What Lies Beneath

Not an exciting photo on the face of it, though I was pleased to see this guy at work today removing modern ceramic tiles from the Old Black Lion pub (Grade 2 listed building) in Northampton to reveal the beautiful original 16th century Northamptonshire stonework, looking in pretty good shape after around 500 years.

The pub is Northampton's oldest but has been closed for the last 5 years and was deteriorating until several organisations came together to fund its restoration. It will reopen as a pub and heritage centre. So far workers have demolished a toilet block in the pub yard to reveal the surprise find of the original archway under which horse-drawn carriages arrived. Horses were stabled here so that the teams could be exchanged for fresh ones.

Northampton has lost so much of its historical heritage over the past decades, so to see a unique building such as this preserved is a refreshing change.