Total Transformation
The Black Bull Inn has undergone a total transformation that has put the pub at the heart of the village. Photography: Kirsten Platt
The new owners of the Black Bull Inn at Old Langho have enthusiastically brought back to life their village pub, which was first registered in 1555 as a coaching house.
The pub has well and truly been brought back into the 21st century and is once again the heart and soul of the local community.
Following four lengthy and extensive refurbishments, Jamie and Rebecca Govier have transformed the Black Bull Inn, ensuring they retained its original features while adding some contemporary details, including luxurious furniture and lighting, an extensive patio and artificially grassed beer garden and wood burning stoves which have now become stunning focal points in the bar and the beautifully restored Fire Barn restaurant.
The Black Bull Inn serves food seven days a week, which is described by Head Chef John Dawson as ‘a Classic British menu with a modern twist’ with influences from the Mediterranean and Asia: “We have a big focus on the best quality seasonal produce from locally sourced suppliers.”
Jamie and Rebecca add: “We are a gastro pub with green credentials, supporting amazing local producers so we know the provenance of the ingredients, which is essential.”
Diners can expect to find dishes such as belly pork with fondant potatoes, chorizo and a honey and thyme jus, along with a newly introduced black pudding hash brown starter and, of course, the pub’s popular Lancashire Bomb cheese and onion pie, not forgetting their spectacular Sunday roasts.
Please note that a limited menu is running until 1st August.
While visitors to the Black Bull Inn appreciate the delicious food and welcoming ambience, they also appreciate the extensive, yet discreet, safety measures that have been put in place during Covid 19.
A track and trace safety device has been installed that has facial recognition and takes the temperatures of all visitors. It also captures real-time data relating to each booking while providing hand sanitisation to every guest.
The Black Bull Inn was the first in the UK to feature this device: “The unit has been a significant investment, but it is a fantastic safety tool. Guests have said they feel really safe and reassured, which is vital if they want to enjoy their visit,” explains Jamie.
There is also an unobtrusive one-way system and table service only in the pub and restaurant area.
“We have a real passion for the place,” says Rebecca, whose uncle Jim Holland has supported the couple in their dream to refurbish and re-open the pub, which also now features a newly-created outdoor bar and seating area.
The couple feel that since taking on their new Executive Director Katherine Renhard, they have added the final piece to the jigsaw, combining an excellent venue and an outstanding food offering along with Katherine’s experience, keen eye for detail and unwavering passion for excellent customer service.
Being at the centre of the village and located directly next door to the luxury lodge park Ribble Valley View, with whom they work very closely, means that the Black Bull Inn has become the buzzing hub of Old Langho: “We are almost like a club house for the lodge park,” adds Jamie. “It means a lot to us to have given the local community their pub back.”
With their first wedding scheduled for next year, these are exciting times for Jamie and Rebecca, who have issued a heartfelt thank-you to all the trades people and craftsmen, who have helped with the refurbishment of the inn: “We would like to thank personally D H Builders RV Ltd who renovated and restored the Fire Barn and patio area, Robert James Shaw Décor for all the decorating and Paul Groves Joinery Services who did the refit of the bar and other extensive works.
“They have all done a great job and enabled us to achieve exactly what we wanted in terms of the refurbishment and reviving the pub – making it once again the heart of the village.”
The Black Bull Inn
Old Langho Road
Old Langho, Blackburn BB6 8AW
01254 248801
enquires@theblackbulloldlangho.co.uk
