The Black Horse

As you might recall when I went on the ArtsyCraft course with T!m a fortnight ago...I was interested to find out if The Black Horse Cafe still existed in Newport Pagnell.

Well after breakfast and saying our goodbyes we all went our separate ways and I almost got in the car and drove straight back home but something made me turn left instead of right at the end of the road and I found myself in the town itself....then something made me turn left instead of right at the junction again and driving down the high street I parked at the far end in a car park (a free one at that.....that's a pretty amazing thing for anyone in the bay and surrounding areas as we have to pay for parking all the time!!!)

...I decided to walk up the street again to get to the shops to find someone to ask...I thought I might pop into the estate agents I'd passed 'cos they always know stuff like that ;)...but I noticed the two people inside were like in their 20's and I did not want them looking at me as if I was some sort of escapee from the loony bin!!! HOL

Anyway there was a gentleman who looked of a certain age walking towards me....older than myself so he might be the one to ask.....and what a lucky strike that was :)

He knew of the Black Horse and also he remembered that the circus people had their winter quarters there...he even knew the name Cody's Circus ;)

...spookily I had turned the right way at each junction and if I had carried on the same road about 10 mins more I would have come to it!!!

(I had only just started school when we lived there and could not have known this!)

I was a bit disappointed but rather expected it when he said that they had pulled the cafe down and there was a large housing estate being built.....I decided to carry on...seeing as I had got this far and I was so pleased that I did

...although the original cafe building was not there....surprise, surprise....there was a new or at least different building and it is now known as The Black Horse Inn

...a lovely looking pub/restaurant.....unfortunately it was far too early for it to be open and I did not want to wait as I was already beat and had the long drive home to do still.....but I parked up took a few pictures and had a little walk round.

I don't remember there being another building this big on the site but as I said I was only little.

The canal was better kept than I remember...it seemed to me in my memory that there were lots of overhanging trees and vegetation, bit like Wind in the Willows....what a great adventure it was to be taken on it in a little boat.

It's actually just outside Newport Pagnell in a place called Great Linford.

Thanks for looking

xoxo Sioux