• 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

Digbeth Pubs

www.midlandspubs.co.uk

www.midlandspubs.co.uk

Pub Historian
I have had a wander around the site and couldn't find a specific page for Digbeth pubs so have started a new thread. I am talking about the street not what has become known as the area of Digbeth. Sue, longest-serving licensee of the Big Bull's Head, asked me to look into her pub and I am about to roll out the fascinating history of that tavern. I have also done quite a bit on the Old Guy Inn so that will probably be next, though I have got sidelined by Milk Street simply because that had such an impact on the Big Bull's Head when it was extended to connect with Digbeth.

In the meantime, I have published a parent page for the street at : https://www.midlandspubs.co.uk/birmingham/digbeth/ which, although many of you will be familiar with the history, does have some 'fresh' material and a lot of fascinating newspaper articles. So, more to follow as I continue this mini-mission...
 
i will be very interested in reading about the old guy pub as on my grandads marriage cert 1928 he gives his address as no 57 digbeth which i believe was the old guy which i also believe was famous for its freak shows which has always fascinated me (what sort of freak shows were they)..no idea what my grandad was doing there...i guess he could have been lodging/working there..either way he did not stay long because in 1929 he and my nan were at the the globe pub william st north/hospital st living with nans parents who ran it i also had a rellie who ran the clements vaults at 102 digbeth..i believe this was demolished to make way for digbeth police station and to date i have not been able to find photos of either pubs..will have a look at your link later on ...cheers

lyn
 
Last edited:
Hi Lyn, I have unearthed quite a bit of interesting information on the Old Guy. It will take me a little time to collate it all and put it all in some sort of sense. You are right about the Freak Shows - less known is that, like the George on the corner of Park Street, it was once one of Brum's Music Hall public houses. I'm afraid I do not have a photograph of the Clements Vaults - this must have been photographed but seemingly no prints survive. Would go for a small fortune if it appeared on e-bay! Cheers, Kieron
 
Lyn
T hese two cuttings , both from 1939 give differing dates to the closing of the Od Guy. One cutting has some words missing, but would suggest that there was a room there thta had some theatrical associations



Birm D.Gazette. 1.8.1939.jpg Birm post 18.3.1939.jpg
 
thanks kieron and thanks mike for those cuttings...i would think both the clements and the guy must have been photographed at some point..maybe the library would have a photo of them...failing that i would look for general photos of digbeth as they may show these pubs in shot...

lyn
 
[QUOTE="i also had a rellie who ran the clements vaults at 102 digbeth..i believe this was demolished to make way for digbeth police station lyn[/QUOTE]

Hi Lyn
The Clement's Vaults was NOT removed for the Police Station. Run by a wine merchant called Clements, it was located between the White Lion and Meriden Street.
Cheers, Kieron
 
ahh thanks for that info kieron i thought 102 digbeth was more or less where the police station is now...always happy to learn something new especially if i am wrong as i much prefer the correct info..thanks

lyn
 
many thanks kieron i am beginning to think that there were as many pubs along digbeth as there was in summer lane:D

by the way have you been to the libary to check for photos of the old guy and the clements?? because i am planning to go asap and i can always do a search while i am up there..

lyn
 
Last edited:
Well Kieron;
i think we all be looking foreward to your plan, i certainly will be looking out for it as i do have an intrest pubs and that particular
pub included and i have spent a fortune in that pub the rose taveren very good old friends of mine
Astonian,,,
 
hi kieron just to correct my earlier mistake it was the beehive at no 115 that used to occupy some of the ground where the police station is now..just in case you are wondering the building marked in blue is the address my gran was living at at the time of her marriage it was a chippy run by family and as said earlier grandad was at the old guy pub (1928)..i must check my notes to see why i have an interest in the beehive as its been some time since i had this map and did this part of my family research

lyn

digbeth map showing pubs.jpg
 
Last edited:
www.midlandspubs.co.uk said:
In the meantime, I have published a parent page for the street at : https://www.midlandspubs.co.uk/birmingham/digbeth/ which, although many of you will be familiar with the history, does have some 'fresh' material and a lot of fascinating newspaper articles. So, more to follow as I continue this mini-mission...
Click to expand...

Looked at the page. The list in grey on black of pubs is almost invisible. Any chance of a change of colour scheme?
 
WAM
It looks like none of them have any information posted on them yet. Presumably they will "lighten up" when there is some thing to read
 
I can change the CSS Script to alter the colours - though they do change when you hover over them. Mikejee is correct in that I have not uploaded the pub info yet - it took me a few weeks just to put together the street page - I have to fit my research in around work and, of course, cycling! There is almost 10,000 words on the street on that page so I haven't been lazy!!
 
Astoness said:
many thanks kieron i am beginning to think that there were as many pubs along digbeth as there was in summer lane:D

by the way have you been to the libary to check for photos of the old guy and the clements?? because i am planning to go asap and i can always do a search while i am up there..

lyn
Click to expand...
Good luck with these ... not aware of anything for that section of Digbeth but I haven't been in the library for a while. Cheers, Kieron
 
i have now added the beehive to the list photos to find kieron..my rellies certainly loved their pubs and chippys:D
 
My great great Grandmother Selina Bettridge married Thomas Yapp in 1861, they lived at 82 Digbeth and the "landlady" Jane Chandler, from the pub next door was one of the witnesses!
It was "The Horse and Groom".
rosie.
 
www.midlandspubs.co.uk said:
BAR FIGHTS, A ROYAL VISIT, PROSTITUTION, PANTOMIME ... THE BIG BULL'S HEAD HAD IT ALL!
I have rolled out my page for the Big Bull's Head on Digbeth. Over 13,000 words for one pub shows that I will never complete this project! Downloading the page may be slow as there are lots of lovely images.
https://www.midlandspubs.co.uk/birmingham/digbeth/big-bulls-head.htm - hope you enjoy!
Cheers, Kieron
Click to expand...
Oh, by the way, many of the links from that page won't be valid yet - I haven't had time for those yet!
 
Last edited:
My great grandfather ran the Apollo tavern in Charles Henry street Digbeth (Enoch Morroll). I have been trying for years to get any info on this pub but no one seems to have heard of it. He later moved on to the Queens arms Bissel st G.
 
Grea said:
My great grandfather ran the Apollo tavern in Charles Henry street Digbeth (Enoch Morroll). I have been trying for years to get any info on this pub but no one seems to have heard of it. He later moved on to the Queens arms Bissel st G.
Click to expand...
Well, I have heard of this pub, though I have not delved into its history. I'll try to look up some info for you in the near future.
 
www.midlandspubs.co.uk said:
Well, I have heard of this pub, though I have not delved into its history. I'll try to look up some info for you in the near future.
Click to expand...
I have remembered where I had heard of this tavern .... it was whilst doing a little research on the Spring Gardens Tavern in Floodgate Street which, at one time, catered for those on short boating excursions that departed from the Apollo House. Trading in the 18th century, the Apollo Tavern was quite an ancient hostelry that had a bowling green and tea gardens. As you can see from the leisurely pursuits of boating and bowling, the landscape was much different back then!
 
Thank you very much for the information. That's what makes this site so special, years of looking and within 15 mins a result G
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top