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Detail Pages
Black Horse Hotel, Preston
Preston
PR1 2EJ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about Black Horse Hotel
Lovely corner building, lots of different space/rooms inside, leather sofas, traditional. Sadly the beer was very poor on my visit but hopefully a one off
On 20th October 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Black Horse Hotel
Almost a decade has passed since my last review so it was good to be back. One of the finest heritage pub interiors in the country, and now with a slightly enhanced beer range: only three Robinsons beers among the 10 hand pumps. There are two real ciders, plus two ales from Hopback and one each from Tiny Rebel and an unknown-to-me micro in Gloucestershire (see photo). I hope to be back a little sooner next time.
Date of visit: 23rd August 2019
On 10th October 2019
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3748 recommendations about 3484 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Black Horse Hotel
one of my favourite pubs and certainly the best in Preston, for reasons that I will now set out:
- interior of majestic Victorian splendour and multiple unspoiled drinking rooms, perfect for quiet pint
- a great range of Robinsons (of which I am a fan) beer as well as interesting guests
- staff and clientele that are friendly and not up their own arse
- completely unpretentious, it's a traditional pub and doesn't pretend to be anything else
On 18th May 2018
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Black Horse Hotel
A nice pub that served Robinson's beers plus a few guests. Victorian in decor it had, from what I could make out, at least 3 rooms. The 2 smalls rooms that I went into where located at the front of the pub. There are better descriptions of the interior elsewhere so I won't step on their toes. The beer, sadly, wasn't great on my visit with standard Robinson's offerings and a Marston's. That said it is a nice pub and worth a visit.
On 10th July 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Black Horse Hotel
I visited this Robinson's pub once before well over thirty years ago. Just about everything around it has changed but the exterior looked the same and the interior I'm sure is exactly the same.
As well described below it's an island bar with various rooms off it.
When I arrived there was some sort of photo shoot going on with a tall woman dressed to probably look Victorian with a long black dress and a black hat that would look completely ridiculous even at Royal Ascot.
I bypassed this strange event to see what the beer choice was like.
It consisted of 5 Robinson's beers, Trooper, Unicorn (Best), Dizzy Blond, Frosty Frolics and Double Hop. There was a white label beer which is Robinson's "experimental" brewery and from the Marston stable Hobgoblin and Pedigree. There were also two ciders on offer. I completely failed to see the point of the two Marston beers and went for the bog standard Unicorn (£2.90) which I thought was rather bland and disappointing. I wished the Old Tom had been on.
As for the interior it is quite special but agree with below about the
fruit machines being an eyesore. I didn't spot any TV screens so they must have been off.
On 26th November 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about Black Horse Hotel
Not a lot i can say Pub Sing Man as said it all but its a must when in Preston to goto
On 3rd June 2014
- rating: 10
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Black Horse Hotel
This magnificent Robinson's pub in the heart of the town centre has one of the most spectacular interiors I have ever encountered. Built in 1898 for the Kay's Atlas Brewery, the pub occupies a prominent corner position on Friargate, boasting an impressive frontage with a lot of intricate detail and a first floor balcony. Entering through the Friargate door, via a mosaic floor porch which bears the pub's name, as does the beautifully etched internal door, you emerge into a central corridor adorned with prints of the pub's original plans and indentures. The servery is to the right, forming the focal point for the whole pub, with various rooms leading off from the corridor. There are two small smoking rooms at the front on each side. The one on the right boasts some plush leather banquette seating, whilst the one to the left has a very cosy, lounge feel to it and has been carpeted, with banquette seating, bell pushes and a nice tiled fireplace complimenting the traditional décor. The archway to the right of the servery leads you into the public bar - easily the most attractive room and well worth spending a bit of time in, regardless of the lack of comfortable seating options. The room is dominated by an amazing curved ceramic bar counter (one of just eleven remaining in the UK according to CAMRA) which sits well in a beautiful ceramic tiled room with a small fireplace, decorative plaster ceiling and a colourful stained glass side entrance porch. There are a few framed pump clips displayed on the walls and a small TV above the porch was showing horse racing, although there was notably some vociferous opposition to this from a couple of punters, with it eventually being tuned off. The corridor side of the servery has lovely dark wood panelling and a large stained glass sash canopy opposite a staircase that leads upstairs to a function room (roped off on my visit). The corridor ends in a lovely elongated U shaped booth with a single banquette running around the length of it, serving two copper toped tables, with bell pushes above the banquettes, mirrored backs, some fine dark wood panelling and stained glass windows which provide light via the corridors either side leading to the lavatories. There is also a stained glass Black Horse on the end wall.
There was a good range of Robinson's output on the hand pumps, with Dizzy Blonde, Trooper, Hannibal's Nectar, Double Hop, Unicorn and Old Tom available along with Hartley's Cumbrian Way and XB. I tried the Hannibal's Nectar which was in pretty good shape and couldn't resist a half of the rarely seen Old Tom before departing, which was sublime. The barmaid was very friendly and enjoyed some good banter with her customers and there was a welcoming vibe in the public bar, with the local's happy to stop for a chat.
This was the last pub I visited during my five days in Lancashire and I would say it was the pick of the bunch. I would recommend this place on the atmosphere and beer quality alone, but the stunning interior makes it an absolute must visit.
On 27th April 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Black Horse Hotel
A Camra National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. I agree with John, am surprised that there's not more reviews. The pub was moderately busy on our midweek, lunchtime visit. The Robinsons Unicorn was flying out like no tomorrow. The barman and fellow drinkers were all friendly and chatty. We spent quite a bit of time in here marvelling at the interior. There were 8 ales on handpump, I went for the Hartleys Cumbrian Way and XB, both were superb.
On 25th February 2014
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
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 3748 recommendations about 3484 pubs]