The Black Horse at no. 2 Top Street, is a Grade II listed building, located in the picturesque village of Appleby Magna.
The exposed architecture of the Black Horse suggests that part of it at least dates from late in the sixteenth century.
It is thought that there was a house on the site of the pub before 1789 and we know that it had been owned by one John Parr and that there had been two other previous owners.
So far, we do not know their names but these three generations would take occupation of the site back to circa 1700. We know of Parr from an Indenture dated 1789 when the house changed hands. By this legal transaction the owner John Wright, a currier of Ashby, sold the house “...together with outhouses, edifices, Barns, stables and orchards, gardens, ways, watercourses, commons and commons of pasture and commodities...” The longwinded phrase does not necessarily indicate that the property included all these additional features, however. Eighteenth Century lawyers were just as adept as those of today in trying to cover every possible contingency, inflating their fees in doing so. John Wright is also referred to as a yeoman which indicates him as a man having a landed status above that of many in the community of Ashby.
On 23 February 1818, George Wright , raised a mortgage of £60 guaranteed on the property. ” The significance here is in the names of the mortgages : Michael John Bass and George Ratcliff, described as brewers and co-partners. It is from this date on that the property began its life as public house. It has since changed hands many time in it time and developed at the heart of a village community to what you see today.
Inside considerable time has been spent restoring the building to its former glory. The existing historical features have been sympathetically refurbished and fresh elements - such as rich, textured materials and furnishings have been added.
In its new form, we have created a warm and relaxed environment where the emphasis is on good quality food with real ales.
