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Birmingham Pubs
Birmingham has a
wealth of classic pubs, with a strong emphasis on those built during the
Victoria era. These vary from a simple corner local to the splendid opulence of
the Bartons Arms. Here, we present a selection of Birmingham's best.
The Anchor,
308
Bradford Street, Digbeth, B5 6ET
Gerry Keane and his
family have been
running this pub for over 35 years. There is a wide range of real ales, bottled
and draught Foreign beers and a changing cider. The pub has 4 rooms, an L-shaped
bar, a snug, a lounge, plus another room dubbed 'The quiet man's room'. The
pub has won the Birmingham Branch Pub Of The Year
Award four times. Website
The Bartons Arms,
144 High Street, Aston, B6 4UP
Oakham Ales reopened this pub in
February 2003, after a sympathetic refurbishment. The pub is an extraordinary
example the work of Victorian Architects James & Lister Lea. The pub has Oakham
beers, such as White Dwarf, Bishops Farewell and JHB, as well as guest ales. The
floor space is vast, the U-shaped bar complemented by a sizeable L-shaped area
at the rear, ideal for diners attracted by the excellent Thai food. There are
also two rooms upstairs, one a boardroom used for meetings, the other a function
room for larger events. The Bartons won Birmingham CAMRA Pub Of The Year in
2004.
Website
The Black Eagle,
16
Factory Road, Hockley, B18 5JU
A four-times winner of the Birmingham
Pub-Of-The-Year award, this pub has been a firm favourite over the years. Now
that the Midland Metro passes within a couple of hundred yards (Benson Road), it
is even more popular. Regular beers include Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Ansells Mild,
but there are always a couple of guest beers too. The licensee, Tony Lewis, has
also established a reputation for great food, in the form of straightforward bar
meals and an A la Carte Menu in the Pub's restaurant area.
The pub also holds an annual beer festival in the garden area, which has
increased in popularity year-on-year.
The Lamp Tavern,
157 Barford Street, Highgate, B5 6AH
Eddie Fitzpatrick has been running
this cosy little pub since 1993. His mainstay during that time has been the
rather excellent Stanway Stanney Bitter, extremely rare in these parts. The pub
acts as a focal point for various local clubs and societies and there are live
bands in the function room at weekends. Also serves Church End Gravediggers,
Marstons Pedigree, Everards Tiger and guest beers. CAMRA Birmingham presented an
award to Eddie to mark his 10 years at the pub.
The
Wellington,
37 Bennetts Hill,
City Centre, B2 5SN
This City Centre ale house reopened
in late 2004 and immediately became a magnet for real ale drinkers from all over the country. Nigel
Barker, who runs the pub, has ten handpulled beers on at a time
stocked around 2600 different ales
during 2005. Three beers are from the Black
Country Ales range and there are seven guest beers. A range
of traditional ciders have been on sale which are now dispensed from the cellar and
are consequently slightly chilled. There are regular beer festivals featuring
45+ beers.
The pub is hard to spot from more than a few yards away and the entrance is much
like those of the many offices in the city centre. The bar is open plan, but the
building's features provide natural breaks between the front seated area, the
central bar and the rear seated area. The pub welcomes customers to bring in
their own food.
Website
The pub won Birmingham CAMRA pub of the year 2005 and a report appears
here. This feat has been repeated in 2006.
The Bell Inn,
11 Old
Church Road, Harborne, B17 0BB
The Bell has been a pub for 300 years
and was previously the Parish Clerk's house. There is a large lounge, a rear
snug and a large outdoor seating area, all served by an unusual corridor bar.
Fuller's London Pride and a guest beer are served in this village pub, set in
the leafy suburbs of Birmingham. The rural feel of the pub is enhanced by the
chimes of the local church clock and the extremely oddly-shaped bowling green.
The White Swan,
276 Bradford Street, Digbeth, B12 0QY
Located a short walk from the Anchor,
this pub is another good example of the architecture of the time. The bar is
quite narrow and runs the length of the pub and there is a small back lounge, as
well as some impressive original tiling. Banks's and Jennings's beers are on
offer here, as well as guest beers. The pub has featured in almost every edition of the Good Beer
Guide. and the landlady has been in-post since 1969, probably the longest
serving licencee in Birmingham. Meet The Gaffer in our
newsletter article.
The Old Joint Stock,
4
Temple Row West, City Centre, B2 5NY
Converted from a former bank house, this
impressive pub is situated right at the centre of the City. The interior has a
mix of styles and the attention to detail is stunning. There is a large island
bar serving the main room, a smaller meeting room and a balcony area up a flight
of stairs. The pub serves beers from the Fullers range, plus guest beers,
including locally-brewed Beowulf ales. Popular with office workers and shoppers
alike, this pub has won several awards, including the Birmingham CAMRA Pub of
the Year. Food is served 12noon-7pm.
Fullers have launched a customer
feedback site and are keen to get reviews
of their beer quality across the UK at the following site:
http://www.proudofyourpride.com/
The City Tavern,
Bishopsgate Street, City Centre, B15 1EJ
Located just off the bustling Broad
Street near Five Ways, the City Tavern has been reopened after a tasteful refurbishment and
replacement of original fixtures and fittings. The full Highgate Brewery range
is on offer and the pub makes a welcome retreat from the hectic nightlife close
by. There is a long, narrow bar and a rear lounge, as well as an upstairs
function room.
The Shakespeare,
31 Summer Row,
City Centre, B3 1JJ
This City Centre pub has undergone a sympathetic
refurbishment in the last couple of years, and is a regular haunt for Central
Library staff, amongst others. The current licensee, Helen O'Neil has been
running the pub for over 10 years and sells Coors M&B Brew XI as the regular
real ale, supplemented by a regular changing guest beer. It is planned to
install a third handpull. An article on the history of the pub, written by
Andrew Maxam (below), appears here.
The British Oak,
Pershore Road, Stirchley
For many years, this pub was a keg-only M&B house. An imposing
building set back from the road, the pub is sited on the Pershore Road/Hazelwell
St. one-way system in Stirchley. A listed building, the pub has recently been
taken over by Punch Taverns and this has resulted in real ale appearing on the
bar. At the time of our visit, There were 3 beers including Belhaven Fruit beer
and M&B Mild, plus a traditional cider on draught. The pub has undergone a
sympathetic refurbishment and has retained the feel of separate drinking &
dining areas. Some history is given in another of
Andrew Maxam's articles.
The Woodman,
106
Albert Street, Digbeth
A classic, grade II listed, Victorian
pub, situated opposite Thinktank at Millenium Point. The L-shaped Bar is
tiled and has etched windows and there is a cosy snug at the rear.
The pub was reopened on 25th November 2005 and is
again selling real ale. On our last visit, Everards Original
and Tiger Bitter were on offer.
This has been
a great success for the various parties involved. Much of the surrounding area has
already been cleared for the new development, but the Woodman is still featured
in the plans.
Prince Of Wales
84 Cambridge Street, City Centre, B1 2NP
Standing behind the International Convention Centre, this pub
has come on abound, since it was converted to a single room some years back.
There can be up to 8 real ales on offer at any time and the current hosts (who
also run the nearby 'Stage') have increased its appeal to real ale fans. Live
music is available most Sundays and food is available lunchtimes. More
information on it history can be found in
Andrew Maxam's article.
Bull
1 Price Street, City Centre, B4 6JU
This very old pub sits next to the St. Chads
Queensway in a quiet backwater of the City Centre. There are two main rooms, a
narrow bar with a small, secluded side area around the back, plus a room set up
as an ideal eating area. The beers served are Ansells Mild, Adnams Broadside and
Marstons Pedigree, plus a regularly changing guest ale. Food is served all day
from a wide ranging menu, cooked to order. There is an extensive collection of
plates, cups and jugs, as well as prints of maps and sketches of old Birmingham.
The welcome in the pub is very friendly and Bed & Breakfast is available.
Website
Old Moseley Arms
53 Tindal Street, Balsall Heath, B12 9QU
Situated in the back streets off the Moseley Road in a
cul-de-sac, the Old Mo, as it is affectionately known, provides for a wide range
of clientele. There is live music every Sunday upstairs in the pool room, while
Tuesday and Thursday are curry nights. One cricket team is based there and
another visits regularly. The pub has two downstairs rooms in addition to the
pool room and an outdoor areas. Beers on offer include Enville Ale & Ginger Ale,
Greene King Abbot Ale, Ansells Bitter and a weekly changing guest beer. Parking
is available on street and it is just 10 minutes from Edgbaston cricket ground.
Floodgate
92 Floodgate St, Digbeth, B5 5SR
This cosy, backstreet pub on the fringe of the Irish
Quarter came under new ownership during 2007. A much-needed, but sympathetic
refurbishment followed and the pub name changed from Horan's Tavern to the
Floodgate. The pub draws much of its trade from the many industrial premises in
the area, but there are also local clientele who visit in the evening.
There is a basic, open plan bar and a smart lounge area. There are usually two
cask beers on including Ansells Mild. At the time of our visit, London Pride was
the other.
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