, Preston

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Awards

Won 1 award

This venue won an award in 2024.
2024
Super Regional Pub of the Year - West Pennines

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Classic Victorian Grade II listed pub in the main shopping area close to the historic open market, with its tiled bar and walls and mosaic floor, it has a nationally important historic pub interior. The two front rooms, with real fires are adorned with Robinson's memorabilia and photos of old Preston; the famous "hall of mirrors" seating area is to the rear.

There are ten handpumps usually featuring four Robinson's beers and four ever-changing guest beers coming from far and wide. These are sourced through Titanic but are not simply limited to their own range, so you're likely to find a varied range on offer. There is usually a range of flat ciders on offer too such as Old Rosie and Flat Tyre on the remaining handpumps. There is also an extensive range of pork pies from Jones of Huddersfield to compliment the drinks offering.

There is an open smoking terrace and an upstairs function room, which is also now open every weekend as "Unplugged", a craft and cider bar with live music.

Awarded the 2019/20 George Lee Memorial Trophy, the local branch's premier award.

Awards

  • Central Lancashire Branch Pub of the Year 2023
  • Central Lancashire Branch Pub of the Year 2024
  • Central Lancashire Branch Cider Pub of the Year 2024
  • Lancashire Branches Pub of the Year 2024
  • West Pennines Regional Cider Pub of the Year 2024

Historical Information

Historic England

Historic Interest

Has been identified by CAMRA as having a nationally important historic pub interior.

Information for this venue is provided by the Central Lancashire Branch of CAMRA
Previous Names
Local Authority
Preston District (B)
Last updated
23/12/2024
Last surveyed
14/08/2024
Pub ID
LAW/5289
Asset of Community Value

Three star - A pub interior of outstanding national historic importance

Listed status: II

One of the country’s most dazzling Victorian pubs, with a wonderful ceramic bar counter and mosaic flooring that astound on first sight. Small rooms off the tiled and mosaic-floored corridor have their own beautiful tiling, stained and etched glass and other decorative flourishes, alongside fixed seating and old fireplaces. A truly memorable pub.

This is a wonderfully impressive pub from the great days of Victorian urban pub-building and doubled as a small hotel. It was rebuilt in 1898 to designs of local architect J. A. Seward for Kay’s Atlas Brewery of Manchester. From the Friargate entrance, there is a pair of small smoke rooms, full of original fittings, either side of a mosaic-floored corridor which extends through to the back of the building. The Orchard Street entrance leads into a truly magnificent public bar, dominated by a semi-circular ceramic counter (probably by Burmantofts or Pilkingtons) in front of which is more mosaic flooring. Originally this area was a separate space but was linked up to the rest by an elliptical arch on the left about 1995. At the back of the servery are glazed counter screens to the main corridor. Originally there was a ‘Market Room’ (a meeting room for market days) at the rear but in 1929 this was replaced by the present, welcoming U-shaped seating area plus indoor toilets (accessed via corridors to the left and right). The upstairs room is largely modernised.

General information about historic pub interiors

An ornate three storey building with a balcony right in the heart of Preston and which served originally as a small hotel. It dates from 1898 and was built for Kay's Atlas Brewery of Manchester to the designs of local architect, J A Seward. It is a stone and red-brick building typical of its time. The hotel function explains the fact that the drinking areas are very well-appointed and thus a far cry from basic street corner locals which would have proliferated in the inner suburbs. There was a 'Market Room' at the rear when built in 1898 and in 1929 this was replaced by the present U-shaped seating area and indoor ladies and gents toilets accessed via corridors situated to the left and right side of it respectively. There have been few changes since.

The Friargate façade has a central elliptical-headed doorway with moulded stone surround and very large brackets featuring stone carvings of male and female figures carrying a balustraded balcony above. The Black Horse Hotel mosaic floor in the Friargate entrance and ‘Black Horse’ deep etched glass in the inner door is a taste of what’s inside. A mosaic floored passage leading to the heart of the pub centred round the servery. There are two small smoke rooms, one each side of the corridor, and to the right is the public bar originally accessed via the Orchard Street entrance.

The public bar has a wonderful ceramic semi-circular bar counter, possibly by Pilkingtons, in graceful cream and light green with bulging pilasters, decorative brackets and a wooden top and is one of only 14 ceramic bar counters left in the country. Other Heritage Pubs with a ceramic bar counter are the Burlingtons bar at the Town House, St Annes on Sea, Lancashire; Mountain Daisy, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear; Red Lion, Erdington, Birmingham; Polar Bear, Hull, East Yorkshire; White Hart Hotel, Hull, East Yorkshire; Garden Gate, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire; Golden Cross, Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales; Crown, Belfast, Northern Ireland Other examples can be found at Horse & Jockey, Wednesbury, West Midlands where a small part on the left has been lost; Castle, Manchester City Centre; Hark to Towler, Tottington, Greater Manchester where the bar has been moved; Waterloo Hotel & Bistro, Newport, Gwent, Wales which has no public bar facility; and there is one in China Red which was the Coach & Horses, Dunswell, East Yorks and now operates as a Chinese Restaurant.

Within the servery is a modest U-shaped bar back fitting which was installed in c.1995 and has modern additions such as fridges. The walls of the public bar have a tiled dado of light brown plain tiles, red and light blue decorative tiled panels and a brown, cream and blue ceramic row above. There is a splendid ceramic fireplace in mainly brown with Fleur de Lys symbols in relief and a mirror in a wood surround above. This small room has a mosaic floor and good segmented plaster ceiling. There is a vestibule entrance from Orchard Street with mosaic floor, a tiled dado as elsewhere, and the inner door & side panels have colourful stained and leaded glass panels.

In c1995 an archway was cut between the corridor and the public bar accessing it to the rest of the pub. There is a further door in Lothian Street, off the right hand side Orchard Street which has 'Hotel Entrance' in the top panel. This was also used by customers of the public bar to originally access the toilets at the rear by going outside the Orchard Street door and back into the pub by the Lothian Street / Hotel Entrance door.

General information about historic pub interiors
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Monday
11:00am - 11:00pm
Tuesday
11:00am - 11:00pm
Wednesday
11:00am - 11:00pm
Thursday
11:00am - 11:00pm
Friday
11:00am - Midnight
Saturday
10:00am - Midnight
Sunday
Noon - 11:00pm
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Current beers

This Pub serves 6 changing beers and 2 regular beers.

Regular and recently seen

Black Horse, Preston

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Changing

Changing beers typically include: Robinsons - Old Tom

Source: National

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Facilities
Live Music Live Music
Friday & Saturday upstairs in Unplugged
Family Friendly Family Friendly
Dog Friendly Dog Friendly
Events Events
Function Room Function Room
For hire
Games Games
Real Fire Real Fire
Separate Bar Separate Bar
Smoking Smoking
On the open terrace
Wi Fi Wi Fi
Features
Real Ale Real Ale
Real Cider Real Cider
A selection of real ciders on handpump and hosts an Annual Cider Festival
Real Heritage Pub Real Heritage Pub
Beer Festival Beer Festival
Quiet Quiet
Transport
Close to bus routes
Nearby Station (600m)
Preston (Lancs)
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Nearby

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