The Green Men of Birmingham.

[jennyann]

I found this site a few weeks ago and it really is fascinating. The green men are cited as carvings which appear on many buildings built in Birmingham in the Victorian period. They are depicted as having vegetation sprouting from their heads and there are many of them around the city on buildings of that period.
A bit about the history of the "foliate" carvings here : https://houndofhecate.blogspot.ca/2012/12/the-green-men-of-birmingham.html

 

[Radiorails]

These are very ancient. Carvings are extant in medieval building an churches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_man

 

[Charlie]

Thanks Jennyann, really interesting. I have a Green Man hanging on the outside wall looking over the garden and I love him!

 

[maypolebaz]

Am I right in thinking that The Green Man in Erdington is the oldest pub in Brum ?
Just pondering the "Green Man" connection.

 

[jennyann]

Bit posted some time ago by Frothblower re the Green Man and the Crown pub in Digbeth:

Dendrochronology testing at The Lad In The Lane puts it's start date as Spring 1400.
Dendrochronology testing was tried at the Old Crown at Digbeth unsuccessfully. Historians put it as 1480's.
The Lad as only been a pub since 1780's while the Crown goes back to 1589.
This makes the Crown the oldest pub in Brum and the Lad the oldest building.
of course there older Churches.

 

[maypolebaz]

Thanks Jennyann