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Aylmer's Black Horse   (1 to 5)

2. One Parish : 3. Two into One   4. Aylmer : 5. Trams

1. : Two Pubs

The Black Horse was listed, from 1760, in the
Alehouse Recognizances.
On the old, sequential numbering system (1802)
it was No. 7 Tombland.

Also in the Recognizances for 1760 was a   Jolly Dyers -
in the same parish of St. George, Tombland.

The latter pub is plain Dyers in 1806 and 1830.
In the 1811 Directory the 'Jolly' is retained,
and the address is Wensum Street.
But in 1822 the address is given as Tombland.
From 1830 onwards the address remains Wensum Street.

2. : One Parish

Astonishingly, the last building - going North - prior to
the church of Sts. Simon & Jude, has always been in
the parish of St. George, Tombland.

This was well-known, until a few years ago,
as the site of the Black Horse, Wensum Street.
After its closure in 1969, it was Black Horse Bookshop
for more than a quarter-century.

3. : Two Into One

As confirmed by a history book of the Parish, the
Black Horse "moved" from Tombland to Wensum Street
prior to 1858.
That is to say, the licence was transferred; and the
presumption is that the Tombland pub was closed
by 1858 and de-licensed.

The last record of that pub was in 1854, but the
Jolly Dyers was still listed in 1856, under landlady
Elizabeth Moore.

So the Jolly Dyers became the Black Horse :
the answer to the paradox !
The Wensum Street pub was listed
as the Black Horse in 1858.

Continued . . .

  3. (Contd.)

The modern numbering system has retained
No. 7 Tombland; long since the Army & Navy Stores.

It seems that the Black Horse building was fairly soon
destroyed, and replaced by a bigger and more
impressive mid-Victorian edifice.

The latter did not necessarily become a pub
(again) immediately.

4. : Aylmer

The transfer was masterminded by John Aylmer,
licensee of the pub in Tombland as early as 1836
(aged 34).
When he decided to run the Jolly Dyers instead,
he was determined to keep the name of his
previous house - and he did.

It did not seem to concern Aylmer that his "new" pub
was tied to Morgan's, rather than Steward and Patteson's
- who, presumably, made a packet on the demolition
and re-building at Tombland.

He had taken over from widow Elizabeth Moore,
by 1858, whose husband had taken over the
Jolly Dyers by 1842.

Aylmer remained in charge of the "new" Black Horse
until October 1871, by which time he was 69.

5. : Trams

The original Wensum Street building was
destroyed and re-built in 1900.
This was done to accommodate the new tramway
system, as the width of Wensum Street was
no longer adequate.

Other pubs in the street, including the Ribs of Beef,
Turkey Cock and Grapes, were all affected to some degree.

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