35 Southgate Street in original street numbering and latterly 70 Southgate Street.

In 1919 the Black Horse was tied to Godsell’s Brewery, Salmon Springs, Stroud, and was almost certainly one of their most prestigious hotels in the city.

The Black Swan was renamed the Yeoman in December 1970. Former Gloucestershire Hussar Charles A’Bear was depicted on the pub sign with him in the turret of a Crusader Tank. The pub was the unofficial headquarters of the Hussars and the landlord Arthur McKenna also served in the regiment. Mr McKenna’s father was regimental sergeant major.

The Citizen. Wednesday, June 12th, 1991 – Pubs for sale. Six more pubs have been added to the Whitbread brewery for sale list. The pubs are being sold in response to Government requirements following the monopolies and mergers commission report. Whitbread have named the following Gloucestershire pubs which will be sold: Duke of York, Chalford Hill, Stroud; New Red Lion, Chalford Stroud; Plough Inn, Corse Lawn, Staunton; Rising Sun, Ruspidge; Royal Foresters, Littledean Hill, Cinderford; Yeoman Hotel, Southgate Street, Gloucester.

The stone faced three storey building was refurbished and re-opened back as the Black Swan in the 1990’s. It was a great real ale pub and was named Gloucester branch of CAMRA ‘Pub of the Year’ in 2000 . It also gained a place in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

A planning application was submitted to Gloucester City Council in October 2002 by owners Newforma Ltd., to build a four storey extension at the side of the Black Swan to provide 14 extra bedrooms in sympathetic Neo-Classical style to match the architecture of the existing building. The interior of the pub would also have been refurbished at a total cost of £1 million. Sadly, the plans never materialised and the Black Swan closed down in 2003.

The Black Swan is now a residential development. During the development an old enamel sign with the wording ‘Black Swan Hotel. Family and Commercial’ was discovered. The sign now takes pride of place in the foyer.

A West Country Ales ceramic plaque is still in situ

Landlords:

1830 Charles Lander

1856, 1859 Samuel Vick

1893, 1906 H. Carter

1919 Godsell & Sons, Salmon Springs, Stroud

1927 Edward Meacham

1936 T. Davy

1972 Arthur McKenna

1995 Noel Bennett

1998 Paul McParland (manager)

1998 Bob Keech

2002 Craig Reynolds

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