More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Kent's most haunted pub has been given a new lease of life under new ownership.
Lee Varnham and his partner Gemma O'Brien have taken over the Black Horse in Pluckley, near Ashford.
The couple, who have run several inns together over the last decade, purchased the famous building – which lies in Britain's most haunted village – in March.
"We had just come back from seeing another pub that we didn't like the look of," explained Ms O'Brien, "when we stopped to have a quick look at this one.
"It was pouring with rain and I didn't even want to get out of the car, so Lee went to have a look. When he came back, he said, 'this is the one', he just fell in love with it."
The pair, originally from Canterbury, worked quickly to restore the inside to its former glories, removing much of the paint and other additions that had been made in the past.
This included merchandise for the haunted town and inn that had been offered by the previous owner, as they sought to establish the business as a high-end restaurant.
Mr Varnham said: "The place had, I think, gone down the wrong road really, it just wasn't working. The legends about the place being haunted are obviously a very important part of its history, but it's not what we wanted the whole business based around".
"We wanted to go down the food route," Ms O'Brien added, "and because there are so many great pubs around here that do good pub food, we wanted to make it more of a restaurant.
"We've got an amazing chef and his team are fantastic, we're using all local produce – the butcher is literally across the road from us, you can't get much closer!
"One thing we're particularly proud of is that the kitchen team have a walk-in fridge/freezer, but the food is so fresh that we just use the freezer as a dry-store."
The team have a new menu coming out today, and have their eyes set on awards in the near future.
"We're definitely looking at winning rosettes," explained Ms O'Brien, "several members of the team have already got some behind them and we're really excited at their potential, they're young and full of talent!"
On top of restoring the ground floor of the building for the restaurant, Mr Varnham and Ms O'Brien are also working on a surprising way to honour the legends surrounding the Black Horse.
"Effectively, we're looking at having the only genuinely haunted escape room in the country", explained Mr Varnham.
"It's very much still a work in progress, but we're hoping to have it open in time for October – it will be separate from the restaurant and sound-proofed, so nobody will be stepping on each-others toes."
While the pair say they haven't seen any ghosts or figures, there have been a series of strange coincidences during their three month stay so far.
"A lot of the equipment that we used to redo the place would break," said Mr Varnham, "and not just older stuff – we're talking top range, new equipment as well.
"It was particularly true of working at the top; we've been told that the spirits here don't like it when you change things around.
"I'm sceptical, myself, but the equipment malfunctions are hard to explain; plus we've both been ill since being here, which is very very rare for both of us... we shall have to wait and see!"
