Greene King has confirmed the controversial decision to rename the historic Black Bitch pub in Linlithgow, despite fierce opposition from locals.
Greene King had initially announced the decision to change the name of the establishment on November 30, reports the Scottish Express.
The chain claimed the pub's former name was 'racist' but the proposed name change sparked uproar among Linlithgow locals.
Residents slammed Greene King and pointed out the name refers to the local legend of a black, female greyhound that features on the town’s heraldic crest
Linlithgow locals accused Greene King of ignoring their views, as well as West Lothian Council, who believe the historic pub name should be kept as it is.
But Greene King CEO Nick Mackenzie said on Wednesday the company was pressing ahead with the change - revealing the new name would be The Willow Tree.
He said: “Changing the pub’s name has been something we’ve been considering for some time and I’d like to thank people who’ve written to us to offer their views.
“There’s been plenty of publicity around those who don’t agree with our decision, but we’ve also had letters of support from people in Linlithgow.
“This is a difficult balance and throughout this we have continued to highlight our respect for the history of Linlithgow. Our decision is not meant to diminish or denigrate the heritage of the town but at the same time we recognise that language has changed and the name can be extremely offensive to people.
“Our commitment to changing the name is unwavering, as we strongly believe it is the right thing to do for our teams and our customers, but we do understand why our original idea to just change the one word on the sign from Bitch to Hound was not well-received by all. It was done with the best of intentions to retain the spirit of the story, but we’ve listened to people who felt it would impact negatively on the town’s emblem.
“We’re pleased therefore to be instead changing it to The Willow Tree, which retains links to the town’s heritage, and look forward to this next chapter of the pub’s history."
