Oxfordshire village pub has busy weekend as it reopens

Restaurateur Tom Rainey, who runs the Porterhouse Grill off Botley Road, west Oxford, and The Punter, on nearby Osney Island, has bought the freehold of The Black Horse in Gozzards Ford near Abingdon.

Renovations have been taking place, and the pub reopened on Sunday following a private party for guests on Saturday.

READ MORE: ‘Forgotten’ village pub announces opening date

The Black Horse – or the Blackhorse as it is now known – is the Oxford Mail Pub of the Week.

The former Greene King pub was closed for about five years until new tenants surprised drinkers by reopening it in 2024.

Not long afterwards the pub closed again, and Mr Rainey and his team have taken over to serve drinks and “high end pub food” to customers.

Tom Rainey inside The Black Horse at Gozzards Ford (Image: Tom Rainey)

“It was a good knees up on Saturday – a really good test of the building with about 250 through the door,” said Mr Rainey.

“We closed early doors – about 10.45pm – and then opened again for a roast beef Sunday lunch and some other main courses.

“I think the weekend went well. People love the way the pub now looks following some renovation. I think it looks stunning.

“We got a lot of support from people living locally. It’s been really positive.”

While Mr Rainey is pleased with the opening, he is not being complacent, adding: “There is still a lot of work to be done.

“The pub looks beautiful but there is a lot of work to be done landscaping the pub garden and that is going to take some time.”

Hiring front of house staff has not been a problem, with the pub boss inundated with applications from people wanting work.

Extensive renovation work has taken place throughout the pub including painting the outside black to tie in with the name.

Mr Rainey said earlier: “Renovations include new wood panelling on the walls, and one of the rooms has been turned into a conservatory – the old skylight was leaking and we have created a much larger new one.

“There are new stone floors, new parquet floors and new loos. The builders from Abingdon have done a fantastic job. They’ve been great to work with.”

Some dishes from the menus at The Porterhouse Grill and The Punter will feature at the Blackhorse.

Veggie scotch eggs from The Punter will be on the menu, together with cheeseburgers, steak, venison haunch, seabass, oysters, and pies.

Hofmeister and Estrella lagers are being served, together with Westons cider, and Butcombe Original beer.

Oxford artist Mani, whose real name is Andrew Manson, was asked to design the new pub sign.

When the pub was shut, Dave Richardson, a spokesman for the Oxford branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), claimed it was Oxfordshire’s “most forgotten pub” and called for it to be reopened.