Black Castle

Arno's Castle — commonly known as Black Castle — in Brislington, Bristol, is one of the rarer surviving examples of a sham castle: a purely decorative folly built in 1745, never intended for defence but constructed as a picturesque garden backdrop for the adjacent Arnos Court. The structure is attributed to industrialist William Reeve and is built from dark slag stone, a byproduct of local lead smelting that gives the building its distinctive black hue and popular name. It carries Grade I listed status with English Heritage. Today the building operates as a Flaming Grill pub, meaning visitors can experience its 18th-century theatrical exterior from the inside over a pint.