Sat 11th October
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Sat 11th October |
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Built between 1847 and 1848 and formerly known as The Plume of Feathers, The Way is situated on the ancient Icknield Way. Nothing is known of the medieval history of this old timber framed inn. It was still known as “The Black Horse” when during the mid 19th Century it became the official resting place for unemployed craftsmen tramping for work. In 1865 the name was changed from “The Black Horse” to banish sinister connections with the “Black Prince”. In 1876 the building was extended and doubled in size. The pub had been licensed since 1750 and owned by many breweries. In the late 1990’s, it ceased trading as a pub and it was purchased by West Street Baptist Church and Christian Centre in January 2000.
Having been standing empty for a number of years, things had deteriorated rapidly since the pub had served its last pint. Squatters had taken up residence and changed the interior decor, creating some interesting features. The buildings had slight fire damage and some original features were spoilt. After many man-hours the building was gutted of fixtures, fittings, carpets etc. and large skips were filled to the top. The town’s conservation officers, planning department and architects in conjunction with structural engineers agreed our plans and after several months of hard work by our contractors the building was completed in Autumn 2004 and opened to the general public in October 2004.
