The Village that wants its pub back and the man who will make their wish come true

When he was younger, local lad Danny Horsley would regularly drink in the Black Tom pub in Camerton (West Cumbria). He also served behind the bar and played pool there. The pub was popular with both locals and customers, who attracted by its reputation for excellent beer and pub food, would come from all over West Cumbria. Alas the severe floods of Autumn 2009 dramatically cut trade, as bridges went down and it became difficult to get to the pub.
The pub had been standing empty since early 2010. The owner who lived in the Midlands filed for bankruptcy and applied for change of use into a house, thus the stage was set for yet another village pub to disappear for good. However several Cumbrian winters passed and the building began to deteriorate. The pipes burst, flooding the building and causing serious structural damage, and the cost of converting it into a habitable house became prohibitive. Danny bought it when it came on the market in 2013 and it was still registered as a pub.
The Building itself dates from 1820, in those days and up until very recently, it would have been a parlour pub - that is one with no bar and no hand pumps. The landlady would take your order and fill your glass from the beer barrel. In 1847 the railway arrived in Camerton, and the pub became The Railway Inn. When the Railway closed in 1966 it became the Derwent Arms then renamed the Black Tom Inn in the late ‘80s. It was named the Black Tom after an effigy in the local church dated from 1510 of Sir Thomas Curwen the local lord of the manor, who was nicknamed Black Tom,
Since taking on the pub in 2013 renovating it has been Danny's labour of love. The whole building needed gutting, which has led to some surprising discoveries including bricked up doorways and the main room became a foot wider. Some lovely oak beams above the windows saw the light of day again, whilst the oak roof beams have also been uncovered and will be put back into place. Coins, some dating from the 1820’s, have been found behind one of the fireplaces - possibly put there for good luck
Danny's aim is to reopen the Black Tom in 2023. He now owns the freehold and therefore is not tied to a major brewery, and has been working with the 'Tractor Shed', a local independent Brewery, and intends it to be a drink only pub. With no plans for food at present he has the enthusiastic support of the locals. He intends it to be a community resource; his determination has shown that it may be possible to reverse the national trend and revitalise a closed village pub.
Oh, and like all good old pubs it has a Ghost and people have reported feeling a presence, and dogs can be uneasy. However my personal favourite story is the Wikipedia entry which states “Legend has it that a blue pig was seen one night by someone leaving the pub" . Possibly a case of too much good cheer!!

Len Wainwright