• 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

The White Lion British Lion 99 Digbeth

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
While looking at other Digneth public houses and beerhouses, i kept finding reference to this old establishment. A drawing was made of it dated 1835 which has been posted many times on various forum threads. But it deserves highlighting in a thread of its own. There's some interesting history including a boxing and sporting connection.

A search of newspapers has revealed it dates back to at least 1790, but I think it must be much older judging by the style in the 1830s drawing.
Screenshot_20260107_081038_Samsung Internet.jpg
Screenshot_20260107_091205_Gallery.jpg

1790, there was a Mr Crane living there (landlord ?)
1825, there was a William Edwards living there (landlord?)
c1835 (?) was the building in the drawing replaced ?
1849 the premises of the White Lion 'newly erected' were advertised for sale as an 'excellent market house and spirit shop' with 10 bedrooms, a yard and stabling. The advertised public house/shop suggests it was a replacement of the building shown in the 1835 drawing
1850 it was still being advertised for sale, but with one less bedroom
1853 By this time the White Lion was in the hands of Robert 'Bob' Brettles. He brought his pugilistic interests (boxing matches) and other interests such as dominos to the White Lion and turned it into a major sporting house
1853 he set up a '£50 Society', a membership club. (Adverts announcing this don't specify its exact purpose, but coincidently the prize for a domino's contest at the White Lion in 1866 was £50 !)
1860 Mr R Brettle is shown as an agent for the Sporting Life
1872 Bob Brettle passed away. His obituary suggests his last years were an unhappy struggle, no longer the landlord of the sporting house he'd created in the mid-1800s.,
1877 Henry James is landlord
By 1925 the White Lion was no longer on the site, by this time the site had become Smithfield Garage.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20260107_122423_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260107_122423_Chrome.jpg
    257.1 KB · Views: 2
  • Screenshot_20260107_115735_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260107_115735_Chrome.jpg
    81.1 KB · Views: 2
  • Screenshot_20260107_123122_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260107_123122_Chrome.jpg
    294.7 KB · Views: 3
By 1894 Harry Overton was the landlord of the British Lion, continuing the pugilist interest.

Looks like the name changed between the late 1870s and early 1880s. It was still White Lion until 1877. The name British Lion continued into the 1900s.
 
Last edited:
In newspapers, references to the yard behind the public house, also changed to British Lion Yard.

From various reports I've read, it sounds like the Yard was quite rough, even back to the mid-1800s - a few criminal cases are mentioned including one where Brettle was attacked with a poker and sustained quite serious injuries.
 
Last edited:
I thought the name change was between directories of 1879 and 1880 - so I assume it changed in 1879 before the details were printed for the 1880 directory. However the licence was changed to Michael Fanning at the British Lion in August 1878 as it was listed with other licence changes in Birmingham Daily POst of 2nd August.

Michael Fanning was listed at both names so presumably he changed the name.

It was listed in 1908 but had gone by 1912.
 
Thanks, Janice. Wonder what happened between 1908/1912 and 1923 ? Was it still a pub by another name ? By my reckoning, (and a rough estimate) Smithfield's forecourt was about the position of the White Lion/British Lion but that wasn't built until 1923.

Have added British Lion to the thread title.
 
Last edited:
So bakery, then grocery shared with Smithfields. Interesting ! The 1923 date on the Smithfield arched buildings (one still visible today in Meriden Street) must have been later additions. With cars becoming a thriving business in the early motoring years of the 1920s, demanding more workshops, petrol pumps, and then more space for a sales room would explain expansion from their 1921 appearance on the site.

So I wonder when was The British Lion/White Lion demolished ? I don't think it's in this view of Smithfield's, or is it ? I estimated the pub would have been over to the right (empty space?) next to the arch but could be wrong. Anybody know?

Screenshot_20260107_180646_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
Last edited:
Something to mull over while you're bashing those potatoes or basting that juicy chicken.

Just checked and the British Lion licence was extinguished in the 1905 cull of licences noted by mikejee in the Clements Vaults thread (extract below).

There was an appeal. It was finally instructed to close on 22 June 1906.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20260107_183258_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260107_183258_Chrome.jpg
    49 KB · Views: 1
  • Screenshot_20260107_183731_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260107_183731_Chrome.jpg
    103.5 KB · Views: 1
Last edited:
Horton Estates were the freeholders and were compensated £1,580 for the British Lion (reported 12/5/1906 in the Birmingham Gazette).

Mssrs Grigg and Brettle (related to Bob?) And W Brettle leaseholders and manager got £395 compensation.
 
Last edited:
At the time of extinguishing the licence, Tom Brettle was the landlord (relation of Bob Brettle?). These were the reasons for declining the licence. This seems to echo some of the other refusals to renew licences around the Digbeth area at the time.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20260107_184655_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260107_184655_Chrome.jpg
    49.1 KB · Views: 1
Last edited:
Vivienne14 said:
While looking at other Digneth public houses and beerhouses, i kept finding reference to this old establishment. A drawing was made of it dated 1835 which has been posted many times on various forum threads. But it deserves highlighting in a thread of its own. There's some interesting history including a boxing and sporting connection.

A search of newspapers has revealed it dates back to at least 1790, but I think it must be much older judging by the style in the 1830s drawing.
View attachment 216651
View attachment 216661

1790, there was a Mr Crane living there (landlord ?)
1825, there was a William Edwards living there (landlord?)
c1835 (?) was the building in the drawing replaced ?
1849 the premises of the White Lion 'newly erected' were advertised for sale as an 'excellent market house and spirit shop' with 10 bedrooms, a yard and stabling. The advertised public house/shop suggests it was a replacement of the building shown in the 1835 drawing
1850 it was still being advertised for sale, but with one less bedroom
1853 By this time the White Lion was in the hands of Robert 'Bob' Brettles. He brought his pugilistic interests (boxing matches) and other interests such as dominos to the White Lion and turned it into a major sporting house
1853 he set up a '£50 Society', a membership club. (Adverts announcing this don't specify its exact purpose, but coincidently the prize for a domino's contest at the White Lion in 1866 was £50 !)
1860 Mr R Brettle is shown as an agent for the Sporting Life
1872 Bob Brettle passed away. His obituary suggests his last years were an unhappy struggle, no longer the landlord of the sporting house he'd created in the mid-1800s.,
1877 Henry James is landlord
By 1925 the White Lion was no longer on the site, by this time the site had become Smithfield Garage.
Click to expand...
also viv the pub at 102 (clements vaults) (naked board) that my rellies ran was also taken over by smithfield garage..

 
Yes, Lyn, 3 doors down. Turned that stretch into a big plot (eventually) for Smithfields. Interesting that, in 1905/6, it really seems to have effectively put into play a big clean-up operation. And not just small-scale either. They wiped away so many old pubs. The effect on the owners/landlords and local community must have been felt.
 
I was thinking along these lines for the White Lion/British Lion position on Digbeth. Could be wrong, as I used the possible line of the former White Lion/British Lion Yard and the later Smithfield Garage to do a rough estimate. So not precise !

20260107_195948.jpg
 
Thanks Lyn. Be good to have a record of any of the ones that disappeared in 1905/6 which haven't already been posted to BHF.

The White Lion/British Lion must have been close to the Smithfield forecourt. I've added nearby building numbers on Digbeth to give bearings.

Screenshot_20260107_201017_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
From newspaper extracts, Warriner and Mason, grocery provisions
In 1902 they occupied #96and half, #97 and #98 Digbeth (see Goad's plan in post #1 for position)
In 1916 they had #97 and #98 Digbeth
In 1938 - 1940 they occupied #97- #99 Digbeth
In 1941 they'd moved to Sparkbrook
During WW2, in Digbeth, the premises of food distributors Warriner and Mason were completely gutted in a bombing raid.
So #99 Digbeth, the former White Lion/British Lion building must have existed, at least, into 1940.

After WW2, did Smithfields build/expand its forecourt into the bombed out space ? See photo attached. This shows by 1949, Smithfields was displaying its petrol(Shell)/garage signage on the wall of #95 and a new low wall was in place.

If only we could find a pre WW2 photo of this row of buildings.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20260108_095749_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260108_095749_Chrome.jpg
    107 KB · Views: 3
  • Screenshot_20260108_094941_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260108_094941_Chrome.jpg
    43.3 KB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_20260108_100601_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20260108_100601_Chrome.jpg
    30.6 KB · Views: 3
  • Screenshot_20260108_110121_Samsung Internet.jpg
    Screenshot_20260108_110121_Samsung Internet.jpg
    418.3 KB · Views: 3
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top