The Black Horse was built around 1760 by a Mr John Fist in the reign of George III. At some time public hangings took place on Reigate Heath, the gibbet stood very near to the windmill which now incorporates a small chapel. Local history recalls a former landlord of the Black Horse being hung at the gallows for highway robbery.
In 1834 a racecourse was built on the heath and opened with great fanfare on 8th May of that year. The most famous jockey to race there was Captain Becher whose name is associated with Bechers Brook at Aintree. In 1835 a meeting was held by the racing committee and it was decided to hold races on Wednesday and Thursday in the week after the Derby, however due to financial problems the racecourse was closed in May 1838 after giving local residents much enjoyment. In 1863 an attempt was made to revive the racecourse but was thwarted by local residents due to undesirables attending from London and other racecourses.
At that time the Black Horse and one other house were the only properties leading into Flanchford Road. The grounds of the pub comprised a much larger garden being in excess of 2 acres and over the years parts had been sold off for development by Mr Thomas Neale, the owner of the Black Horse along with many other well known hostelries, who became one of the founders of the local brewing company Mellersh & Neale in 1843. In 1863 beer deliveries were made by steam driven wagons.
In the 1860's a local businessman Mr James Bonny set up J. Bonny & Son located on the heath with rights to extract mineral water and producing soft drinks including ginger beer. The factory produced mineral water for nearly 100 years until it was finally closed in the 1950.
In 1895 Reigate Golf Club was established the course now covers a major part of Reigate Heath which has an active membership of local residents, the club house stands near to the windmill being the local landmark on the heath which attracts many visitors.
Over the years the Black Horse has gone through various changes of landlords and was extensively refurbished and extended in the last few years. Perhaps well known to many locals from the past 40 years were Fredrick and Edna Rothwell with their two daughters and son. After her parent’s retirement one of the daughters, Linda and her husband Rob Basting who is related to Mr J Bonny previously mentioned, took over the lease and ran one of the best establishments in Reigate. When provoked by customers Rob could provide an almost none stop dialogue of matters relating to sport and politics.
After the Bastings various other landlords ran the Black Horse and then a period of closure for the Black Horse while the owners Punch Tavern undertook refurbishment and the construction of an extension providing an additional dining area. After the refurbishment Mr D Stanley took over the lease to become the new landlord he then remained for 2 years and sold his leasehold interest to the Cage Inns Ltd the owners of another well known drinking establishment for the younger generation in central Reigate located next to Morrison's supermarket.
