The popular Black Dog public house was opened in 1711.
Emsworth has always had a close and friendly community, perhaps because of its location on the coast or maybe because of its annual village fair. The Black Dog pub was a key part of the community and, in 1763, the Emsworth Friendly Society was established in the pub.
Did you know?
Through the years the pub has changed its name several times and was known as The Dog, Round Table and, more recently, The Smugglers.
In 1821 it had a brewhouse, malthouse yard for coal trade and a new house for the proprietor. It features in the Piggott’s and Robsons Directories of 1830 and 1839 respectively. In 1820 the Emsworth Corn and Cattle Market started trading on The Square and people often sat outside the pub to watch the wildlife and the world go by!
The pub was rebuilt in the 1930s and the picture below shows how it was in the 1950s when there was a lot less traffic than today and the war memorial bus shelter had also been built, to the right of the picture. In the 1990s, because of its rowdy reputation, its name had to be changed yet again from The Black Dog to The Smugglers before a licence was agreed to be granted to sell alcohol!
It was renamed The Round Table in 2001 and then converted to become Allwoods Wine Bar in 2005. The building is now the Spice Village Indian restaurant that we know and love today!
- See the menu and order Indian food from the Spice Village – click here
- See the details for The Swan pub also on Emsworth Square – click here
- For more history and heritage visit the Emsworth museum – click here