CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

LANCASHIRE - Preston, Black Horse

National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors Part One

166 Friargate, Preston, PR1 2EJ

Tel: 01772 204855

Public Transport: Railway Station: Preston

Listed Status: Grade II

View this pub on a local map

An ornate three storey building with a balcony pub right in the heart of Preston and which served originally as a small hotel. It dates from 1898 and was built 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. The Black Horse Hotel mosaic floor and ‘Black Horse’ deep etched glass in the inner door is a taste of what’s inside. Entering from Friargate, there are two small smoke rooms, one each side of the corridor with button numbers on the doors, original fixed seating, 1930s tiled and wood surround fireplace, leaded windows and also baffles in the one on the right. The mosaic floored passage leads to the heart of the pub centred round the servery and the bar on the right also with a mosaic floor.

The semi-circular bar counter has a wonderful ceramic bar counter in graceful cream and light green – one of only 20 left in the country, the walls of the bar have a tiled dado including a ceramic fireplace and the vestibule entrance has leaded glass panels. On the passageway side it has a timber counter base and is completely screened with sash windows above containing Art Nouveau glass with the lower panels permanently open. The large alcove at the rear which opens-up to the passage has original U-shaped fixed seating, bell pushes, a row of bevelled mirrors above the seating, above that 4 coloured glass panels down each side and wood panelling up to the ceiling. The original plans survive in Lancashire Record Office in Preston and show that the area in front of the curved ceramic bar counter was a room separated from the corridor by a short partition. The upstairs room, which is only open on Fri and Sat evenings, has a inter-war fireplace but all other fittings are modern. The pub was highly commended in the 1996 English Heritage/CAMRA pub refurbishment awards.