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The Britannia Lichfield Road Aston

hi shamoan...thanks for keeping us updated with regards to the future of the britannia...i am very pleased to hear that you are trying the keep the interior of this wonderful building as original as possible....this is most important for historical reasons...as the interiors of far too many of our historical buildings have either been changed beyond all recognition or worse still left boarded up and never used again...i wish you well in this new venture and please let us know when you are open..

regards

astoness
 
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Thanks for taking your time to read the message I sent I will definately keep in touch and wish you all the best for brittania mehfil bdw wat days n times are you going to be on premises as I live locally I could come down and maybe see you in person :)
 
How odd. I was the licensee at the Britannia for 18 months 2002 - 2003 and I recall it being grade two listed

To the new owners : I don't know if you have discovered yet while redecorating but there is a secret walled up room!!! The snug at the back of the bar had a large square wooden panel on the right wall ( as you stand with your back to the bar) We had to take off the panel to repaint and I was very excited to find a walled up room and newspapers in it. I climbed inside and was really excited to see what the papers were.... but sadly it was only a copy of The Sun from 1989 and not the treasure trove of history I had hoped for.

We had quite a few older regular customers ( aged 70 plus ) and they told me that the room used to be used for late night lock ins if the police came knocking although how true that is I don't know

Good luck with your new venture. I'll pop in and look at the old girl when you open
I still have a picture of the pub painted by a regular hanging in my conservatory




Hi

Have discovered the list below for Listed Buildings in Lichfield Road and the Britannia does not seem to be on it. Perhaps the name is not politically correct!


Lichfield Road Aston O’Reilly’s B C Rocky Lane
(former Heartlander and
Golden Cross PH)

Lichfield Road Aston Public Library B C

Lichfield Road Aston Midland Bank and C C
Pillar Box

Lichfield Road Aston No. 11 Acafess Community B C
Trust

Lichfield Road Aston Vine P.H. C C Park Street

Lichfield Road Aston King Edward VII P.H. C C

Lichfield Road Aston Reservoir P.H. C C Cuckoo Road

Lichfield Road Aston M.E.B. Sub Station C C


Regards Peter
 
hi karen..and welcome..what a fascinating story about the secret room...i wouldnt be suprised if the story about it was true...i bet they got up to all sorts in the old days:rolleyes:

thanks for letting us know about it and that as we suspected it is a listed buiding...

lyn
 
Hi All

Officially the Britannia is open as a hot & cold snack bar, eventually the shisha part to it will open in April/May due to planning permission and YES it is a listed building.

Karen - Im really interested in this secret ROOM, I haven't come across it yet but will have a look tomorrow, but feel free to come down.


Regards

Yas
 
hi nice to see the britannia is open now, has anybody been to have a look inside yet? looks good from the outside.
 
The Brit is open popped by last night is open as a restaurant on two floors, used to go there some sundays after visiting the late lamented Church, used to have Boxing matches on the first floor then.
 
nice pictures frothy
it certainly is a pub with no beer, but its certainly got alot of old characrer, and one hell of alot of
history, if only those pub walls could talk, beleive me
you would be amazed to what you would hear you would not beleive it ,
yes its true about the back room lock in from the old bill and it was only for the select few people
whom would have been in there certain familys ;
best wishes Astonian ;;;;
 
We have been using the Britannia for a good while now. We used to go to the karaoke that was there regular. Quite funny as when the one manager left the new manager took on the karaoke again. So that was good, then when that manager left the new manager took on the karaoke again. Was nice to know that all the managers took on RJ's.
Still waiting for the new managers to do the same but as the type of venue has changed maybe this will not be something they will do. There is some sort of tutorial thing going on upstairs which I can not comment on for reasons but downstairs it appears it is still open after half fiveish.

I can not see it being opened again as a pub even though it would be nice to have a good old sing song. The pub is not the same without Russ the karaoke guy there. I may drop a note in the pub with the idea as not going to use this board for advertising purposes.

Be nice to see the pub active like old times.
 
thanks for the update on the britannia michael...i am afraid that all too many of our pubs are going this way...such a shame..

lyn
 
When I was young in Aston there seemed to be a pub on every corner, but drink was relatively cheap, not undercut by supermarkets (not around then), not much else to do, smoking allowed, a social meeting place darts, dominos sing songs etc..... things change, not always for the better but we have to accept changes. There just isn't the clientele around for all pubs to be profitable, and you cannot run at a loss for long. Eric
 
We visited the Harbour Inn yesterday Eric, Our friends Mick and Sandra have taken it over again and they had some really old music on and were playing domino's and discussing where the new dart board is going. They had a roaring fire up the chimney and it was lovely. Oh Pete said the Ale was good too.
 
Jean, I rarely visit a pub now, apart from our meets. Not much fun sitting drinking in a pub by your self (that sounds a bit self pitying, certainly not meant to be) also don't know of any decent pub in Chelmsley Wood Where is this Harbour Inn, name rings a bell but cannot place its location. Eric
 
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