Black Bull, Preesall Explained

Black Bull
Former Names:Black Bull Inn[1]
Black Bull Hotel[2]
Map Dot Label:Black Bull
Mapframe:yes
Building Type:Public house
Address:192 Park Lane
Location Town:Preesall, Lancashire
Location Country:England
Coordinates:53.9185°N -2.9667°W
Parking:on-site

The Black Bull, formerly known as the Black Bull Inn and Black Bull Hotel, is a public house in Preesall, Lancashire, England. Dating to 1762, it stands on Park Lane.[3]

The inn's first licensee was John Bamber, who ran it between 1776 and 1789.[4] Between 1853 and 1892, the role was filled by John Parkinson.[5] In 1872, during Parkinson's tenure, a "syndicate of men" from Barrow-in-Furness stayed at the inn during their search for iron ore in the area. None was to be found, but they did discover a bed of rock salt, from which they took a sample. Upon returning to the inn, Parkinson's 17-year-old daughter, Dorothy, processed the sample by dissolving, filtering and boiling it, thus creating the first example of Preesall salt.[6] In 1902, Preesall Salt Works was built to the north of the village's salt marshes, on the eastern banks of the River Wyre.[7] Dorothy married another John Parkinson and spent her life as a farmer's wife at Hackensall Hall Farm, where she raised nine children. She died in 1925.[8]

The current licensee, Lee Bowser,[9] took over in September 2022, succeeding Anthony Gills.

Notes and References

  1. The London Gazette (1903), p. 3197
  2. Proceedings at a Meeting of the Lancashire County Council, Lancashire County Council, 1936, p. 500
  3. http://blackbullpreesall.com/ Black Bull's official website
  4. History, Directory, and Gazetteer, of the County Palatine of Lancaster: With a Variety of Commercial & Statistical Information, Volume 2 (1825), p. 663
  5. Sketches and Tales, Thomas Newbigging (1883), p. 38
  6. https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/early-days-preesall-salt-mines-underground-industry-which-changed-face-lancashire-199501 "Early days of the Preesall salt mines: An underground industry which changed the face of Lancashire"
  7. https://www.visitlytham.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/History-of-Blackpool-Nick-Moore.pdf A History of Blackpool, the Fylde and South Wyre
  8. https://www.lep.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/dangers-beneath-lancashires-fields-191116 "Dangers beneath Lancashire's fields"
  9. Web site: Lee Robert BOWSER personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK . 2023-10-12 . find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk . en.