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PUBS OF MY CHILDHOOD

silhouette53

silhouette53

master brummie
I seem to remember having spent many hours in total as a child, waiting outside various public houses !

Born and raised in William Street, Lozells, here are some I recall :

The Gough Arms This was actually in my street, just a couple of doors away

The Royal Oak, Lozells Road

The Weymouth Arms, corner of Gerrard Street & Guildford Street

The Scotch House, Whitehead Street, opposite a coach garage, (Flights I think )

The Manor Tavern - Clifford Street

The Lozells Inn - Lozells Rd

The Village Maid - by the Baines Bakery in Finch Road

There were many others of course, and I have recollections and little tales to tell regarding each of them.

The Church Tavern - Church Rd Perry Barr - nice gardens in the rear ( not now though - its a sad parody of what it once was)

Bottle of pop and a packet of crisps - "Don't eat the blue one, its too salty" :2funny:
 
Ditto, as follows:

The Swan-Washwood Heath

The Fox And Goose- Washwood Heath

The Tyburn House-Castle Bromwich? Used to be able to get a bag of cockels here. Was outside here one night and lightning struck an overhead power line right there and put all of the lights out.
 
Hi sillouette,

As I have posted elsewhere, pub crawling was a feature of my wasted early life.

Having lived in Burbury St, I think I have "visited" all the pubs you mention. (Plus a few more !   ;))

The Village Maid is of special interest, as that was my Dads local, and its where I had my last drink with him before he died.

Alas, I think most of them have gone now, but memories linger on....
 
Old Swan at Washwood Heath c 1910
 

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My Dad's favourite haunt was the Harlequin Pub in Shard End. My Mom always wished someone would blow it up as my Dad spent so much time there and spent most of her housekeeping money! She was happy when it closed down and was demolished shortly afterwards, but my Dad just moved on to pastures new! :crazy2:
 
I THERE GILLIAN, YOUR MOM WAS,T ALONE WHEN SHE USED TO SAY TO YOU THAT SHE WISHED SOMEONE WOULD KNOCK IT DOWN I AM A RETIRED PUBLICAN , AND I KNEW WHAT CLIENTAL USED TO FREQUENT THAT ESTABLISHMENT, THE PUB HAD WHAT WE CALL A CHEQUED HISTORY FOR BAD CLIENTS AND PUNTERS , A VERY BUSY PUBLIC HOUSE, FOR TAKINGS , TROUBLE , AND DRUGS IT WAS THE ONLY SOULUTION WAS TO KNOCK IT DOWN , DON,T GET ME WRONG THERE WAS JUST AS MANY DECENT FOLK WHOM FREQUENTED THE PLACE AND ENJOYED THERE QUOTER OF TIPPLE, LIKE YOUR DEAR OLD DAD, IT WAS A NICE PINT OF ALE,, BEST WISHES ASTONIAN ,...
 
Hi. Postie.
Thanks for the picture of the old Swan. That seems to be an older building than I remember. Was the building changed from that before it was demolished. It's generally the same though. It seems to me it was set back from the road and there was a urinal at the left of the picture out by the sidewalk.
Regards.
 
This is the current Google Earth picture of the Swan Washwood Heath that I have but I understand from Cromwell that this has been demolished now so I have posted it as a record before Google updates and it will be gone for ever then. It had changed over the years but I think you can still see some remains of the original building. Looking at the overhead the right side of the building seem to be remnants of the old Swan. However the left side (up the hill) seems to have a revised roofline with a single hipped roof and two smaller gables. The old smelly urinal is not there; not needed as it was not used as a pub at this stage. The grounds at the back seem to be uncared for at this stage. I wonder if there are any of the lupins remaining where I used to play. Hope this is accurate and not just wishfull thinking. Thats Washwoodheath Road at the top.
Regards.
 

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Pubs I can remember from childhood in Birmingham are Perry Common the Crossways and College Arms.

Nechell's The Rocket

Hall Green /Acocks Green The Dolphin, Three Magpies, Gospel Oak.

There was a pub we did drive out to in the summertime in my teens when we finally got a car was the Black Boy ?? somewhere off Warwick Road - the pub gardens were along a canal ??
 
The old picture of the Swan does not have the half timbering that I remember.If you look at Google Earth you can just see the half timbring on the road side of the building.Even the original part of the building (?) has this. It must have been added later when the building was changed.
 
My Childhood memories of pubs were the Gospel Oak and the Three Magpies in Halll Green. We moved to Kings Heath we frequented the Red Lion, the Hazelwell, The Cross Guns, the Hare and Hounds, the Station, the Ash Meadow and the Moutaineer.
 
Elizabeth1 I overlooked your posting I have been to the Black Boy about it was about 7-8 years ago. Management was taken over by the manager of the Red Lion in Earlswood. Did you live in Hall Green?
 
Robert and Fergie,
Yes I did live Hall Green when I was in Secondary school years (late 70's) - I have lived in North Wales since 1982 Llandudno / Conwy area now. I still come back to B'ham as I have family still there so I do visit often - seems to change all the time there - everytime I come back I notice lots of changes.

Fergie the Black Boy - I remember my family would drive to regularly during summer months for an evening out as it was so nice and scenic there etc.. - Penns Hall was another place we'd go to - but I can't even remember where that was though.
 
I think it may be Erdington not far from Pype Hayes Park on Penns Lane. I know my sons girlfriends family go there usually at Christmas.
 
Mmmmm I lived in Arkley Road until 1969-70 went to Lakey Lane Primary School then onto Swanshurst.
 
Penns Hall is in in Penns Lane, it's Sutton though not Erdington. Last time we were there was my sister in law's wedding reception in 1964 :)
 
Fergie - I know Arkley Road and Lakey Lane School (my susters went there 1975 onwords - We lived Tavistock Road (near the Gospel Oak/Langley Lane sort of area) we went to Pitmaston school. I still keep in touch with some of my school friends from home - I guess I never really left Brum - just live in a different place?? :smitten:

Di thank you for that ;) - Penns Hall I can remember going there and my mind was blank as to where it was (I think things become blurred after so many years LOL ) - funny thing was I went to Bangor University here in Wales in 1990's as a "mature student" (did that mean I grew up??) and there was a lady on the Management course I was doing Jean (Pittaway is a name I have in my head - but don't hold me to that) and her husband Steve was also studying at the same Uni but different course and they used to Manage the Penns Hall Pub late 70's / 80's - they were living somewhere in Portmadog and studying in Bangor - small world isn't it??
I haven't been Sutton end in years as my visits to home are usually just flying visits and time is always so short trying to fit everyone in as I hate to travel all the way home and miss people out - makes me feel guilty :'(
 
I went to quite a few do's at Penns Hall and enjoyed them all. They were either from Fort Dunlop or the Midland's Electricity Board. Just before I went to Canada I applied for a job at Penns Hall as a junior secretary. Penns Hall is not an easy place to get to and it was pouring with rain and my hair was soaked by the time I walked down Penns lane and up the long driveway. I had told some tale at work to get off early on top of that and felt very guilty. I did get offered the job but my father wouldn't let me take it because I would have had to live-in. He just didn't think that was necessary. I didn't care one way or the other really.
 
My father didn't drink alcohol but he certainly didn't mind laying it on when friends or relatives came around for a special occasion. I used to love having a sip of Ansell's Nut Brown Ale from the bottles in the pantry and a glug of Sherry from the bottles hidden behind the settee just before Xmas.
My Mother liked to have a drink and on holidays to the coast us kids sat outside a few places drinking lemonade and eating crisps. When our first car arrived we used to go out to many pubs around the countryside. I never went in the Hare and Hounds or the Stockland Inn until years and years later even though they were close to my house in Marsh Hill. Later on I did visit a few Aston pubs as well. The Church Tavern was one
and the hotel across from Aston Park. Later on I visited The Roebuck in Erdington High Street and remember Baby Chams which I liked a bit too much!

My first alcoholic drink in public was at the Bowling Alley at Wylde Green on my l8th birthday. This used to be the cinema...Wylde Green Pavillion. They had a members bar there that you could join if you bowled there. The Green Man at Middleton and The Cock at Wishaw were two of our favourites and I remember going to Middleton on Xmas Day when I came home for Xmas one year. There were several other pubs where we used to go.The Bell at Welford-on-Avon I remember. The publican had served in India in the Army and used to cook up Curries certain nights in the week. There were very few Indian restaurants in Brum at that time. The curries were hot and delicious and the owner sold loads of lager, etc. People used to flock there. I also remember the King's Head at Aston Cantlow...good duck grub on offer. Many pubs around Stratford since
that was a popular drive on Saturday nights and the fellows liked the Flower's pubs.
This brings back memories of The Engine at Hampton in Arden where my bro had his wedding reception way back when and also the The White Lion at Hampton in Arden
which is still going strong. Most of the latter ones that I went to I was older,of course.
Better stop now since my memory is coming back...The Boot Inn at Honily, The Swan at Fradley down by the canal, et al.. Anyone been to any of these pubs?
 
The Engine at Hampton in Arden was our local but they closed it about 5 weeks ago and they are going to pull it down and build houses on it. :'(
 
My first drink when i was 18 yes 18!! ::) was the Pot of Beer Holt St,i remember they had the old penny slot machines with little pupets in that moved,wonder if they still have those machines now?
 
The pub across from Aston Park , Jennyann was The Holt. It's been boarded up for years, an impressive building. It is on Villa's land I would have thought, and a pity they don't do somethng with it.
 
Thanks for that Di. The Holt, of course. One of my father's sisters married a fellow who managed this pub decades ago. You are right, something should be done with it
before it disappears.

I hear that the Stockland Inn is now a Chinese restaurant. That building is so unique
and I remember it in it's glory days. I went in there about four years ago with my daughter and realized that the end must be near and no money had been spent on the place in years. Sad really.

I also realize that many of these big public houses are not a viable business options these days and many won't survive.
 
jennyann said:
The Boot Inn at Honily, The Swan at Fradley down by the canal, et al.. Anyone been to any of these pubs?
Click to expand...

Yes, I certainly remember the Swan at Fradley - by the time I was 12 we had moved to live in Streetly and I took up fishing so dad used to take me to various places to fish, the canal at Fradley being one of them - lovely in Summer with all the boats etc
 
The pubs I recall from my childhood are the Grove and the Endwood. I would walk up from St Mary's Church after the service - meet mom and dad in the Endwood where I would enjoy a grapfruit drink and a packet of crisps
 
The pubs my family used in those far off days - sigh - were The Aston Hotel, usually called the Aston, but not by my dad, it was his local and he crossed himself whenever he crossed the threshold. ::) The Witton Arms. The Crown and Cushion, Perry Barr. The Rat Pan, in Aston. The Beaufort and The Hamstead in Hamstead. Finally my favourite The Scott Arms where when I was old enough to go into a pub we gathered as a family, and The Malt Shovel, both in Great Barr. I've had a bottle of pop and a packet of crisps in the gardens of most of them  :)
 
Penns Hall was Sutton I seem to remember I went to a Christmas do in 1976 :)
 
I used to go Dancing at the "Crown and Cushion" in those far of days - Len Thorne our neighbough on Westminster Road used to play there!
 
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