The Mountaineer, Kings Heath

[cresser]

Hi all,
I used to use the `Mount` for years, but like a lot of pubs now, the drugs got into them and they don`t seem to last long then, but it WAS a really good pub once. There was a character who was always in there, who was nicknamed, `Vic the Viking`, he used to give everyone a nickname, ( I used to be a Postman, so I became, `Pop it in Paul`!). Anyway, this Vic used to smoke, stand in the same spot all the time, and have a fag for every pint he had, and place the nub-ends around the inside rim of an ashtray - that way he could remember how many pints he`d had - except when he went to the toilet !!!! then, someone would remove a number of the nub-ends, and throw them away. Of course Vic would be paralytic by the time he decided to go home! but we enjoyed it !!!!!!:dejection: Cheers all, cresser.

 

[Astonian]

hi cresserr yes it was a very nice pub years ago even when you entered the pub very nice fitting inside it was a family pub ;
I recall the gaffer a mild sort of weak guy ; i worked for the brewery and i have ran chequered pubs [ meaning trouble and druggs history ]
We took him and his mrs to dublin so show him and other gaffers how to run the pubs ,in fact it was the brewery idea of trying to get knowledge and pick up tips on how the irish ran there pubs ; he was not really intrested in learning the task but any way in general there was thirty of us all pub manaament
flew to dublin for the week there concept would never work here because of there true honesty and trust in there population of the irish community ;
which the english people do not have here in this country ; i will not bother to explain in detail what i mean but that was the case
the mount was a good clean pub and as you say the riff raff of the drugguuiues started to come in ; and he was not str=ong enoght to combat them and handle them and keep them out of a nice family orinated pub ; once these guys [ druggies and se a weak gaffer they take over and then its closing time i,m afraid
it was a shame it happenend but thats life unfortuneately the brewers are bring in weak people to run pubs for them today ;
gone are the days of the harded gaffers with the will of ruling with a iron rod so to speak if you get my drift ;
i see now its a housing complex looks different now around there i think thered lion as gone the same way on the decline i also notice the area is runningdown now ; i have a younger brother whom lives around the corner from tjhere he as been there for donkeys years
best wishes astonian;;;

 

[cresser]

Hi Astonian,
Yep, your right, on nearly everything there.
I`ve said it before, but at one time, the locals from the bar, including me, used to be able to take our dogs in there and as long as they were kept under control, there was never any problem. I`ve known it in there with five or six `growlers` in there, and a lot of the times it was a laugh. And if you were a bit on the forgetful side, and - if you could afford one - you left your wallet hanging around, you could expect to get it back at some time, with the contents still in it. Try doing either in any pub these days. There just does`nt seem to be the characters around any more, and some of the pubs are so bloody big there`s no atmosphere in the places. Rant over !!!!!!!! Cheers,`hick`:stupid: cresser.

 

[Astonian]

HI Cresser ;
nice to hear from you ;yes its a well known fact now about looseing things
many years ago thee was a pub lose to where i ran ; called the willows in fact i would say its around the time you was speaking of
i knew the gafer and its punters as these dear old characters move around from pub to pub across and around the city ;
i have run quite afew pubs in the city in my time and you meet them where ever you go ;
one particular pub ; i virtualy barred them all where ever i have beeen ;
after hours i used to travel down to the pelam pub the mrs and and myself for a tot after hours as we could go to any pub after hours at the gaffers entrance and go in ;and lord and behold i said to him you have got all the riff and the characters of my trail almost every one was the ones i barred from various pubs are in your house ; he said its okay al ; i got them under control ;
another one over at kings norton ;; northfield called the wilows pub ;
its a local estate pub which are the worst you can get but my pub was not in that area but this one night there was a darts match going on
and one of the riff ; sadly to say i knew him but died many years from now in fact all his family have pased away ;
is christian name was arther ; he went into the willows that night ; and on the night of the match ; he walked in and lifted a guys sheep skin coat off the hanger but stupid as he was he walked in the next night hoping to sell it for a quick buck ; but unfortunely for him the guy whom coat it was there and clocked it ;
the guy took the law into his own hands and collard him and took him out side and gave him a good hiding ; this arther never everwent near this pub again
even thou he lived virtuly on the door steps of the willows ;that pub was years ago and now its all housng asociations now there ;
arther died through drink ; a year or two after wards ;
so yes there was charactors but there was some good ones as well whom sadley died through the drink ;
have a nice day best wishes astonian;