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Birmingham City bus routes with a pub connection

Radiorails

Radiorails

master brummie
There is a lot of interest on BHF concerning pubs in the city and suburbs.
I was too young when living in the Midlands to enter them - other than the outdoor, for crisps and lemonade (was there anything else in those far off days?).
I thought about the bus (and tram) destination blinds carried by the Municipal city's transport. I also thought about those routes I knew which has a prominent pub at their outer terminus.
These pub names were to be seen on destination blinds:
Ivy Bush
Kings Head
Fox and Goose
College Arms
Boars Head
Maypole
It is said that BCT were reluctant to use pub names on destination blinds but they managed the six above. Others may know of more.

Whilst every route passed quite a few pubs along its route, the following were notable pubs which were quite prominent at a terminus or turn back point:
Bell Inn, Northfield
Man-in-the-Moon (a pre WW2 stop)
Scott Arms (Both Midland Red and later WMPTE)
Uplands Public House
and of course The Baldwin on the famous 29A (later 90) route.
Again, I expecct others will know of ones I may have missed.

I have avoided WMPTE routes - as I am unfamiliar with many of their changes which were made to BCT and Midland Red routes and omitted Midland Red as well as nearly all of their terminii were outside the city boundary. But due to the rural nature of many Midland Red routes it will probably be found that many routes terminated at a church. Two famous ones which spring to mind are St. Martins (Bull Ring) and St. Alphege (Solihull) - there are, for sure many more but as they are outside Brum not strictly part of BHF.
 
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same here viv...i have not heard of the baldwin....unusual name for a pub..wonder where the name came from
 
Other pubs at terminii:
The Lodge Road tram route 32 terminated by the Railway Inn and the railway bridge. it started by a bridge in Edmund Street.
Tram route 10 (Washwood Heath) terminated at the Fox & Goose, route 8 (Alum Rock) and The Pelham, route 6 (Perry Barr) at the New Crown & Cushion, 3X (Witton) at Witton Square - Witton Arms.
If any info is incorrect please advise.
 
Other pubs, but beyond the city boundary, that were located at terminal places were:
Dartmouth Hotel - Spon Lane tram and bus 77.
White Horse, Wednesbury - route 75.
The Woodman and short working to New Inns.

One thing for sure is that a thirsty person had a great choice of places before boarding a tram or bus for a journey. Anyone, really fancying a drink, could always alight, go into one of the hundreds of pubs that were along tram/bus routes, and catch another tram/bus after slaking their thirst. :grinning:
 
Perusing the book 'Outer Circle, Birmingham's No.11 bus route', I have noted some 26 pubs/hotels listed on the route. Some it seems have changed names, one has had a few names but reverted to its original and sadly many are no longer there.
Commencing, anti clockwise, at Harborne we have The Duke of York, Golden Cross, Plough & Harrow (New Inn in its first four years), Dog & Partridge, White Horse Inn (Selly Oak), Oak Inn.
Then comes the 'dry patch' as we pass through Bournville.
Cotteridge brings us the Grant Arms, Weedon Cross, then Red Lion, Kings Heath. The Billesley Arms (Hotel) in Coldbath Road.
Another area without any references until we reach New Inn at Acocks Green. Nothing mentioned until The Swan, Yardley, Yew Tree (Hob Moor Road), Bulls Head (Stechford Road), Fox & Goose, The Navigation, Green Man (Lad in the lane), Stockland Inn, another Yew Tree (Brookvale Road). This brigs us to the Aston Hotel, two Crown & Cushions, Calthorpe Arms, Queens Hotel (Handsworth), Fircroft Hotel, Red Lion (Soho Road) and finally the Kings Head (Lordswood Road).
I hope that miscellany reminds many BHF Members of pleasant evening(s) spent at some of them.

I won't attempt a companion No. 8 Inner Circle version as in many areas - before they were swept away with re-development - there was a pub at least every hundred yards it seems.
However, those far more knowledgeable than I am with Birmingham's pub history might consider a City Circle 19 list. This route commenced 2nd. March, 1932, ran every day, very close to the city centre and served a very industrial area.
The 8 and 19, in recent times, have changed due to the re-developments and demise of many of the industries which once thrived in the city. The 8 is a show of what it once was and is single deck; the 19 has gone. I suspect that a journey on the 8 today is quite uninteresting. No top deck views - especially at the front - being able to look over wall and generally see much that made Birmingham a very interesting - albeit a dismal looking place.
 
A couple of comments, Breedon Cross, not Weedon Cross, and Fox Hollies and York between Hall Green and Acock's Green. There was/is? a pub by Acock's Green railway station Great Western I think.
 
Ah, yes Breedon -a senior moment I guess. The place where the runaway tram 821 overturned, :D I could only record those which were mentioned, or photographed in the book. As I was only 16 when I left the Solihull area, I had only a nodding acquaintance with pubs and their outdoors areas - crisps and pop. I expect there were more pubs than I have recorded and rely on others filling in the gaps.
Actually the book photo shows the new 1929 dual carriageway and early 1930's vehicles in Fox Hollies Road. Maybe the pub hadn't been built then.
 
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Vivienne14 said:
Alan, whereabouts was the Baldwin ? I don’t remember that one. Viv.
Click to expand...

The Baldwin is in Hall Green, on the current no 5 bus route from National Express West Midlands. Which goes a strange route from Birmingham to Solihull via Widney Manor Station.

This view from February 2014 on Baldwins Lane.

 
The College Arms in Hall Green on the junction of Shaftmoor Lane and Stratford Road. The modern NXWM routes of 1 / 1A go up and down Shaftmoor Lane and the 6 uses Stratford Road.

This view from May 2017 from the no 1 bus.

 
The Old Hare and Hounds across the road from the terminus island for the #62, was the only place around one could enjoy a adult beverage in the Lickey Hills
 
devonjim said:
If you had stretched your legs just a little you would have discovered "The Chalet" and "The Rose and Crown"
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The Chalet as I recall was more of a night club that closed at 2 am when the #62 bus did not run if you wanted to catch a bus you had to walk down to Longbridge as my pop could tell you he had several cars stolen on a Sunday night from patrons leaving the Chalet, as to the Rose and Crown that was never really a pub in the true sense of things I always think of it as a tea room and now is a hotel ?
 
Robert Ensor (bob) said:
The Old Hare and Hounds across the road from the terminus island for the #62, was the only place around one could enjoy a adult beverage in the Lickey Hills
Click to expand...
Being a youngster the Old Hare ad Hounds would be off limits and I guess I would have made for the first pace that sold ice cream. :laughing:
I bet the Old Hare & Hounds was a very busy place at Bank and other holiday times, especially in the days of the very frequent tram service to Rednal. In the days before working folk had cars - thus be able to set out for places like Clent, The Malverns, Stratford upon Avon and The Cotswolds - The Lickeys were a favourite day out. Trams were drafted in from all parts of the city and the arge number stabled there for the return journey was quite amazing, thirty or more on the loop and approaches. I doubt the buses ever equalled the trams in passengers.
I think the only real competition to the Lickeys was Stratford upon Avon where the line from Moor Street carried hundreds; adding to the numbers at the passing stations as far out as Wythall. The Midland Red was also a far busier route on those holiday occasions with its 150 service.
The interesting thing to me was that all sorts of old rolling stock and buses were pressed into service to cope with the demand.
There used to be a saying on steam radio about never having lived if you had never been to Manchester. Well, as far as I am concerned it applies equally to The Lickeys. ;)
 
Radiorails said:
Being a youngster the Old Hare ad Hounds would be off limits and I guess I would have made for the first pace that sold ice cream. :laughing:
I bet the Old Hare & Hounds was a very busy place at Bank and other holiday times, especially in the days of the very frequent tram service to Rednal. In the days before working folk had cars - thus be able to set out for places like Clent, The Malverns, Stratford upon Avon and The Cotswolds - The Lickeys were a favourite day out. Trams were drafted in from all parts of the city and the arge number stabled there for the return journey was quite amazing, thirty or more on the loop and approaches. I doubt the buses ever equalled the trams in passengers.
I think the only real competition to the Lickeys was Stratford upon Avon where the line from Moor Street carried hundreds; adding to the numbers at the passing stations as far out as Wythall. The Midland Red was also a far busier route on those holiday occasions with its 150 service.
The interesting thing to me was that all sorts of old rolling stock and buses were pressed into service to cope with the demand.
There used to be a saying on steam radio about never having lived if you had never been to Manchester. Well, as far as I am concerned it applies equally to The Lickeys. ;)
Click to expand...
Well the pub was busy it had patio in the rear, but Fletcher's Copper Coin was next door and just the other side of that was the Candy Floss shack, I recall the tram tracks still being there in the 80's where they made the turn and of course I have seen the pics from way back with the trans lined up,
 
Radiorails said:
Being a youngster the Old Hare ad Hounds would be off limits and I guess I would have made for the first pace that sold ice cream. :laughing:
I bet the Old Hare & Hounds was a very busy place at Bank and other holiday times, especially in the days of the very frequent tram service to Rednal. In the days before working folk had cars - thus be able to set out for places like Clent, The Malverns, Stratford upon Avon and The Cotswolds - The Lickeys were a favourite day out. Trams were drafted in from all parts of the city and the arge number stabled there for the return journey was quite amazing, thirty or more on the loop and approaches. I doubt the buses ever equalled the trams in passengers.
I think the only real competition to the Lickeys was Stratford upon Avon where the line from Moor Street carried hundreds; adding to the numbers at the passing stations as far out as Wythall. The Midland Red was also a far busier route on those holiday occasions with its 150 service.
The interesting thing to me was that all sorts of old rolling stock and buses were pressed into service to cope with the demand.
There used to be a saying on steam radio about never having lived if you had never been to Manchester. Well, as far as I am concerned it applies equally to The Lickeys. ;)
Click to expand...
In speaking with my pop he tells me the conductor who collected the tickets would tear them in half for your return, but he had a old tea chest next to him that he threw in the half he retained and it would fill up, so finding all sorts of old rolling stock makes a lot of sense for the thousands that traveled to the Likey's.
 
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