Black Bull

Above photo, circa 1880, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, date unknown.

Above photo, circa 1914, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. A view up Pond Hill, showing the pub just right of centre. During WW1, the cottages on the left were hit by incendiary bombs (presumably dropped by a Zeppelin raider?) but apart from some minor damage to their roofs, the buildings weren't that badly damaged.

Above photo, circa 1920 showing "Black Bull" extreme right.

Above photo, circa 1925, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. Showing the pub in its Style & Winch livery. Immediately behind the motorbike and sidecar is Priors' Hall, which housed a shoe repair shop but which was demolished in 1934. To its right is Longford House, which is still there and is a Grade II Listed Building. In between these two properties is the rather charmingly named Soapsuds Alley.

Above photo 2010 by Oast House Archives Creative Commons Licence.

Above image from Google, May 2012.

Above photo August 2021, kindly taken and sent by Ian Goodrick.

Above sign 2016.

With thanks from from Roger Pester  www.innsignsociety.com.

The following information has been taken from http://www.cliffehistory.co.uk/pubs.html

The "Black Bull Inn" was one of the two fully licensed premises in Cliffe prior to 1887 and is likely to be the oldest ale house in the village. One of the earliest references is a alehouse recognizance, taken before John Leveson and William Lambarde in 1590.

By 1611 it is known that a Richard Done was the victualler and that sureties were confirmed by John Noke and George Parker, both yeomen of the same parish and this recognizance was carried out in 1611.

Originally it was a wooden structure built next to the historic Prior's Hall Cottages but in 1887 the old wooden building burnt down and the pub was re-built and stands as it does today.

Being one of the oldest pubs in the village it also has its fair share of myths and legends in common with many old village buildings and one is a story of a haunting. According to legend footsteps may be heard and doors open and close of their own accord. These mysterious occurrences are due to the wanderings of an old sailor, who drowned at sea, returning to seek out his sweetheart, or another quoted reason is that, the "Black Bull" was constructed upon an ancient burial site and the departed are seeking peace and quiet.

At the turn of the last century the "Black Bull Inn" was fully involved in the community with the Cliffe Cricket Club having its headquarters there. The club played their matches on Cliffe Marshes on an area of the marsh which became known as ‘Cricket Marsh'. During the winter months the "Bull" was the centre for coursing meetings.

In the cellar of the pub there is a well which one of the previous owners had dated as being constructed in Roman times although this is doubtful. One of the most interesting aspects of the well is that, some way down, there appears to be an entrance to a tunnel that local sources say lead to the church.

In 2011 Cliffe-at-Hoo Historical Society and West Kent Archaeological Society, whilst carrying out a survey of St. Helen's Church, were informed about a rumoured covered entrance to the ley tunnel from the church to the "Black Bull." There was no evidence of an entrance for the ‘tunnel' at the church and that, from the "Black Bull," the tunnel appeared to travel towards the direction of the church but had collapsed after about 10-15 metres approximately somewhere beneath the road above. After further investigations, and with the help of a local diver and churchwarden, it was found that the ‘tunnel' was less than a metre in height and the brickwork was no older than the 17th century: it was concluded that it was probably a drainage channel. Further investigations are planned for the future.

Later, in 2012, the Society was again called in to help identify some uncovered brick and stone work that had come to light during work to the rear of the building. We were quickly able to identify, by means of mortar used, brick type and pattern and use of plans of the building and nearby structures, that it was the remains of a late 19th Century cess pit.