• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Bowling Green Inn Tavern Hotel Holloway Head

Tiny

Tiny

master brummie
can anyone tell me when they closed the Bowling Green pub in Holloway head as I worked on the other side of the road at BICC cables and used to spend most dinnertimes in there.i know it was a grubby pub and we could not fathom out where they hid the bowling green it was named after If anyone has a picture of this pub I would like to see it again also the Greyhound pub which I know is now a lap dancing club.
 
hi tiny
if my memory serves me correctly i think it was the late sixties or the early seventies the bowling green pub closed its doors
you was correct to say grubby halfof brums low light crooks used that place and old lags surely as a ex police officier you would have known it for what it was some where on the achives thereis an old pic of the bowling green in its original state of the frontage
in its early days of brum it did have a bowling green
do you recall the grey hound when you could buy a pint of sweet cider for a penny and half penny for the rough cider
it was like swalling glass also it was only a entry you walked up and into a back yard with a stable door on your right hand side where you purchased your drink and you could sit in a sheltered area
when it came to the sixties era the students [ nick named the beatnics ] started to over take the little court yard and sit there all nightsupping 1 pint of cider and smoking pot as ir was in them days
then they built the sack of pototes and then they moved out and when and took over that so that would have been extended
in the late seventies with a new frontage and a smoke room
and years later rebuilt and moved further along to and around the
corner . tiny dud you ever get to know the licencing officeir at digbeth nick .
best wishes astonion ;;;;;;;;
 
Tony, there are one or two photos of the Grayhound on the site, If its the one that was a (hic) cider house.
 
I remember the Grey Hound very well, it was the only place I knew where you could get as nist as a pute on a tanner. we used to filter the bits out of the cider with our teeth and spit it out in a ball. can't do that anymore no teeth wife uses them for pie making.
 
Hi Tiny

Found them at last. I had to do a lot of sorting to find these, but I knew I had them.

1. Drawing of the original Bowling Green Public House.
2. Photo of The Bowling Green c1964
3. The Greyhound Cider House.

Phil
Drawing Original Bowling Green .jpg


HollowayHeadBowlingGreen1964.jpg


HollawayHeadTheGreyhound-1.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Tiny said:
can anyone tell me when they closed the Bowling Green pub in Holloway head as I worked on the other side of the road at BICC cables and used to spend most dinnertimes in there.i know it was a grubby pub and we could not fathom out where they hid the bowling green it was named after If anyone has a picture of this pub I would like to see it again also the Greyhound pub which I know is now a lap dancing club.
Click to expand...

Tiny I worked at Walsall Conduits 1969-71 in Upper Gough St , it was closed at that time . Ron Kenyon who at one time was the gaffer of the Bowling Green took over The Gough Arms shortly after
 
Lady P.
These seem to have been photos posted on Photobucket. I am sure Phil will be able to replace them. I think I have copies, but will leave it to Phil in case they are not the same ones
 
Re post #1 and location of the bowling green, there was once a lean-to pavilion and bowling green on the premises which backed onto Sutton Street. The pavilion collapsed in 1859.

Some other history. It was, in 1852, the only bowling green and pleasure gardens in Birmingham. The bowling green was used for the local volunteer artillery. The Inn must have had substantial grounds. Screenshot_20250717_065046_Chrome.jpgScreenshot_20250717_072318_Chrome.jpg
Screenshot_20250717_074332_Chrome.jpg

Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
Last edited:
Vivienne14 said:
Re post #1 and location of the bowling green, there was once a lean-to pavilion and bowling green on the premises which backed onto Sutton Street. The pavilion collapsed in 1859.

Some other history. It was, in 1852, the only bowling green and pleasure gardens in Birmingham. The bowling green was used for the local volunteer artillery. The Inn must have had substantial grounds. View attachment 205539View attachment 205537
View attachment 205541

Source: British Newspaper Archive
Click to expand...
hi viv i can see the bowling green pub on this map but cant seem to find a sutton st nearby

lyn
 
It was on a substantial site with a very large pavilion.

And I suspect the pub in the photos was a replacement of an earlier one.

Screenshot_20250717_110912_Chrome.jpg

Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
Last edited:
Vivienne14 said:
Re post #1 and location of the bowling green, there was once a lean-to pavilion and bowling green on the premises which backed onto Sutton Street. The pavilion collapsed in 1859.

Some other history. It was, in 1852, the only bowling green and pleasure gardens in Birmingham. The bowling green was used for the local volunteer artillery. The Inn must have had substantial grounds. View attachment 205539View attachment 205537
View attachment 205541

Source: British Newspaper Archive
Click to expand...
Well Done Viv , I lived around that area before that pub was demolished, the pub certainly wouldn't have given you the impression that all that went on all those years ago . Looking at the building in the late 50/60's it only looked a dingy. There was no indication that a pleasure garden and bowling green had been there at all
 
so would it be fair to say that the photos we have of the bowling green pub are of a rebuild and not the original

lyn
 
I have found the drawing of the original bowling Green of Phil's, which was lost in ht eHack, and replaced it in the original post. It is certainly a more impressive building
 
Thomas Fitter (as per licensee board over the door in the late Phil's image/drawing post #5) is mentioned in article post #17. So the replacement building/modified frontage in Mike's post #11 would be post-1859. Looks to be much later into the mid-1800s to me, possibly 1870s/80s ?
 
Last edited:
Below a timeline from the 1850s to 1890s. I suspect the Inn/Tavern was remodelled/rebuilt between 1870 - 1886 when it was referred to as an "Hotel"

What an interesting array of events, these are in addition to the BG Inn as a location for inquests and political candidate meetings. The events below illustrate the size of the associated 'grounds' and sometimes referred to as Bowling Green Ground. Obviously, a well-known location.

14/12/1850 J Carrington, Bowling Green Tavern advertising accommodation for sparrow shooting
18/3/1853 Mr Fitter (formerly of the White Hart Great Colmore Street) took over Bowling Green Inn. Mr Charrington having taken command of a ship to Austrailia
6/12/1855 Mr Fitter held dog shows at the Bowling Green 12/2/1866 Ratting matches
20/9/1861 Thomas Fitter granted a music and dancing licence for the Bowling Green Inn
30/8/1862 Thomas Fitter's music licence renewed
8/7/1863 Thomas Fitter declared bankrupt
29/8/1863 John Moore Littler applied for renewal of music licence, licence transferred to Littler 12/5/1863
14/4/1864 Dog shows organised on premises
27/8/1864 Littler applied for a music and dancing licence for a hall 40 ft long, 20 ft wide and 18 ft high, hours 8-11 pm Saturday and Mondays
8/5/1866 Mr Littler held Rabbit and Dog Show on premises
29/12/1866 Mr J Moore Littler's holding Ratting matches at the premises
12/6/1867 Mr John Moore Littler, exhibiter of bull dogs
18/5/1869 Mr Littler's 100-yard Dog Handicap held at Bowling Green
11/1/1870 Mr John Moore Littler's grounds used for 'pedestrianism' races, eg 100 yards race of two amateurs
14/3/1870 Throwing the shot event at Bowling Green Grounds (with a strong northern presence and men in kilts!)
14/10/1870 sale of 6 grottos (presumably from the pleasure garden)
30/9/1886 Bowling Green referred to as 'Hotel'
4/4/1890 Licence transferred to A. Geffries
7/1/1892 Arthur Jeffries, landlord of the Bowling Green Hotel
17/8/1894 Handover of licence to W Stewart
 
Last edited:
This confirms that the windmill was once part of the site. Mr Charrington, licence in 1852, used the windmill to install a camera obscure on top as part of the pleasure grounds (offering excellent views of the surrounding area)

Screenshot_20250718_101723_Chrome.jpg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top