Landlord of The Black Horse in Preston: "I was itching to reopen... A pub is a living, breathing creature"

An imposing three-storey building which was the city’s tallest when constructed, it has been owned by Robinsons Brewery since 1928 and is still the UK’s only pub to have three doors on three streets, thus giving the old establishment three different addresses.

“The pub is unique; you couldn’t recreate it even if you tried,” says Landlord Dan Taylor, 38. “We’re small, which is unfortunate what with social distancing, but normally that’s a major draw: during the winter, we get the fires going and it’s a cosy pub as opposed to those windy barns which knock out cheap ale.

“Don’t put me behind a desk, put me behind a bar or in the cellar where the heart and the soul of the pub is and I’m happy,” adds Dan, who has been in the bar trade for 20 years. “Being a true landlord means the regulars want to see you; they want that personal touch.

“It makes the world of difference to people, especially at times like these.”

Still boasting one of the most ornate interiors in the country with its striking original semi-circular tiled bar and 1930s mosaic flooring continuing to draw curious tourists to this day, The Black Horse also occupies a place on the top rung when it comes to quality. In recent years, it’s been nominated for the Campaign for Real Ale Pub of the Year award and the Lancashire Evening Post Pub of the Year award to name but a few prestigious gongs.

The fifth pub at which Dan has worked which has been listed in the Good Beer Guide, the historic establishment last year claimed the George Lee Memorial Trophy for best pub in central Lancashire, too.

With the pub being his pride and joy, Dan was understandably incensed when the government gave pubs barely 24 hours’ notice that they were to close on March 20th due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I was absolutely disgusted with the government when pubs were closed,” says Dan, who was forced to dump between 4,000 and 5,000 pints as a result of the government’s late decision. “With the amount of stock which had to be written off, if I didn’t have a frugal lifestyle and the support of Robinsons, we wouldn’t have opened back up.

“I’ve had my high moments and my low moments in lockdown, same as everybody,” adds Dan, who is originally from Stoke-on-Trent. “If I’d have been stuck in the pub on my own without my Border Collie, I’d have gone nuts.

“I was itching to reopen; I reckon during lockdown every landlord in every pub in the country was sat having a pint thinking ‘wow’. A pub is a living, breathing creature.”

Sixty-five-year-old Alan Cree, one of the regulars at the pub, wholeheartedly agrees.

“I feel very much at home here and I’ve really missed it,” says Alan, who is from Preston and who retired three years ago. “It’s my local and always has been; I feel as safe as you can feel here and it’s the kind of pub which you can walk into and talk to anybody.

“You feel looked after,” Alan says simply.

Speaking of feeling safe, Dan says he’s immensely proud to have brought back all seven members of staff from furlough and has done everything in his power to transform the pub for times of Covid-19.

“It’s all table service: people are asked to stay seated and we’ll do all the running around,” he says. “Everything’s unique to us because we’re probably one of the smallest purpose-built pubs currently open, but it’s about communication and common sense.”

One thing is for sure: Dan’s going nowhere. Having taken over four years ago, he originally signed a five-year lease with Robinsons but soon signed a 10-year lease instead, such was his commitment to running the historic venue.

“I actually asked for a 25-year lease,” he says. “I’m quite happy being the steward here for a very long time.”