Preston pub The Black-a-Moor ditches 'racist' name and reopens as Lancaster Gate after £280k revamp

The Black-a-Moor, next to the Market in Lancaster Road, has been renamed The Lancaster Gate and will reopen today (Friday, December 6).

In modern times, the blackamoor is considered to have racist connotations due its association with colonialism and slavery. With this in mind, pub owner Admiral Taverns made the decision to leave the name in the past and begin a new chapter for the city boozer.

Rebranded as the Lancaster Gate, the pub been completely refurbished since it closed in late October. It has been decorated throughout, furniture has been replaced and outside lighting upgraded, while new signage has been fitted to reflect its name change.

The Lancaster Gate will celebrate its reopening with live music on Friday from The Stand Inns and Stone Cutter on Saturday.

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The pub, which was known as the Black-a-Moor since 1830, is the second in the city to rebrand following the reopening of The Stanley Arms last month, which was rebranded as Stanley & Co.

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What’s changed?

On entry you will be greeted with the bar, while to the left there will be a snug area with high poser tables and chairs and TV screens, a great space to catch up with friends and watch the sport.

To the left is the main bar area which will include both loose and fixed seating. The pub will have a darts area for locals to enjoy and the pub benefits from a pavement licence, so customers can enjoy a drink in the summer months while watching the world go by.

Beth and Damian Hodgson, operators of The Lancaster Gate, said: “The pub is already looking fantastic and it’s been amazing to see how quickly it has transformed. We have really enjoyed working with Proper Pubs over the last four years and when the opportunity to take this site over came up, we just had to go for it.

“We’re both really passionate about giving back to our community so we plan on hosting plenty of events in aid of important local causes. We’re going to start by collecting food for a local food bank and fundraising to have a lifesaving defibrillator installed.”

Operations director of Proper Pubs, the division of Admiral the Lancaster Gate falls under, Matthew Gurney, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Beth and Damian to The Lancaster Gate and I’m really looking forward to seeing it reopen. It’s been a pleasure working with them – their energy and passion is tangible and I am confident they will do a great job at bringing their vision to life.

“On behalf of the Proper Pubs team, we would like to thank them for their ongoing commitment to community pubs and of course we wish them the very best of luck in making The Lancaster Gate a fantastic social hub for local residents.”