Pub bosses face backlash over plans to change historic boozer’s ‘offensive’ name

Even former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has joined calls not the change the pub’s name, which has been linked to the town for seven centuries

Thousands have called on MPs to intervene after a pub chain’s proposals to change the ‘offensive’ name of a historic Scottish inn.

The Black Bitch pub in Linlithgow could be renamed as ‘The Willow Tree’ according to plans put forward by owners Greene King after rolling out a public consultation.

Its name refers to a black dog and, according to historians, has been linked with the West Lothian town for around 700 years while also been enshrined into a black hound statue.

But plans to change it have been faced with huge rebuttal, prompting more than 11,000 residents to sign a petition demanding a U-turn on the decision.

Protests were held earlier this year by residents furious at the chain’s plans to what they described as “erasing local history”.

Former Scottish first minister and Linlithgow native Alex Salmond has joined those criticising the pub chain’s plans branding the scenario as “silliness”.

Speaking last year, he hit out at Greene King’s lack of local knowledge, saying the name was “borne with pride” in the town, and that those in charge of the decision should show “awareness and respect for Lithgae’s rich history”.

A petition calling on Greene King to scrap the name change has gathered 11,380 signatures and will now be sent to Scottish Parliament for discussion.

Linlithgow itself, situated halfway between Edinburgh and Falkirk, has only 13,000 residents and its local council has previously said it would not stand in the way of plans to change the tavern’s name, according to the Daily Record.

Susan Watt, who set up the petition, wrote: “This is part of the Linlithgow History and one of the oldest pubs in Scotland! Bitch is a reference to the black greyhound dog which is part of our local history!”

Greene King announced last year it would be changing the names of several other taverns due to their racist connotations.

Two pubs in Suffolk were renamed as ‘The Westgate’ and ‘The Lady Elizabeth’, while a third called ‘The Black’s Head’ in Derbyshire is now ‘The Quarryman’.

It’s understood the plans to change the Linlithgow boozer were however down to the name’s initial shock value than actually being rooted in racism.

The brewery told The Mirror plans had been rumbling on for over a year, and that currently they are appealing over planning permission to change the pub’s signage.

“We announced in 2021 that we would be changing the name of our pub as we cannot and should not ignore the people who told us how they felt at seeing ‘Black Bitch’ written on the front of a pub,” said a spokesman.

“We appreciate the story of the Black Bitch has a proud and historic context in Linlithgow, but the pub only took this name in the 20th century and has gone by different names in the past. Having The Willow Tree as the pub’s latest name aims to highlight another piece of Linlithgow’s rich heritage.

“While permission is not required to change the name of the pub, we applied to West Lothian Council in March for permission to alter the physical signage at the pub, but despite having received a recommendation of approval from the council’s own planning department, the development management committee chose to delay a decision on the application at the start of July.

“Therefore, we felt given there was no set date on when we could expect a decision, and it was due at the end of May, it was appropriate to use our right to appeal on the grounds of non-determination.”

Speaking to The Mirror, a West Lothian Council spokesman said: “At a meeting of the Development Management Committee in July, the committee voted to continue the two applications and requested that officers sought further information from Historic Environment Scotland regarding the listing of the building.

“The applications were due to reported back to the committee in September, but the applicant has now appealed against the non-determination of the applications to the DPEA (Scottish Government Planning & Environmental Appeals Division).

“The decisions on the applications will now be made by a reporter appointed by the Scottish Government.”