THE fourth outlet of a unique Winchester business is set to open next month.

The Black Hole will be a ten-room bed and breakfast launched by David Nicholson on Wharf Hill next to his Black Boy pub and Michelin-starred Black Rat restaurant.

The name evokes visions of the incident in India in 1756 when 146 Britons were imprisoned in a dungeon and a reputed 123 died.

Marketing experts would probably advise against using it as a name for a new business.

Mr Nicholson explained the reason for the unusual name: “Because the rooms are small and bijou,” he said, with a straight face.

His other branch of the Black empire is the Black Bottle wine bar on Bridge Street.