Restoring a Legend: The Black Dog
This is The Black Dog. This loving pup sat happily on the roof of The Black Dog Inn on Northgate Street from c.1910 to 1966. Every time you wandered down the street, looked out of a window nearby or popped in for a pint at The Black Dog Inn this lovely pup welcomed you with a panting grin.
This happy pup was carved by Arthur Levison Senior; the family were famous wood carvers and were responsible for the figure head of the tea clipper Cutty Sark. Arthur spent around 5 years before and after WWI carving in Cardiff and during WWI he served in France with the Royal Artillery until he was wounded and discharged in 1917.
After WWI he continued to carve, but this time in London where he switched to carving artificial limbs (we have some artificial limbs in our collection but unfortunately they were not carved by Levison). He was a very interesting man who continued to carve right up to and after the Second World War. Some of his other works include the Grasshopper which can be found today on the first floor of the Folk Museum.
This lovely Black Dog was believed to be missing and presumed destroyed up until 1973 when the dog was rediscovered in a derelict brewery warehouse in Stroud. He remained in store in Stroud District Museum until 1996 when he was returned to Gloucester, where we have cared for him since.
For years this beloved pup was less colourful and missing his front paws, an ear and part of his tail - amongst other parts! Thankfully, these pieces were found in an archival box waiting to be reattached. Thanks to the kind donation of Mr Boris Worrall we were able to restore and conserve the Black Dog with the help of Drakon Heritage & Conservation in October 2024.
Mr Boris Wirral stated that:
“Gloucester has a proud history and heritage, and we are pleased to be a part of regenerating this vibrant city and celebrating its past. Therefore, we were happy to accept a proposal to restore the famous Black Dog so that residents can enjoy this unique icon for years to come.”
We are very grateful for his kind donation which enabled us to restore the Black Dog for everyone to enjoy.
Pieta Greaves from Drakon Heritage & Conservation reattached the items which were missing, including his front paws that used to hang over the top of the roof of the inn. They stabilised the paint work, repainted his eyes and toned down the colour of his lips which used to be a garish red - this was done based on evidence that the painter had regretted how red he painted the dog’s lips! They also restored the original colour of the collar from bright yellow to its original gold - a fitting accessory for the Black Dog which is clearly a very important part of Gloucester.
The Black Dog sure has something to wag their tail about and luckily he had his reattached!
For Pieta Greaves, who conserved the Black Dog
Everyone in the museum was deeply saddened to hear the news that Pieta Greaves passed away recently. Pieta worked with the museum many times over the years, including preserving the Black Dog in 2024. She was a fun, vibrant person with exceptional knowledge and skill. She will be greatly missed by everyone here at the museum.