Fox Hollies Pub

[james houston]

Has anyone any memories of the fox hollies pub,i think i was first taken there by my Grandad back in the 50s,we used to sit out the back and watch the bowling,if it ever rained i would stand in the passage with other kids with my bottle of lemonade and packet of smith's crisps.The Fox was one of the pubs i often frequented with my mates in the 60s and 70s,eventually i started work at Lucas's Shaftmoor lane and the pub was always full of factory workers at lunchtime and at 6 o'clock when it re-opened also remember lots of contractors being there in the evening.Sadly like a lot of places it is now gone but i still have happy memories of it.

 

[Stitcher]

A friend of mine who used to drink quite a lot, played darts in the Fox Hollies almost every evening during the late 60s and early 70s.
My older brother was a bus driver on what was known as the 'The Loop,' because it left the Gospel Oak as a 31A and changed to a 32 for the return journey or visa versa. Anyway, one day he wanted a pee so he stopped outside the Fox Hollies to use the outside toilet and as he stepped over the chain that used to be strung between posts around the pub, he slipped and one of the thick diamond shaped spikes fitted in the chain broke the skin on the inside of his thigh about three inches above his knee. He got up and used the loo then carried on to the terminus. His leg hurt and there was blood in his shoe so he phoned in and got a relief driver. A couple of days later he went to the Accident Hospital and was kept in for about ten days. They cut a piece out of his inner thigh about 1 inch x 6 inches and it was about 1 inch deep. After that he made a full recovery.

 

[Phil]

James & Stitcher

A little aid for you memories, even down to the chain fence. I have to say I was never a fan of the Fox Hollies and I always thought it to be a stick mob's pub.

Phil

 

[robert]

Hi phil whats a stick mob?.

 

[james houston]

Yes what is a stick mob ?

 

[Phil]

Sorry about the late reply, I thought stick mob was in general usage, stick mob, ladder gang, cowboy roofers. It was a well known pub for them at one time. As was the Westley Arms, I could never understand why they were allowed in to a nice pub like that in their working clothes.

My mate and me went in there one night, he was wearing a brand new light coloured suit. He sat down and when he got up his trousers were covered in black bitumen.

Phil

 

[berniew]

Hello Phil for years and years I can remember a notice on the entrance to the bar in the Westly Arms that said " no roofing contractors or their assosiates allowed in these premises and it wasn't apiece of paper but almost a plaque with a frame ' so presumably the managment shared your view . I have never been a regular at the Westly butI do use it and it's almost always clean and quiete Bernie

 

[Phil]

Bernie

Me and my mate Alf used to meet up at the Westley before going on to somewhere else, because it was the nicest pub in the area. This was in the early 70's about 71-72. I can't say that I recall ever seeing the sign you mention. The room that we used at the time was the one that looked out on to the street.

After my mate ruined his suit, we never used the pub again.

Phil

 

[james houston]

I can remember the contractors in the Fox Hollies they tended to meet up in the bar area after 6 o'clock,the 2 lounge area's either side of the bar were fairly smart and people on their way into town would meet up before catching the 31 bus to city centre.The ladder gangs were quite notorious around this area but at lunchtimes this pub had a different atmosphere with all the Lucas workers surging in there between 12 and 2. Jim

 

[Phil]

Hi Jim

The pubs in Acocks Green that in the 70's were well known as ladder gang pubs were, The Maggie's, The Moonraker and The Fox. There were other but these were the main three. Then of course there was the Speedwell the bikers haunt.

I have no first hand experience of any of these pubs because I didn't use them for the reason they were well known and notorious. I'm sure there were many people like myself who didn't use those houses for the same reason.

Phil

 

[berniew]

Hello Phil for years and years I can remember a notice on the entrance to the bar in the Westly Arms that said " no roofing contractors or their assosiates allowed in these premises and it wasn't apiece of paper but almost a plaque with a frame ' so presumably the managment shared your view . I have never been a regular at the Westly butI do use it and it's almost always clean and quiete Bernie

Hello Phil that is the same room I cannot remember when I first saw the notice but the Fox was still open perhaps it was because of your experience or maybe the ladder gang had performed at some stage .The reputation of the hotel would have been damaged if people were getting muck all over them everytime they ventured into the public bar but it is fairly quiet and clean now Bernie

 

[Neville Philpott]

I remember my Mother used to take my sister and myself to meet my Father at the 'Fox Hollies' every Friday lunchtime in the 1950's, i guess that would have been payday.

I vividly recall one day kicking my new football around in the passage area and the manager i guess it was came out to see what all the commotion was about.

Oddly enough i followed my Father to Shaftmoor Lane in the mid 1960's.

 

[james houston]

With regards to the Fox,Maggies,moonraker and the Westley ,always found they were pubs with great characters in them,in all the years i drank in them i was never intimidated by any "stick mob"and as the saying go,s if you have never tried it don,t knock it.Jim

 

[Phil]

Jim

Did you ever get a brand new suit ruined, did you never heard a bad word said about the Moonraker. I wonder why they closed it down and demolished it. I know it used to do pretty good business.

Phil