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The Crown The General Elliott Station street.

My friend and I went to the Jug of Punch in Digbeth a few times, not really my sort of music but we knew Dave Pegg who played bass with Ian Campbell for a while before joining Fairport. We used to chat in the bar for most of the time!
 
I saw Dave Pegg playing bass with another band a couple of years ago. And Dave Swarbrick was (briefly) married to a friend of ours some time ago - sorry about the name-dropping! For my money he was the outstanding member of Ian Campbell's band.

Yes, the crack at the 'Jug' was to get in the bar early on and stay there! I remember only too well the 'draught cider hangovers'.....happy days.

G
 
I used to go to Henrys Blues House in early 70's. If I remember correctly the tables were made of large wooden barrels. Or am I getting confused with somewhere else maybe?
 
BrummyPaul said:
I used to go to Henrys Blues House in early 70's. If I remember correctly the tables were made of large wooden barrels. Or am I getting confused with somewhere else maybe?
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Did you mean tables in the bar downstairs? I don't think I ever went in there!
I can't specifically remember any tables in the two upstairs rooms where the bands played - were there any?
 
A Sparks said:
Did you mean tables in the bar downstairs? I don't think I ever went in there!
I can't specifically remember any tables in the two upstairs rooms where the bands played - were there any?
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Thanks for your response, I do think I have the wrong place and agree that there probably wouldn't have been tables upstairs at Henry's. But I now think the pub I'm looking for was actually on one of the corners on Bristol Street. Either the building on the corner of Horse Fair and Essex Street or maybe even on another corner further along Bristol Street. All I know is we used to go there upstairs on a Thursday or Friday night in 1974 before going on to Bogarts. Frustrating not recalling the name of the pub! :)
 
Hi everyone, this is great information, thanks for everyone's input on this thread. Really interesting to hear about all the folk clubs going on in the Crown!

I am researching The Crown for a project and am really interested in the history of the building. It's origins and drawings - I attended Birmingham Archive today but the plans were too delicate to handle. Wondered if anyone had any ideas about any other information repositories for the building and where there might be more on the history.

Best wishes,
J
 
As mentioned earlier in thread it appears to have been the General Elliott Hotel (if not rebuilt). First mention I can see in newspapers is 1876, address given as Tonk St at this time. This map from 1889...

0 - Station St.jpg
 
Hi MWS thanks very much for a speedy reply! That's interesting information, and the GEH does match the rough layout of the Crown. Thanks again for the map.

J
 
There's a bit in the Bham Daily Gazette 4 Aug 1949 where someone asks what the original name was. The answer given is it was built about 1878 and from 1880 was known as General Elliott Hotel and renamed Crown hotel in 1896.

Though going by previous reply it was built a few years earlier.
 
I've always loved this site, but only now have I discovered this thread on the Crown pub in B'ham. It's interesting because it's among places mentioned in my father's journal from his time in Britain in 1944. He caroused on more than one occasion at a pub called the Crown. Unfortunately he didn't leave an address. He probably never took note in the first place.

The confusion for me is that there's also a place called the "Old Crown". Is it the same place? And if it isn't the same place, does anyone have a suggestion as to which one might be more likely the preferred hangout by RAF airmen during the war?
 
The Crown is a quite common name, and there were 11 Crown pubs in Birmingham in 1943, together with the Old Crown, , and also three Crown & Anchors. The Crown in this thread is very central and might well have been used by servicemen, but possibly someone with more military knowledge might be able to help decide
 
I have never been in the Crown on Station St but I can remember my Dad telling me, more than 50 years ago, that it had a very long bar. I think he said the longest in Birmingham.
 
From 1976-1979 the Grey Cock Folk Club used the upstairs room. One of our fellow Birmingham Polytechnic students had a fine voice and would sometimes sing from the floor. Met A.L. Lloyd - Bert didn't have a great voice, but he had composed the Penguin book of English Folk song and was an able poet who could make lost fragments into a coherent song. Heard Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. Sad this won't be a performance space again.
 
mikejee said:
The Crown is a quite common name, and there were 11 Crown pubs in Birmingham in 1943, together with the Old Crown, , and also three Crown & Anchors. The Crown in this thread is very central and might well have been used by servicemen, but possibly someone with more military knowledge might be able to help decide
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What two streets are at the corner of this Crown? Might they be Heath Mill Lane and High Street? Bear in mind that I'm in a different country.
 
Gus Wah said:
What two streets are at the corner of this Crown? Might they be Heath Mill Lane and High Street? Bear in mind that I'm in a different country.
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no gus that is the old crown at digbeth...the crown in the title of this thread is in station st city centre..here is a photo of it

lyn

index.php - 2024-02-02T150043.270.jpg
 
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Jenny Allen said:
Hello thank you all for the information. As way of explanation. You may have heard on the news that The Crown has now been sold for redevelopment, apparently going to be housing. I started using this pub in the late 70's as a punk lol. Still in touch with a lot of old Punky friends and we have had regular reunions at The Crown. There is a group being set up now trying to save the pub and get it saved as a music venue. Several famous bands played upstairs inc. Black Sabbath. Henry's Blueshouse also upstairs. I also think there was at one time a boxing ring. The group are looking for anything that they can use to try and save the pub, shame it's not a listed building. There will soon be a page set up on facebook.


We could have stood next to each other at the bar :)


thanks again Jenny
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Hi Jenny, I hope that you don't mind me messaging you. I was researching the Crown pub in Birmingham merely as a walk down memory lane. I was a regular visitor at the Crown at weekends in my punk days (late 70s so many moon's ago lol) and had some great nights there before moving on to Barbarella's. Over the years I've lost touch with the friends I had at the time, do you still have reunions with punky pals from that era?
Kind regards,
Andy Smith
 
As the music historian points out in the article, it's just the start and the building needs to be back in use. Unoccupied buildngs are, as we know too well, still at serious risk.

An early name was the General Elliott, so I've added this to the thread title.
 
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