The Black Lion Hotel, no. 154 Boughton, corner of The Mount. Its site is now a landscaped, but otherwise empty, space. It was supposedly demolished for road widening but also, allegedly, because of the 'undesirable' nature of some of the regulars, or so we were informed- by one of them!

The Black Lion was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was Thomas Blades. The landlord in 1828 was William Twemlow, in 1850 John Twemlow (who was still there in 1857- William's son?), in 1880 David Jackson, in 1902 John R Tushingham, who was still there in 1914 (when it is listed as number 166), in 1942 John H Tushingham. (40 years between them- What was their relationship?)

Reader Paul Adamson told us, "The Black Lion closed in the early seventies. The final licensee, Gordon- I don’t remember his surname (but see below)- was a nice friendly young bloke who ran a good pub. He was a keen scuba diver when not pulling pints but tragically drowned in an accident whilst diving off the Wirral either just as the pub was closing or very shortly after. I can still recall in vivid detail a large charcoal caricature he had posed for smiling down from its perch above the optics.

As your other correspondent mentioned, there was a rumour, rife at the time, that the place closed on account of its undesirable patrons. I don’t to this day know the real reason they knocked this handsome building down but an old regular said to me one night in there just before the axe fell, “You mark my words son-they’ll knock this place down and do nowt with it”.

In June 2009, we received the following letter: "The last manager of the Black Lion was Gordon Dentith who died on 3rd June 1972 whilst on a short holiday in Anglesey. I should say I am his eldest daughter Anita. He died two years after the pub was pulled down on the pretext that the road was to be altered. He left three young daughters and a wife who has also recently passed away. Regards, Anita Watson (nee Dentith)."