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The Village Inn, Hurst Street

ellbrown

ellbrown

ell brown on Flickr
I took photos recently of The Village Inn on Hurst Street. It is now a gay pub. Hense all those colourful flags!


The Village Inn, Hurst Street by ell brown, on Flickr


The Village Inn, Hurst Street by ell brown, on Flickr


The Village Inn, Hurst Street by ell brown, on Flickr


The Village Inn, Hurst Street by ell brown, on Flickr

A short passage from Pevsner Architectural Guides: Birmingham

The Village Inn is early 19th, the ground floor rebuilt in 1887 by C.J. Hodson and altered recently.
Click to expand...
 
Hi there
on the subject of being a gay bar it was always a gay meeting place on the quitet way back from the late fifties and early sixties
along with the aussie bar which was quite open about it people preffered the aussuie bar from that village
when it was refurbished it declared publicly that it was a gay bar and that then gave the aussie bar competititionat the time the fox was about the best place on hurst street my old friend gerry poole owned it whom owns all the uncle pawn shops around brum and pat was his manageress
and his girl friend at he time i knew pat very well she was a close neibour and friend to my mrs astonian
 
I went in there a couple of years ago (research reasons) to see what it was like inside . My grt grandparents lived in Claybrook st the road that runs along side the Village. In thier day it was known as the Roebuck.
 
thats very true many thanks for reminding us at the time i just could not put my tongue around it
and yes it was a very quite pub and discreet you would not have know it was a gay meeting place but in those early days this gay society was very discreet
for the fear of being attacked unless you went in for a pint which once noticed by the normal people of society would not go there again but the aussie they was the ones that stood out loud
and did not hide the fact i did hire a person for my pub in the city whom was gay and blonde and bold whom worked at the aussie before he came to me
he sure stirred up my punters and when i left him alone for awhile whilst i was out only to come back and find him dancing with a fella when he should have been working
but he worked hard a nice guy but one day he was playing up to a customer whom always stood at the bar havingis drink and he cameover to this guy and he was a hard black country fellow
whom i thought would take an offence but i told him about being gay and he is playing him up he said thats okay gather i have a gay son and i do not take a offence to his behaviour
and they got on like a house on fire i never ever have any bodys sexuality best wishes astonian
 
No problem. I was already aware of it anyway.

There is so many pubs where I can't find listings for them. Is lucky that Pevsner mentioned it briefly (see passage at bottom of post #1).
 
Bordesley exile

The reason you probably can't find a listing is because it was always the Roebuck, the change of name must be quite recent, recent to me is ten years or so.

Phil

CityRoebuckHurstSt.jpg
 
Robert said:
I went in there a couple of years ago (research reasons) to see what it was like inside . My grt grandparents lived in Claybrook st the road that runs along side the Village. In thier day it was known as the Roebuck.
Click to expand...


oh thanks rob..for sometime now ive been trying to think of that name..the roebuck...i had a friend who ran it back in the 70s and thank you ell for posting the pics...and to you phil for the pic when it was the roebuck

lyn
 
Thank you for the photo Phil. I have looked for a listing on Birmingham's consolidated & statutorily listed under "Hurst" as well as
https://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/west+midlands/birmingham
I even checked the address, though I knew that this was a waste of time as Ell is so precise. As the building was rebuilt in 1887 that may be the reason it is not listed. Nevertheless I think that the Village aka the Roebuck is an attractive property and I am pleased to see the pictures from you & Ell.
 
I looked at that too, but all that comes up is the Back-to-Back houses (on Hurst Street) and nothing else.

I don't think searching Skinner Lane would make any difference either.
 
My mother was born at 23 Claybrook street in 1918 and my grandmother had been living there for quite a while Phyllis & Harry Earp. I would love a photo of Claybrook St if anyone has one.

Cheers Jean
 
Hi poihipi my grandparents (Bunting) lived in Claybrook st circa 1891. There was a photo on here sometime ago not sure if it survived the hacking. Type Claybrook into the search engine there is a mention on a couple of threads.
 
HI, no seems they didn't survive although one does mention she got a photo from the library I will see if my sister is able to go over there once things quieten down. I am in NZ so can only do it online and wasn't able to access anything when I tried.
 
Would either of these be the photo you were thinking of of Claybrook st ?. They are not quite the same as the originals, as i have tried to slightly improve the colour.

Claybrook2520StreetA25202_-_Copy.jpg


Claybrook2520StreetA_-_Copy.jpg
 
Fantastic, any idea when they were taken looks as if it was around the time they were starting to be demolished.

Would you by any chance have a photo of Hurst St South Yardley where I was born.
 
I just copied them when they were on previously. I don't have any of Hurst st
 
robb128 said:
lin is this the pub Yana from Booths farm road ran, only went to see her once at the pub!
rob
Click to expand...

it certainly is robb...i lived 2 doors up from yana i often wonder how she is getting on...did you live in gt barr as well then...

lyn
 
HI Lin we had a chat 12to 18 months ago re tracing Yana, my wife and i were good friends of Yana and Alan but drifted when Alan died
We must have met at one of the parties.Still trying to locate her but no luck. rob
 
of course robb...i remember us chatting now im sure my memory is getting worse lol....i wonder if yana is still living in england..please let me know if you do find her...

lyn
 
The village inn according to the maps is not on Claybrook Street so don't think these are the photos I am looking for.
 
Lyn do you remember what school young Alan and Diane went to ,thinking of searching friends reunited. rob
 
robb128 said:
Lyn do you remember what school young Alan and Diane went to ,thinking of searching friends reunited. rob
Click to expand...

good idea robb...the kids could have gone to calshot being the nearest..can you send me their last names via a private message please and i will join in the search...im not on facebook but if you are thats another place to search

lyn
 
poihipi The Roebuck (Village Inn) is on the corner of Hurst st and Skinner Lane, Claybrook st is the next road up heading towards the Hippadrome. The 2 roads are only 30yards apart.
 
Hi, thanks for the info, I am writing a book on the family history and was hoping for an actual photo of Claybrook St but will include those photos and info of the inn. Mom often talked about the Hippodrome but never about the pub.
 
opoihipi, Claybrook st and Skinner st were a lot longer than they are now.A large part of theses streets were demolished to make way for the "new" whoelsale markets and siver blades ice rink in the late 60s there were a couple of pubs as well. The 2 photos that Mike put on are of Claybrook st
 
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Thats great do you think they were after part of it was demolished as mom always described it as entry was through an alleyway to a shared courtyard with communal toilet and coalhouses.
 
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