Black Castle Public House
Coordinates: 51°26′36″N 2°33′39″W / 51.443333°N 2.560833°W
| Black Castle Public House | |
|---|---|
 |
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Bristol |
| Country | England |
| Completed | 1745-55 |
| Design and construction | |
| Client | William Reeve |
| Architect | William Halfpenny or James Bridges |
Black Castle Public House is a historic building in Junction Rd, Brislington, Bristol, England. It is also known as Arno's Castle.
It was built in 1745—1755 as a folly, sham castle and office, but may have originally been a stable block and laundry for the lord of the manor.[1] The building was probably designed by either William Halfpenny or James Bridges, for William Reeve of Mount Pleasant (now the Arno’s Court Hotel), from which it is separated by a major road junction.[2] Reeve was a prominent local Quaker and businessman.
The Castle is built from pre-cast black copper-slag blocks from Reeve's foundry at Crew's Hole. They were cast from waste, solving the problem of disposing of the large amounts of waste produced by the industry, and made more profit for the brassworks.[3] Reeve went bankrupt in 1775 and his house and business were sold to a member of the Tonge family, who were important slave traders.
Much of the freestone carving and dressings are reputed to have come from the city's demolished medieval gateways, and St Werburghs Church, rebuilt by James Bridges in 1758—1761. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.[4] Arno's Court Triumphal Arch used to stand in front of the building, but was moved in 1912 to approximately 100 metres away.
The Castle is now a public house and is immediately adjacent to the car park of a large Sainsbury's store.
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References[edit]
- ^ "The Black Castle". Pub Explorer. Archived from the original on 2007-01-27. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ "The Black Castle of Arno’s Vale". Stories of Bristol. Retrieved 2007-03-19.[dead link]
- ^ "Locally supplied goods:brass industry". Port Cities: Bristol. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ "Black Castle Public House". Images of England. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
