We are excited to introduce the new tenants of The Black Lion, Tadgh Barry and Mary Benson!
Hello Black Lion community
We are Tadgh and Mary and we are so excited to take on the running of the Black Lion. Between us we have many years experience operating pubs in London, which we worked on together to build into thriving businesses and community cornerstones. We also have a wealth of experience working in design (particularly fashion and homeware), illustration, styling, photography and marketing. We believe our backgrounds will help us build the Black Lion into a beautiful destination worth travelling to!
Pubs have always brought our little family great joy to run, especially getting to know communities and providing a wonderful and welcoming home from home. We can’t wait to get started, and very excited to reveal our plans for this beautifully renovated and much loved pub. A great thanks to all for entrusting us to continue this special journey of bringing the Black Lion back to life.
We are very much looking forward to meeting you all!
Tadgh & Mary
Tadgh and Mary bring a wealth of experience from the pub trade and beyond, consistently impressing us throughout the recruitment process. We’re excited to see The Black Lion reopen under their stewardship and are confident you’ll offer them the same warm support you’ve shown us.
We appreciate your patience over the past month or two. We know it felt like things were quiet while we were recruiting for our new tenants. The committee took the process very seriously to ensure we found the best possible people for our community pub. It was a long and thorough process, and we had to operate under strict confidentiality. We simply couldn’t confirm anything until both sides were 100% happy and the lease was officially signed, which happened just two days ago on Thursday 4th September.
It’s been just over three years since this journey began. Countless hours of dedication from our volunteers have brought us here, from securing The Black Lion’s status as an asset of community value to obtaining a Government grant on our first attempt. A remarkable share offering and a tough legal battle followed, allowing us to unlock the doors to a building that was cold, damp, and plagued by water from a failed roof.
Since then, we’ve transformed the building inside and out. It’s now cool in summer and cosy in winter. Outside, we’ve restored the sunken beer garden, added a pond, an event space, a wildlife garden, and six new caravan pitches. The original brickwork on the front of the building has been beautifully restored.
Our volunteer-run café has been a roaring success and will continue to thrive under Tadgh and Mary’s tenancy of the pub.
We are immensely grateful to every single volunteer. Your support has been invaluable.
As Tadgh and Mary take the helm at The Black Lion, the management committee’s role will naturally evolve. If you’re excited to help shape the pub’s future, we’d love to hear from you. Thank you very much for your patience. We are all looking forward to seeing you inside The Black Lion in the near future.
