A popular nickname for this pub was once the Romping Donkey.

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While Cheadle may not seem a likely place for a miracle; in 1860 the religious newsletter ‘The Tablet’ reported as such. Three men were staying in the town at the Black Horse Inn, upon returning from attending a forenoon service at the catholic church one of them proceeded make a mock alter and make fun of the service. To his friend's horror he was suddenly struck blind, a doctor was called immediately however the doctor told the man it was a judgement from the Almighty God and nothing could be done.

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These events were later proved to be a hoax by investigators!

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In at least one trade directory the pub was referred to as the Dark Horse rather than the usual Black.

In 1894 when landlord John Prince was found guilty of allowing drunkenness on the premises (a local vet consumed four whiskeys at breakfast) he was fined £5 and costs.

 

Cheadle’s Voluntary Fire Brigade won the Silver Helmet award in 1895 at a demonstration, a victory dinner was held at this pub.

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A series of outbuildings and stables opposite, belonging to the pub were demolished in 1912.

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By 1931 the pub was owned by the brewery Joules Ltd.

 

While the pub’s stables had been demolished in the early 1900s other buildings linked to the pub still remained, in 1961 these were demolished to make way for road improvements. It was also believed that the brewery who owned the pub at the time had a major reconstruction project in the planning stages.

 

The building was given a Grade II listing  in 1986.

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By 1994 the pub was owned by 'Enterprise Inns Ltd', whose plans for a major refurbishments had to be changed, when it was revealed that it would result in removing a beloved bench. The bench in question was one that regular May Smith (better known by her maiden name Knight) had used everyday for 60 years. Once the owners realised the upset it would cause, they altered the plans and in 1995 only partially removed the wall, which the bench was against.

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Circa 1999 the pub closed and in 2001 the building was converted into an office.

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Past Proprietors:

 

 

 

Joseph Robinson (The Universal British Directory 1791, 1793)
Joseph Ratcliffe (Parson and Bradshaw – Staffordshire Directory 1818)
J. Vaughn (Pigot’s Directory 1822)
Edward Tipper (Pigot’s Directory 1828)
William Tipper (Pigot & Co.’s National Directory 1828-29)
Samuel Alcock (White’s Directory of Staffordshire 1834)
Francis Salt [until April 1855] (1841 Census, Pigot’s Directory of Staffordshire 1842, Post Office Directory of Birmingham with Staffordshire & Worcestershire 1849, Slater’s Directory 1850, White’s Directory of Staffordshire 1851 and Staffordshire Advertiser 1855)
Mary Tipper (Kelly’s Post Office Directory of Staffordshire 1860 and Leek Times 1874)
Thomas Whilletts (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1880)
George Shurmer (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1884) [until June 1887]
Edward Harper [from June 1887 until April 1889] (1887 and 1889 Cheadle Herald)
John Prince [from April 1890] (1890, 1891 and 1894 Cheadle Herald)
Alfred Dunkley (1895 Cheadle Herald)
John S. G. Land (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1900)
Gertrude Bailey (1901 Census)
Hannah Tipper (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1904, c.1910 Information and Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1912)
Charles Pattinson (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1924 and 1928)
William Hatton (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1932 and 1940)

Mr and Mrs E. Rogerson (Staffordhire Sentinel 1948)
William Everill (Cheadle Post and Times 1959) [until Sept 1959]
Kenneth Thorley [from Sept 1959] (Cheadle Post and Times 1959, 1961)
J. Walton (Cheadle Post and Times 1961)

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​Brenda Birchhall [from 1980] (Facebook)

Annette White [from 1985?] (Facebook)

Liz Bracken [from c.1992] (Staffordshire Sentinel 1995)

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