I notice that the adjoining building (on the north side, towards Birkenhead) has similar lettering in its ground floor windows. Was this also part of the pub. It's certainly on the land that the 'new' pub is built on.
You're quite right, the building next door does indeed have the same 'Allsop's Burton Ale' lettering on one of the windows, indicating that it had obviously been purchased by the Brewery to extend the original pub. The full extent of the pub is clearly shown on the 1909 OS map below.
As far as the date of the photos goes, Derek, they aren't dated, but as there are no tram tracks in the road they must be from before 1901, as that's when the Higher Tranmere tram route along Church Road opened. As for the road surface, clearly in those days there wasn't much of one! The photos I posted were cropped to concentrate on the Black Horse; I've posted the uncropped versions below, showing amongst othr things the old cottages that use to stand on the corner of Well Lane.
looking at the very good condition of the pavements and kerbs it quite possible the road has been got ready to be re-surfaced, you can see in the first of the two photo's directly opposit the old cottages, the edge boundry stones arround the drain grid in the gutter
Ships that pass in the night, seldom seen and soon forgoten
Great photo's, thanks. Note about the date - The West Cheshire Brewing Co. Ltd. began trading as such in 1896, after Elvin & Ross (1887)(of Queens Brewery, Farm Rd. Tranmere) took over Gatehousse & Son. I like the tramline theory about the 1901 date.
I was barred from the Black Horse way back in 1979 Even as I got much older I still wouldn't go in there in case they remembered me and told me to get out!
There's a real danger that the left will drag Britain back to the 1970s, with secure well-paid jobs, ample housing, properly-funded NHS and social care, free tuition, student grants, final salary pensions, affordable rail fares and fabulous films and music. David Osland 2025
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Even as I got much older I still wouldn't go in there in case they remembered me and told me to get out!
