Review: Cats galore at Chesham’s cat themed pub (Includes interview and first-hand account)

Chesham is is a charming market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. Like many town and villages in England it features several interesting pubs (‘public houses’), which serve well-cooked food and offer a range of interesting craft beers and ales.

One such place, located on the outskirts of Chesham in a village called Lye Green is an establishment called the ‘Black Cat.’ The pub offers a good range of beers and some well cooked, homely food.

The sign for the Black Cat pub in Chesham. These wooden signs are very traditional sign-posts for village pubs.

Tim Sandle

A side view of the Black Cat pub in Chesham.

Tim Sandle

Lye Green is located north east of Chesham.

Lye Green is a hamlet in the parish of Chesham in Buckinghamshire, England.

Tim Sandle

Entering the Black Cat pub, welcomed by appropriate signage.

Tim Sandle

The Black Cat pub is most interesting for its collection of black cat related items, cutting across a range of different art forms.

A black cat clock on a wall displaying Guiness adverts from yesteryear.

Tim Sandle

Selection of black cat images in the pub. One is for a old brand of cigarettes called ‘Black Cat.’ These were made by the House of Carreras. Black Cat, the first cigarette in the United Kingdom to contain coupons which were redeemable for gifts.

Tim Sandle

One such picture is the classic Le Chat Noir poster, commonly displayed in many parts of Paris. Translated to “The Black Cat”, this was a nineteenth-century cabaret, located in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris.

Le Chat Noir in iconic Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen poster art.

Tim Sandle

On wall is an amusing cartoon with instructions for cat lovers.

Do you own your cat or does your cat own you? These amusing instructions for cat lovers offer some clues.

Tim Sandle

Here are some further black cat images, taken from inside the welcoming pub:

Another clock adorns a wall in the Black Cat pub in Chesham.

Tim Sandle

An old, Edwardian lockable decanter positioned alongside an ornamental black cat.

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More Black Cate items. Central is The Black Cat, a 1934 horror film that became Universal Pictures’ biggest box office hit of the year.

Tim Sandle

The pub also has an interesting collection of beer mats. Beer mats of various descriptions are popular in England, and are collected by some people. Beer mats are not only used to protect the table; being made of paper, they also absorb condensation dripping along the glass ans also serve as an ad-hoc notepad.

Man spilling his pint, plus a selection of interesting beer mats. Although there is some debate on precisely when beer mats were introduced into the U.K. (between 1918 and 1922) the pioneers were Watney, Combe and Reid, a major London based brewery.

Tim Sandle

A range of different shaped beer bottles aligns one of the wall at the Black Cat pub.

Tim Sandle

The pub has many other traditional features, including the bar:

Locals congregate at the bar of the Black Cat pub in Chesham, telling tales and drinking warm beer.

Tim Sandle

An impressive open fire grate:

Fireplace mantel overhanging the fire grate in the Black Cat pub, surrounded by interesting pub artifacts.

Tim Sandle

And a small garden outside, for when the weather is good.

The welcoming beer garden at the Black Cat pub. The area has a small play area for children. Plus a black cat sign!

Tim Sandle

And a well stocked selection of beers. These included Young’s Bitter, an easy to drink, refreshing cask ale with a fresh, fruity aroma; Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, a beer with peppery spice and biscuit maltiness. Very smooth and drinkable; and Beechwood Bitter, which has an amber color with a rich butter-toffee aroma. Fruity and slightly nutty.

A range of ‘real ales’ at the Black Cat pub. These are a world away from the mass produced lagers sold in many establishments.

Tim Sandle

In case you’re wondering, yes the pub also has a real black cat, which was spotted meandering through the outdoor beer garden. The cat’s name is Rambo!

A black cat at The Black Cat Pub. The folklore surrounding black cats varies from culture to culture. The Scots, for example, believe that a strange black cat’s arrival to the home signifies prosperity.

Tim Sandle