Last picture of Black Boy pub as name change is imminent

The pub rename attracted controversy when the rebrand was put to a public vote over concerns of ‘racist connotations’.

Some people on social media have called for the name to be retained. ‘It will always be the Black Boy’ has been a common refrain from people who oppose the name change.

An earlier bid to rebrand the pub was withdrawn in 2017 after a backlash on social media, but following a year of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, the decision was made to rename the pub.

READ MORE: What the Black Boy pub will look like once its rebranded

Above is one of the last photos of the pub you’ll see before it is rebranded.

Liam Murray, chief photographer at 2 Drones Photography and a resident of Shinfield took the photo, which was shared on the Shinfield Community Facebook page.

The pub has allowed Mr Murray to take photos and a video to document the change.

Explaining why he took the photo, Mr Murray said: “As a local resident I wanted to capture the memory and change of name.

“There’s a lot of local opinion on the name change – I didn’t want it to have a negative impact on the pub.

“What I’ll be doing when the rebrand takes place will acknowledge that the name has changed but the staff, service, and quality of food is still the same, which in my opinion is excellent.”

Rebranding work will take place on  September 6, with the pub remaining open throughout.

The renaming of the pub was a decision made by Barons Pub Company, an operating company that runs 11 pubs out of its base at The Cricketers in Horsell, Surrey.

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It was Barons Pubs who attempted to change the name in 2017. The pub in Shinfield is owned by Greene King, which conducted a poll which suggested three new names for the pub.

These were ‘The King’s Rest’,  ‘The Merry Monarch’ and ‘The Shinfield Arms’ which won out in a vote.

Advertising consent to conduct the rebrand was granted by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning department at the end of May.

What the pub will look like once it's renamed The Shinfield Arms

Hailing the upcoming rebrand, Barons Pub Company managing director Clive Price, said: “After a very busy summer, we are pleased to be officially changing the pub’s name to one that reflects its place in the community and also ensures it remains a place where everyone feels welcome.

“It was really important to us that we involved local people in choosing a new and inclusive name and ‘The Shinfield Arms’ won more than 50 per cent of the 900 public votes cast earlier in the year.

“The name change and new signage will happen over the first couple of weeks of September, but there will be no interruption to trade so I’d definitely recommend popping down for a pint or two or a nice meal.

“We’ve had a really busy spring and summer since reopening on April 12 after lockdown, so we’d like to thank all of our customers and regulars for showing us such great support.”