The Black Horse, Spon End

Image: © Gerald England Taken: 24 Sep 2021

The Black Horse dates from at least 1803 when the annual "Gooseberry Feast" was held here. In 1926 it was sold by then owners Charringtons and for some time was an M&B pub. In May 2012 Punch Taverns sold the pub to a property developer, Tony Harris, who owned the nearby Arches Industrial Estate. His intention was to demolish the pub and sell the land to the next door car dealership to extend their forecourt. In September 2011 the pub had been given Grade II listed building status by English Heritage, who described it as "a rare surviving example of a relatively simple and modest urban Victorian public house, a type of public house that was once common throughout England but is now very rare". However Punch Taverns challenged the listing and after consideration English Heritage concluded the pub should be delisted. The pub was sold and on 17th May the city planning authorities locally listed it. However, that was too late, as within days of purchasing the building Mr Harris had gutted the interior, with what seems indecent haste. The pub is now boarded up awaiting future developments. See Historic Coventry Pub Guide: https://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/cph/main/pub.php?pg=black_horse_spon Local listing details: https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCT16988&resourceID=1029 Update 2023: The pub has now been demolished Image Image

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