King Edward VII

King Edward VII, Lichfield Road, junction with Aston Hall Road, Aston – Another pub to report as re-opened!
On a cold winter’s night just before Christmas, myself -Andy “Looza” Maxam, “Me name’s Noige” Barker and “Derby” Paul Williams travelled to the beer desert that is Aston to check out the King Edward VII. A number of pubs have been lost in this area in recent years, most notably the Britannia (fate still uncertain) and the Church Tavern and the Reservoir (now demolished). The current building is a red brick terracotta pub by architects Wood & Kendrick dating from 1904; it had survived a threat of road widening a few years ago. Externally, it is more or less as original (less the leaded windows) although the inside has been extensively altered over the years though some original tiling still remains.

Swan and Mitre, Lichfield Road, Aston

The pub had been extensively refurbished as much of the previous fixtures and fittings had been removed by the previous owner. The work had been carried out to a good standard. Although the only real ale on offer was Greene King IPA the quality was good and the bar staff were friendly. We met the manager, Paul, who unusually for a gaffer, didn’t drink! He was interested in selling real ale, though. He was keen not to go down the route of just being a “match day” pub i.e. selling industrial quantities of cooking lager, which is refreshing to hear. This pub is one to watch for the future.

The Villa Tavern, Nechells Park Road

We also visited the Swan & Mitre, another majestic looking pub which had no real ale but a good pint of Guinness before making our way up to Nechells Park Road where the Villa Tavern awaited; a former GBG regular and National Inventory entry. This pub, dating from 1924, whilst not spectacular on the outside, is remarkably intact internally. To our surprise, there were two handpulls on; only serving John Smith bitter and M & B Mild but at least it was better than keg! The quality of the mild was excellent and the barman told us that the cask ales were popular with the locals. It would be nice to see a Mild by Aston Brewery Co in this former Ansell’s stronghold! And surely there is a case for breweries like Purity or Wye Valley to be in here, as there is such a shortage of quality real ale in the suburbs.

By Andy Maxam