The Black Horse, Tunbridge Wells

Shepherd Neame local situated some distance north of the town centre. Opened out inside to leave a 'L'-shaped bar with a pool table at the far end. Given a modest refurbishment at some stage, with fairly plain but tidy semi-modern furniture and decor. Also has a small side patio. Three of four handpumps in operation, with Master Brew and Spitfire Gold (£3.75) supplemented by Tribute as a guest. The sign says: "All visitors must be approved by the dog", but the large golden Labrador was having a doze, so I managed to get away with it...

Official site of the Black Horse - www.blackhorsetunbridgewells.co.uk

Official site of the Black Horse - www.blackhorsetunbridgewells.co.uk

I arrived at the Black Horse at 12:50 on a recent Monday afternoon and had to wait a few minutes before gaining access as the pub doesn’t open until 13:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Once inside I found an L shaped pub with a pool table at the rear and a couple of plasma screens that were off. The ManU(re) Champions League game for the upcoming Wednesday evening was advertised on a chalk board, so I doubt that there is any Sky Sports as this match was shown on ITV. Karaoke was advertised for Saturday nights and the first Thursday of each month is ‘jam night’. The only other customers were a couple of young girls and their friendly dog. They put some dance tunes on the jukebox and I got the feeling that this is a pub for the younger crowd, but I may have been wrong. The bar supports four hand pumps that were drawing Spitfire (x2) and Master Brew (x2), but I opted for the Guinness that was the first pint of the day but still well served. The usual draught suspects were also present and there are deals on doubles and bottles at various times throughout the week. At the side of the pub is a decked area that leads down to a paved beer garden at the rear. Although friendly I found it difficult to get comfortable in this pub so I do not plan to revisit any time soon.