Marc
knowlegable brummie
For anyone interested and for future posterity, here a layout guide to when I lived at the pub.
I also remember that the Bungalow next door always had a beautiful back garden, unlike ours which was huge and difficult to maintain especially as we didn't even have a law mower.
I do recall finding hundreds of old clay pipes in the back garden surrounding the green. Presumably from back in it's hey day.
The cellars were also huge downstairs and very very creepy. The was a long long wide corridor arrangement underneath the pub that lead out to the underground servery. That's what people may have called the tunnel.
When we left we left behind a pair of real Bulls horns and a Kudu skull with long horns. Heaven knows where they ended up.
My Father was effectively forced out of the trade on an early ill health pension. He had been one of the only Landlords able to control the patrons through being firm but fair. Whilst Dad ran the pub, profits increased for the first time in decades until a new area manager arrived. Then suddenly the stocks began to show dramatic shorts despite weekly stock takes and Mom and Dad buying several bottles of spirits every week to help make up the losses.
The cause of this was either theft by staff and/or customers, or simply the brewery wanting to get my Dad out early to put in a new manager along with a refit but mainly to avoid paying him a full pension which was due within just a few years.
Sadly, he was forced to leave due to a heart attack brought on by the stress of the low stocks. ( I had personally seen one member of staff drinking from the optics before the bar opened) No names mentioned, but as they had to move out quickly into a normal semi detached house, we had to leave behind so many belongings including clothes, furniture, personal items including medals and various things my parents had collected during their time in the trade including Grandfather and Gran Mother clocks etc.
(Apologies if my punctuation and paragraphs are bad but I'm just writing this straight down as it comes from memory).
We moved to Sutton Coldfield where Dad lived till he was 83 and Mom 84 but Dad was almost 10 years older than Mom.
I will try to dig out some photos but I don't have many. I do have pics of the Barmen Jerry and Bill Bailey along with a photo of Dolly who worked the OAP's club in the lounge along with the lovely Elsie.
I also vividly remember the gorgeous older woman Pat of whom I had a huge crush (Embarrassed smile) and her husband whos name surpasses me at present. (Possibly John, they used to live off Kingstanding Road up past Hawthorne Road somewhere, near a small row of shops.
I'll try to set all this out in some resemblance of order at a later date. At the moment I'm lying in my sick bed recalling all these fond memories. I don't really know if they are of interest to anyone, or just meaningless ramblings but one day, perhaps in a few decades and if this great community is still thriving, my dribble may be of some use to someone. I mean that in the nicest possible way. I'm sure I will add more whilst I have the strength to write, so please excuse me if my posts gone on a little. I apologise in advance.
I also remember that the Bungalow next door always had a beautiful back garden, unlike ours which was huge and difficult to maintain especially as we didn't even have a law mower.
I do recall finding hundreds of old clay pipes in the back garden surrounding the green. Presumably from back in it's hey day.
The cellars were also huge downstairs and very very creepy. The was a long long wide corridor arrangement underneath the pub that lead out to the underground servery. That's what people may have called the tunnel.
When we left we left behind a pair of real Bulls horns and a Kudu skull with long horns. Heaven knows where they ended up.
My Father was effectively forced out of the trade on an early ill health pension. He had been one of the only Landlords able to control the patrons through being firm but fair. Whilst Dad ran the pub, profits increased for the first time in decades until a new area manager arrived. Then suddenly the stocks began to show dramatic shorts despite weekly stock takes and Mom and Dad buying several bottles of spirits every week to help make up the losses.
The cause of this was either theft by staff and/or customers, or simply the brewery wanting to get my Dad out early to put in a new manager along with a refit but mainly to avoid paying him a full pension which was due within just a few years.
Sadly, he was forced to leave due to a heart attack brought on by the stress of the low stocks. ( I had personally seen one member of staff drinking from the optics before the bar opened) No names mentioned, but as they had to move out quickly into a normal semi detached house, we had to leave behind so many belongings including clothes, furniture, personal items including medals and various things my parents had collected during their time in the trade including Grandfather and Gran Mother clocks etc.
(Apologies if my punctuation and paragraphs are bad but I'm just writing this straight down as it comes from memory).
We moved to Sutton Coldfield where Dad lived till he was 83 and Mom 84 but Dad was almost 10 years older than Mom.
I will try to dig out some photos but I don't have many. I do have pics of the Barmen Jerry and Bill Bailey along with a photo of Dolly who worked the OAP's club in the lounge along with the lovely Elsie.
I also vividly remember the gorgeous older woman Pat of whom I had a huge crush (Embarrassed smile) and her husband whos name surpasses me at present. (Possibly John, they used to live off Kingstanding Road up past Hawthorne Road somewhere, near a small row of shops.
I'll try to set all this out in some resemblance of order at a later date. At the moment I'm lying in my sick bed recalling all these fond memories. I don't really know if they are of interest to anyone, or just meaningless ramblings but one day, perhaps in a few decades and if this great community is still thriving, my dribble may be of some use to someone. I mean that in the nicest possible way. I'm sure I will add more whilst I have the strength to write, so please excuse me if my posts gone on a little. I apologise in advance.