Blacks Boys pub in Aldborough has ‘no intention of changing name’

Jason Bumphrey is also a partner at the Foundry Arms. Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2017)

The pub is less than 10 miles away from the Black Boys hotel in Aylsham, whose manager said their name could be reviewed.

Jason Bumphrey, a partner in the Aldborough business and also at the Foundry Arms in Northrepps, said: “The pub was named hundreds of years ago. If you had a mass of people in the village who were upset by it, we might look at it.

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“But not one person in the village has asked us to change the name. I can understand it with the statue (of Edward Colston in Bristol) that was taken down. He was a slave trader and that statue probably belongs in a museum.

“But there’s not a scent of racism in either village (Aldborough and Northrepps). And even if we did change the name, it would always be known to people in the village as the Black Boys, anyway.

“We have no intention of changing the name. We have far bigger fish to fry at present, namely, survival.”

Both pubs are now offering takeaways on weekends, as part of the easing of lockdown restrictions, and he hoped the venues’ beer gardens would reopen from July 4.

It comes after Matthew Miller, manager of the Black Boys hotel, said their name could be reviewed, following the removal of public statues with links to slavery or racism.

Mr Miller said: “It’s not something that’s been brought to us before. But it will be under review at some stage when the partners can get together to talk about it and we can speak to customers to see how much of a general consensus there is.”

There are at least 25 pubs in England and Wales called The Black Boy or something similar. In recent days anti-racism campaigners have questioned how appropriate the name is.

Many of the pubs apparently trace the name to the 17th century King Charles II, who was known for his dark locks and swarthy looks.