Historic Norfolk pub to get a £50,000 makeover to restore its glory
L-R, Gary Bumphrey, Sandra Wright and Jason Bumphrey take a break from refitting the Black Boys in Aldborough. Pictures: David Bale - Credit: Archant
It was once the hub of the village and the new people at the Black Boys in Aldborough aim to spend about £50,000 to restore it to its former glory.
L-R, Gary Bumphrey, Sandra Wright and Jason Bumphrey. Pictures: David Bale - Credit: Archant
The north Norfolk pub has been closed for about two-and-a-half months.
Partners Jason Bumphrey, his mother Sandra Wright and cousin Gary Bumphrey have already stripped all the fittings out, ripped out the pipes and cellar equipment, and filled the skips. They hope to be open by mid August.
Jason said: 'We bought the 15-year lease on the property and the freehold is still owned by Andy Hicks, who ran it before.
'We're getting the pub alive again. There's no pub in the village or in surrounding villages. People are gagging for it to reopen again. The people at Aldborough cricket club, who play on The Green, are champing at the bit. It has always been the hub of the village.
'There's such a long history of it being a busy, good, country pub. I'm sure it will be busy again because there's such a large catchment area.'
With his mother and partner Sarah he already runs the Foundry pub at nearby Northrepps.
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He added: 'Gary will live in the flat above the pub at the Black Boys. He will be the landlord in residence. Mum and I will split our time between the two pubs.
'We want to get the place open as soon as possible. The long-term goal is to recreate what we've done at the Foundry, although the Black Boys will have its own identity.
'We will serve good English home-cooked food initially, which has been popular at the Foundry. Food will be limited initially because we've got a small kitchen, but there's space out the back to build a new kitchen.
'The bar structure downstairs will be pretty much the same. We will build a new back bar and take out the bar upstairs, but the cellar's staying where it is.'
The politically incorrect pub name will remain. It comes from King Charles II, whose nickname was the black boy, because of his swarthy looks.
