Building record 1160/370/1 - Nos.1 & 2 Black Lion Hill (Black Lion Inn)

Former coaching inn. Parts of the structure may pre-date the 1675 Northampton fire. Ashlar with a steeply pitched Welsh slated roof.

{1} C17 or earlier. Ashlar, steeply pitched Welsh slated roof. 2 storeys, casement windows to ground floor, 3 flush C19 sash windows to first floor. Carriageway on right. Long back wing. Nos 1 to 3 (consec) form a group with St Peter's Church and Nos 33 to 43 and 37A Mare Fair.

{1} C17th or earlier; ashlar with steeply pitched Welsh slate roof; two storeys; long back wing.

{3} The pub has two conventional cellars with street access. However at the rear of these, under the southwards extended line of the building, and with its ceiling just level with the floor of the other cellars, is a very large barrel vaulted cellar, stone built. It is about 3m high internally. One of the 19th century houses to the rear had an unusually large cellar co-aligned and this in turn roughly correponds to the position of the medieval dovecote that stood there. As the Black Lion is close to the angle of the castle bailey there may be a connection.

{4} Building analysis was undertaken as part of a planning application for restoration. The phasing of the building is complicated and difficult to date, but the earliest phase is the visible along the eastern wall of the east range, where the lower courses of the wall comprise coursed rubble, in sharp contrast to the squared, tightly mortared stonework above. It is possible that this phase is of 16th-century date and may even pre-date the 1516 fire.

{5} An archaeological test pit excavated in St Peters Churchyard against the eastern wall of the front range of the inn identified a trench which had been excavated alongside the wall in the later 19th century and then loosely backfilled with rubble, with a brick surface laid over and a dwarf wall defining the eastern edge. It is thought likely that this was undertaken to alleviate damp issues. At the southern end of the eastern range another test pit identified a lime mortar floor which had been truncated by the possible 16th-century foundations.

{6} Four photos dated 1990;

{7} Sketch and drawing of carving in wall, done in July 1887, noted as not there in 1894;

{8} Photo dated 1st March 1956;

{9} Excavation on the eastern wall of the Black Lion Inn within the graveyard of St Peter's church revealed inhumations likely dating from the 19th century or early 20th century. The human remains encountered consisted of nine burials of which four were of infants which appeared to have been concentrated in an area reserved for child burials at the southern end of the excavated area. The remaining adult burials were all male and reasonably evenly distributed. The range of pathological changes seen on the skeletons was all consistent with what would normally be expected in a medieval/post-medieval assemblage. The one exception was the two cases of trauma to the skull of Skeleton 5. As these traumas were unhealed it could be that they formed part of the incident that led to the death of this individual. The amount of artefactual material would appear to show that the graveyard had been used as a place to unofficially dump domestic refuse over a period of time. The excavations confirmed that the uppermost layers of this part of the graveyard had seen considerable disturbance and disruption.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 5/22 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> 1976, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), H14 p.31 (checked) (Catalogue). SNN116960.

<3> Welsh, T., 2011, Cellars at Black Lion Inn, Northampton, (checked) (Note). SNN107687.

<4> Deadman, J, 2021, The Old Black Lion Inn, 1 Black Lion Hill, Northampton: Historic Building report: Analysis and Interpretation (Report). SNN112690.

<5> Buglass, J, 2021, Church of St Peter, Mare Fair, Northampton: Archaeological Trial Pits, August 2021 (Report). SNN112691.

<6> Photographs of buildings in Northampton (Photographs). SNN114989.

<7> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/198/67,75 (Archive). SNN115.

<8> Miss June Swann, 1960s- 70s, Miss June Swann Photographic Archive (Photographs). SNN116665.

<9> Not specified, 2025, Church of St Peter, Mare Fair, Northampton: Archaeological Excavation (Report). SNN117005.

Record last edited

Mar 9 2026 11:12AM