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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
The Black Horse, Preston
Preston
PR1 2EJ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Black Horse Hotel
Surprised that this one hasn't had more reviews.
This is a classic Grade 2 listed pub occupying a prominent corner position on Friargate in the centre of Preston, close to the historic open market. The pub was established in 1898. Notably the pub has three separate entrance doors, all still in current use, on different streets.
As we go through the main entrance on Friargate, we see a small corridor with wallpaper showing architects plans of the pub and copy lease documents. A slogan tells us that we have just entered the “authentic, typical, historic Black Horse”. Reassuringly, we’re also told that “beers may change for the right reason, but not this pub”.
On the left and right of this corridor are Rooms 3 and 2 with etched glass in the doors denoting these as Smoke Room and Bar Parlour respectively. The Smoke Room is a carpeted cosy Victorian style room with padded banquettes, traditional circular tables and the usual red velour covered small stools. Robinsons Brewery memorabilia adorns the walls with old photos of dray horses, beer advertising posters, prints etc. Across the way, the Bar Parlour – also denoted as “Lord Tim’s Room” – is in similar style with curved fixed banquette seating, evocative black and white photos of old Preston and a number of Victorian era disused bell pushes. Both these 2 front rooms have real log fires.
In front us is the bar servery- a curved bar counter with its superb moulded ceramic tiled frontage. There’s also an attractive mosaic floor. In this part of the pub, the walls are tiled and there’s fine art nouveau stained glass to admire. Part of the bar counter is enclosed by a glazed bar screen that runs from counter level to well above head height with sash windows that can be lowered or raised, somewhat similar to The Arden Arms in Stockport. In this stand up drinking lobby style are of the pub are several electronic intrusions and a small, relatively discreet TV, which was televising West Ham v Man City, but it was attracting little interest and the overall atmosphere is that of a fine, traditional, historic pub.
At the rear, and in between two corridors, that lead to the gents and ladies toilets, is Room 4. This is a long narrow open area ( no door ) with padded banquettes on 3 sides. This seating area is known as the “Hall of Mirrors” for reasons which are abundantly clear.
The Black Horse is listed in CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.
Upstairs is the naffly named Graze and Grog restaurant, a function room available for hire and a small, unusual covered smokers terrace. On the staircase wall is a framed, signed Preston North End shirt and some Liverpool F C photos.
The Black Horse is a Robinsons tied outlet – a “Robinsons Beer Shrine” as it describes itself – offering the full range of draught beers. These were Dizzy Blonde, Unicorn, Trooper, Double Hop, Hartleys XB, Cumbria Way plus the infamous Old Tom.
I’ve never found Robinsons beers to be particularly distinctive or memorable and both the Unicorn and the Dizzy Blonde tasted rather bland to me, but the Hartleys XB was rather better and I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity of having several halves of the legendary Old Tom ( 8.5% ABV - £ 1.95p per half ). The pub is in the CAMRA 2014 Good Beer Guide with the new poster prominently displayed.
This is the only Preston pub that I’ve done, but I’ll definitely make a beeline back, as opposed to trying alternatives, when the opportunity arises
On 10th December 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Black Horse Hotel
A tremendous unspoilt confection of brick, wood, tiles and glass. This is a thriving and lively town centre pub, not at all rough as some shopping centre pubs can be. The little snug next to the bar with bench seating, stained glass and mirrors has to be seen to be believed, and the bar itself is a work of art.
The downside: juke box, bandits and wide screen TV would not be everyone's idea of heaven, and I know there are some who would not be too pleased that this is a Robinsons pub. I had the Hartleys XB last time I was in here, and it was a pretty good pint. Well worth a visit for the well preserved and magnificent interior, even if you decide not to stop for a beer (though it would be rude not to).
On 24th December 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mat Nichol left this review about Black Horse Hotel
This has pretty good beer and comes highly recommended by CAMRA. I seem to remember them having some kind of DJ upstairs too.
On 5th December 2006
- rating: 8
[User has posted 115 recommendations about 115 pubs]