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In 1778 the position of innkeeper at the Black Boy was advertised, at that time held by Edward Penn. The confusion surrounding these pubs arises when Penn vacates the Black Boy and moves across the road to The Raven and renames it The Black Boy and Raven. The original Black Boy remained under that name as a separate establishment on its present site. "Edward Penn embraces the opportunity of returning most sincere thanks to his friends for their past favours conferred upon him... He has taken that large and commodious Inn late the Raven in Wribbenhall." He hoped that his former customers would continue to support him and advised that he had enlarged and improved the Raven and laid in a stock of the best wines and liquors. He was also involved in warehousing as he added that he had also acquired Penns Warehouse now "to be known as Hydes warehouse." We know this property was a huge 3-storey 4-bay block and that the warehouse was likely a large part of the building which house the Inn. Penn died in Dec 1805 and in 1807 his trustees sold The Black Boy and Raven to William Cartwright who converted it into a private residence and renamed it Wribbenhall House. It remained in the Carwright family for many years and others until 1933. The building was medieval with a Georgian facade, but ran at right angles into the road severely constricting modern traffic, so the Council bought it and demolished it for road widening. A petrol station and police HQ with living accommodation was built parallel with road on the site. The police left in 2013 and the building is now rented accommodation.

Source: Tony Dunn

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