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Angel Hotel - Stratford Road Sparkbrook

  • Thread starter www.midlandspubs.co.uk
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www.midlandspubs.co.uk

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Hi Folks
Would be interested to hear any stories or memories of the Angel Hotel on Stratford Road, one of the oldest pubs in Birmingham but recently turned into a restaurant of the so-called Balti Triangle. Here's the bit that hurts... Birmingham City Council stumped up some grant money for this. I haven't been to see the end result but I believe only the frontage has been retained.

I have done a little work on this pub - this can be found at:

www.midlandspubs.co.uk/birmingham/stratfordroad.htm#Angel-Hotel

Cheers
Kieron
 
Kieron, Never been inside the pub. Strangely , going away from city centre the next pub on the same side of the road is the Saracens head in Shirley.
 
Yes, it's funny Mick how they are all on the left-hand side. There was the Victoria not that long ago but they were all seemingly built on the other side. I'd not thought about it before - was there some strategy on the part of the breweries? Like, say, people getting off the bus or tram on their way home from work being tempted to nip in their local for a quick pint because the pub was in front of them when they alighted?

Cheers
Kieron
 
I think you'll find the pubs were there long before buses and trams travelled the streets! - some areas of Birmingham (Edgbaston and Bourneville, for instance) were seriously devoid of pubs as the principal landowners (Calthorpes and Cadburys for those two districts) didn't approve.
 
I take your point Lloyd. Yes, of course the older pubs were established long ago but some of the pubs sprang up after the advent of public transport. This happened on many of the main arterial routes in and out of Birmingham.

I did a trawl along Stratford Road to see what the pubs were like. Some have gone trendy, particularly the Bull's Head and The Horseshoe. Others seem to be struggling to survive, such as the College Arms. The Bear seemed to be the most authentic albeit a bit rough. Worst of all was the sight of two muppets tearing apart the beautiful interior of The Antelope, probably for yet another restaurant. How many do you need? I mean, the former Mermaid didn't succeed as a restaurant. There should have been a preservation order on The Antelope's interior as it was very special, a lovely Holland Hobbis building. I recognise there is no need for pubs in an area now largely occupied by people who don't drink for religious reasons, but there is no need for such vandalism.

Cheers
Kieron
 
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that there are grants available for such restaurant conversions. It'd run at a (tax) loss for a few years, then surprise surprise the building is bulldozed and sold for housing build - at a profit. These big old city pubs are probably worth nothing, and the sale value of the ground would be more if it were empty. Don't you find it surprising how many of these 'architecturally interesting but otherwise now useless' buildings stand empty until they get torched, ending the problem of listed status and/or history societies?
I agree about the historic interiors, but - how many can be saved? Unless it's a profit-making pub (e.g. the Bartons Arms, or the Anchor in Rea Street) the interior fittings stand in the way of any present day use the building shell could have. There is only a limited interest in the older 'heritage' atmosphere, particularly in the younger generations. Sadly, we can't preserve everything - and they would be less interesting if we could, don't you think?
 
More food for thought Lloyd. There are a few themes in there to provoke or stimulate responses.

I was particularly sad to see The Antelope's interior being ruined because it was so unique. You have identified two important pub interiors but there are very few that have so much of the original fittings intact. Most pubs have been ruined with continual refurbishments and rebranding. This is what makes places like The Antelope so special - the interior was such that it would have been suitable for the offices of a solicitor or accountant. It was all original and it was virtually intact - little had changed from the time it was built. So sad to see this one go.

Returning to your point - there is some validity in your proposal that "it would be less interesting" if we preserved everything. However - and I am only talking about pubs here - it is worth noting that in a major survery conducted in 1991, it was found that out of a stock of 60,000 public houses in Britain, only around 200 were found to have an interior intact enough to be of national importance and that only 4 per cent of pub interiors were considered to be of much historic value.

Cheers
Kieron
 
"Most pubs have been ruined with continual refurbishments and rebranding".

To right Kieron. I have known pubs with original late Victorian/ Edwardian interiors gutted and over the the years suffer everything from mock Tudor to early StarTreck.The 60s and 70s were the worst with breweries being the culprits. Now its property developement causing the losses.
In the words of a song "You never know what you've got till its gone".Everytime I watch the pub scenes in Last of the Summer Wine and see that awful flock wallpaper and fake horse brasses I think thats when it all started going downhill. Everthing now is just makebelieve.Sad
 
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The Antelope was run by my uncle Harold Cowell from around the end of WW2 up to the late 1950's or thereabouts. We had many a family gathering there, but always upstairs in the private rooms. I can only very vaguely remember the bar, but I'm aware that it is (was...) something special. Uncle Harold had a huge Alsatian when I was very young, which had free roaming-rights all around the place, and there was never much trouble.........

One thing which does stick in my mind was the dumb-waiter from the pub kitchen to the upstairs kitchen - I always wanted a ride in it, but Uncle never let me...

Big Gee
 
Coming out of Brum on the Stratford Road it was on the right hand side in Sparkbrook. (Opposite Smiths coaches)
 
hi kieron
how long ago did you enter the antelope ?
and witnes this going on of distruction, as two of my oldest friends
whom had been in the trade for decades , and there name was ann and
seamus galligahar they used to run the big pub called the monica
in monica rd small heath and that was a very hard pub to run
well thats is before seamus and annie came along they stopped that
and got it built up to standards and brought all the top irish bands in
but they ran a very tight ship from staff to joe public and they never ever had any more fights of trouble down there for the fear of seamus
he was a big man and abit nutty i seen him throw somebody out through
the smoke room swinging doors like a battering ram head first
but really and truly he was a gentle giant he cleaned the place up for donkeys years
they was there at the monica then the brewery sent them in to the antelope
they did not have to go but the brewers offered them the antelope onstratford rd
for a couple of years about two i think , then the brewery built another knew pub
the name i cannot think of at the moment ot all that far from the anelope
any way seamus and annie decided to go back to the west coast of ireland they made enough money to retireand they built there own house back in ireland
seamus was a building contractor in a big way annie is related to my old dutchess
she is one of the courneys family of the j,j courtneys civil building contractords
whom do run pubs around brum and myself and my old dutchess also used to run pubs and clubs around the country and birmingham and we are wel known with past
and present brewers, lie you i have collected data and ledgers going back years
from when they used to wright in feather form qails when testing the minerals at a penny a pint
but getting back to my question when was it you was in there because if annie
or seamus was there i asure it would never have happenend
i have got to agree with you the bear as been dying for decades a friend of mine help run the selly park taveren and leart a few more tricks of the trade and when and took over the bear it was dead so he moved to the fox hollies made a turn around and now he gone down south running a succesful business
and a friend of mine as just bought a pun called the duck pond up in feddich
a couple of weeks ago but is a different pub its more up market
with good class food he,s an exravert so he will do well
best wishes astonian ;;;
 
it was actualy the next road on the right
passig the coaches on the oppersite side to smiths had you gone up the road by the angle it runs into ladypool rd and the old agel was painted a smokey white --grey for years and always looked drabb best wishes astonian ;;;;;
 
Gordon Green was the gaffer back in the 60s.He went on to have the Chestnuts.He was a great friend of Gerry the gaffer of the Brit.I got to know him quite well 20+ years back as he was a frequent visitor.
At that time @1988 the Angel was still struggling on as a tenancy.Gordon told me they had kept it as a trial pub to test new managers for some years.
Sad to see it being converted,but at least they've kept the frontage.It's future as a pub would have been zero in that area.
 
Wessex I totally agree, in that area the pub was doomed anyway. Further down the Stratford Rd into my neck of the woods (Hall Green/Shirley) pubs like the Bulls Head, Robin Hood, Red Lion etc etc are all trading well in these difficult times.
 
citymick said:
Wessex I totally agree, in that area the pub was doomed anyway. Further down the Stratford Rd into my neck of the woods (Hall Green/Shirley) pubs like the Bulls Head, Robin Hood, Red Lion etc etc are all trading well in these difficult times.
Click to expand...

Shirley,where I grew up.;)
You'll note of course those pubs have mostly evolved into eateries,where do we find the room to put all this food we find surrounding us?:D
 
The former Angel Inn is now an Asian buffet restaurant called Manjaros. Before that it was Ismails a Steak House.
 
The Angel Hotel painted by Paul Braddon. There must once have been a toll gate next to it. The house has the toll charges fixed to the upper wall. Viv.

image.jpeg
 
The earliest reference I can find so far to the Angel Inn is 1850.

The Sparkbrook tollgate is mentioned in the newspaper leasing announcement below dated 1831. Presumably this is the tollgate in Paul Braddon's panting Viv.
 

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The tollgate house in Paul Braddon's painting was re-built and enlarged by 1827. The house depicted in the painting could be correct for that date but might well have been earlier. See the bottom line on the attached Aris's newspaper clipping. Viv.
 

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Another classic painting Eric, shame the book was never published. I did go in the Angel in 1972, as well as the other on the other side of Long Street.
 
Living just around the corner from the Angel it was the local for some of my family, myself I never rated it or the Vic that Morturn has mentioned at the bottom of Long Street. I only ever used it once in the early 60's on a very hot summers day when working across the road we popped in there for a liquid lunch.
 
Does anyone know history of Angel Hotel on Stratford Road, Sparkbrook. My great Grandfather was the publican circa 1920s
 
www.midlandspubs.co.uk said:
Hi Folks
Would be interested to hear any stories or memories of the Angel Hotel on Stratford Road, one of the oldest pubs in Birmingham but recently turned into a restaurant of the so-called Balti Triangle. Here's the bit that hurts... Birmingham City Council stumped up some grant money for this. I haven't been to see the end result but I believe only the frontage has been retained.

I have done a little work on this pub - this can be found at:

www.midlandspubs.co.uk/birmingham/stratfordroad.htm#Angel-Hotel

Cheers
Kieron
Click to expand...
Kieron, Can't seem to find a link to Stratford rd

Here's an advert for the Angel Hotel from the 1890's

angel.jpg
 
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