Report - The Black Horse, Wolverhampton

[dweeb]

Epic sized pub built in the style of a Tudor manor, and let me tell you Henry VIII could not have done a better job!

To understand why the pub was built to such an amazing style, a quick social history lesson is needed...
In the 30's it became very fashionable to live in the suburbs. Most towns and cities will have those 30's houses with their gables and bay windows. This was the start of middle classes escaping the grime of town life, and enjoying what was almost a 'mock countryside', with tree lined streets, rose bushes in the gardens and so on. The pubs were built to match this style, and many were built to imitate country manors to blend in with this facade of country life...

The Black horse had been a rough pub for years. It was blessed with stone windows, fitted with beautiful tudor style glass, ornate plasterwork, and a huge mock tudor function room. Sadly the pikeys have made a right mess of the place, and many of these features lie smashed on the floor...

Look carefully for 'M & B' acid etched on this 70's pint glass

beautiful plasterwork

Tudor rose in the iron spindles, blending in with the tudor theme

 

[Gordon WR]

I used to work there behind the bar in the '70s part time, and when I saw it from the outside last month I almost didn't recognise it as it was 5yrs since I last drove past it. Can't remember the name of the license at the time but he was into using the services of "call girls " on a regular basis I seem to remember!
I was living down the Birmingham New Rd in Lanesfield at the time I worked there and also ran a chain of ICI filling stations in and around Wolverhampton. One in Cannock Rd and another on B'ham Rd just out of the center of town. Also in Penkridge, Cannock, Dudley and Stoubridge amongst others.

 

[islandexplorer]

Yeah, well during the early 80's, when CB was all the rage, we formed a club where we we would meet about once a month at the Black Horse 'drinking 20'. But after a 'bit of a skirmish' one night we got barred so moved to the Staffordshire Knott (about a mile up the road). I remember a bloke who worked behind the bar for years although I cant remember his name but I think he became the manager. then in about 1995, I worked at a near-by Fiat garage at the Fighting Cocks and me and a so-called 'mate' use to go in after work. Last time I was in there must be at least 6 years ago now. Use to be a very popular pub as there arn't amy others around that area which can be a little on the 'rough side'.

 

[Suela]

Epic sized pub built in the style of a Tudor manor, and let me tell you Henry VIII could not have done a better job!

To understand why the pub was built to such an amazing style, a quick social history lesson is needed...
In the 30's it became very fashionable to live in the suburbs. Most towns and cities will have those 30's houses with their gables and bay windows. This was the start of middle classes escaping the grime of town life, and enjoying what was almost a 'mock countryside', with tree lined streets, rose bushes in the gardens and so on. The pubs were built to match this style, and many were built to imitate country manors to blend in with this facade of country life...

The Black horse had been a rough pub for years. It was blessed with stone windows, fitted with beautiful tudor style glass, ornate plasterwork, and a huge mock tudor function room. Sadly the pikeys have made a right mess of the place, and many of these features lie smashed on the floor...

Look carefully for 'M & B' acid etched on this 70's pint glass

beautiful plasterwork

Tudor rose in the iron spindles, blending in with the tudor theme

Could you tell me if the Black Horse is still there?

 

[mookster]

Could you tell me if the Black Horse is still there?

This was over fifteen years ago so I highly doubt it.

 

[dweeb]

Could you tell me if the Black Horse is still there?

Looooong gone I'm afraid.

 

[Suela]

Looooong gone I'm afraid.

Just curious if you would know when it might have been built and where exactly it was located? My great great grandfather was an inn keeper of The Black Horse in 1861 apparently located at 1 Stafford Street Wolverhampton. Just wondering if this is one and the same. I appreciate your time if you might know more.

 

[dweeb]

May have been another pub on the same site. This was an "improved house" of the late 20s early 30s.

If you Google M&B improved houses you'll learn a bit about them. Essentially older pubs were demolished and rebuilt to suit changing tastes of the time.

 

[Maxx]

Could you tell me if the Black Horse is still there?

I left Wolverhampton in 2016 and it had long gone before that. Replaced by some uninteresting houses that I think the developer (who undertook the demolition) then told the Planning Authority that they couldn't afford the normal fees for and would leave the site undeveloped unless given a fee free planning application for the replacement private houses (the surrounding area is a 1930s type of council estate with nice rendered semis). I had a good mooch around sometime around 2007 or thereabouts. It was already becoming derelict but wasn't in those days as bad as these pictures show and it was easily possible to explore more, including a corridor of hotel type rooms.