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Help finding The White Lion pub

Laurajadeb

Laurajadeb

New Member
Hello! I’m doing so family history searches and I’m trying to find the location of a particular White Lion pub in Birmingham. It may not exist anymore but would love to know what it might be now, my great grandma used to manage The White Lion pub in the 1940s.

She also managed The White Swan on Sherlock street (which changed to Eden before it shut down a few years ago) where she lived at the time, but I can’t find the records of which White Lion she managed, I only have pictures of her and my family in front of the pub.

If anyone can identify which White Lion this is from the pictures that would be really helpful, these pictures were taken in 1947.

IMG_7502.jpeg
My Grandad Leslie (Great Grandma Lily’s son)
IMG_7504.jpegIMG_7436.jpeg
Lilly Warwick my great grandmother is on the left with her son in law Charlie in the middle and my Nan (her daughter in law) Freda on the left. Lily moved over from Monaghan, Ireland to Birmingham in the early 1900s.
 
hi i have moved this thread to our pubs section of the forum

could you give us the name of your grandmother please and date of birth.. did she run it alone ? do you know what area she lived in ? we maybe able to find her in the trade directories..the more info you provide may help

lyn
 
Thanks for you reply and help Lyn, my Great mother Elizabeth Warwick (know and sometimes documented as Lily) was born 9th Feb 1891 in Monaghan, Ireland. She lived at 116 Sherlock street which was the address for the The White Swan in 1936 - I found this documented in the Trade Directory. As far as I know she ran the White Swan and the White Lion alone with the help of her children (couldn’t find documents of them connecting to the pub).
 
Laurajadeb said:
Thanks for you reply and help Lyn, my Great mother Elizabeth Warwick (know and sometimes documented as Lily) was born 9th Feb 1891 in Monaghan, Ireland. She lived at 116 Sherlock street which was the address for the The White Swan in 1936 - I found this documented in the Trade Directory. As far as I know she ran the White Swan and the White Lion alone with the help of her children (couldn’t find documents of them connecting to the pub).
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ok thanks laura not sure if you have checked the 1939 eve of war census but here it is with 5 living at 116 but as you say you know that was the white swan pub which does not help us finding out which whilte lion she took over after 1939...dont give up just yet as hopefully someone will check the directories for elizabeth or it could be lily warwick

i have studied the photos you posted of the white lion as i have hundreds of old pub photos but there is not much to go on but noted the metal shutters that go across which is unusual and i would hazard a guess it could have been a large pub...fingers crossed though


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lyn
 
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Laurajadeb said:
Thanks for you reply and help Lyn, my Great mother Elizabeth Warwick (know and sometimes documented as Lily) was born 9th Feb 1891 in Monaghan, Ireland. She lived at 116 Sherlock street which was the address for the The White Swan in 1936 - I found this documented in the Trade Directory. As far as I know she ran the White Swan and the White Lion alone with the help of her children (couldn’t find documents of them connecting to the pub).
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There was a White Lion PH at 34 Horse Fair which was a 10 minute walk from the White Swan, could be a possibility.
 

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I think this was originally the White Lion on Horse Fair, unfortunately the entrance has been 'revamped' so of no help to you I think.
 

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There was a thread on the White Heart in the Horse Fair - The entrance does not look the same, even in old photos.

Scarlet's, Horse Fair (formerly White Lion)

When I was on Horse Fair recently I saw this building. Now a club called Scarlet's, but according to Pevsner Architectural Guides: Birmingham, it used to be a pub called the White Lion. Scarlet's Restaurant Night Club & Bar - Horse Fair (formerly the White Lion) by ell brown, on Flickr...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
well done mark for the map and mike you just beat me to it with a photo...that is definately lauras gt grans pub ...great team work

lyn
 
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MWS said:
Is it just visible on this photo of the flyover as well? Third building after gap on the right...

www.birminghammail.co.uk

The story behind the 18 original streets which made up Birmingham

This is when the city had a total of just 18 streets - do you live or work in any of these?
www.birminghammail.co.uk www.birminghammail.co.uk
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so it is mark well spotted ... so now laura has 2 photos of the white lion although i think its the 2nd building on the right after the gap not the 3rd unless i have miss counted

Digbeth-1961.jpg
 
Lyn, in the photo Mike posted you've got the pub, a narrow white building and then edge of larger darker building. In the flyover I think the first building is the darker building, then the narrow white building and then the White Swan?
 
MWS said:
Lyn, in the photo Mike posted you've got the pub, a narrow white building and then edge of larger darker building. In the flyover I think the first building is the darker building, then the narrow white building and then the White Swan?
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confused now mark...mike says his photo is of the white lion 144 high st but its nothing like the pub by the flyover which is surely the white lion as i can make out its name...

lyn
 
Pink arrow points to what I think could be the White Lion, shape of the roof with the white paint/tiles seems to match as well. More prominent pub is possibly the Lamp. As I said it's only just visible and I could be wrong...

white lion.jpg
 
I think you can just make out Lamp on the left of the sign just below the arm of the lamppost and then it says Mitchell & Butlers.
 
Thanks for your help everyone, this is really interesting to know about the pubs location and this history of Birmingham!

Does anyone know how I can find the 1943 Kelly trade directory so I can link the pub to my great nan Lily in Ancestry?

Also wanted to share some more info on The White Swan pub that my Great nan also managed in the 1930s/1940s as I think it Will be knocked down soon, it changed into a popular bar called Eden before it shut in 2020.

Some pictures I took the other week, Sherlock Street has changed a lot but this pub is still standing for now.

IMG_7516.jpegIMG_7022.jpeg

www.birminghammail.co.uk

Southside's former Eden Bar escapes demolition but owners move to Blackpool

The White Swan turned Eden Bar has escaped immediate demolition but the former owners of the LGBTQ+ venue are starting afresh in Blackpool - and now wish Southside's Gay Village all the best without them
www.birminghammail.co.uk
 
mikejee said:
She is still there in the 1946 edition, but the pub itself has gone by 1949
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Does that mean that by the photo with the flyover (1961) the building was still there but no longer a pub?
Lily is on the 1955 eroll at 144 High Street .
 
There's another photo of the White Lion and the flyover (from the opposite direction) posted by Phil in post #11 here...

2 old pubs high street close to the dolls club

CAN ANYONE TELL ME THE NAMES OF 2 OLD PUBS IN THE 60'S IN DERITEND. THEY WERE IN HIGH STREET CLOSE TO THE OLD DOLLS CLUB SAME SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE FIRST PUB WAS AT THE START OF THE CAMPHILL FLYOVER GOING OUT OF TOWN ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE AND THE SECOND ONE WAS A FEW DOORS UP. GRATEFUL IF ANYONE...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
Thanks Mikejee and Pjmburns, it’s really nice to finally connect the dots on this one for my family ☺️ You guys are amazing at this research!
 
Lily Warwick took over the licence of the White Lion on High Street Bordesley on January 21st 1943 and was succeeded as licensee on May 19th 1955. BTW the pub traded until the late 1960s.
 
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