Lost Pubs from the WME Archives #34

Partly inspired by Pub Curmudgeon's Closed Pubs blog - which I always like to keep an eye on, especially for any West Midlands postings - I started my own series of archive extractions five years ago this month. Yes April 2019 is when the first 'Lost Pubs from the WME Archives' appeared, and I've sadly had enough material to keep the theme ticking over ever since. Here are another five casualties for us to ponder...

- The Linthouse -

Being a Wolverhampton lad, it pains me somewhat to note that every single one of this quintet is a pub from within the city's boundaries - in fact the first three all hail from the Wednesfield area, starting with the Linthouse on Linthouse Lane near Ashmore Park. Positioned next to a Jet garage with an alleyway through onto Shardlow Road, this place had a strong footballing allegiance to Wolverhampton Wanderers. I only remember going here once, for a family meal that involved steak and kidney suet puddings in the front bar. Houses now occupy the site. 

- Noah's Ark -

If you were to continue back along Linthouse Lane towards the Wood End roundabout, you'd soon reach our next bygone boozer. The Noah's Ark had a very typical 1960s Ansells design although the building we see above replaced an earlier inn circa 1964. Perched on Wood End Road close to Long Knowle Library, it would have been in direct competition with the grander Pheasant just down the road. Nowadays it has been converted into a One Stop convenience store with adjoining hairdressing salon.

- The Cross Guns -

The third of our Wednesfield trio is the Cross Guns on Lichfield Road, nestled between two blocks of shops that included stores such as Portland Eye Care, the Penguin Cafe and the much-missed Max Millward's Records. A fairly plain redbrick offering, I recall having Sunday roasts here on occasion with my Nan and Grandad, although curries are more likely to be on the menu in its current guise as the Masala Lounge Indian restaurant. 

- Staffordshire Volunteer -

I lived in Bushbury for the best part of thirty years and in that time the local pub scene was absolutely decimated, not that I can hold myself in anyway responsible you understand! One victim of this declining demand was the Staffordshire Volunteer on the Northwood Park estate, a box boozer which stood on Collingwood Road opposite the Broadway shopping parade. Known affectionately as the Vol, it too became a One Stop store after ceasing to trade.

- Fox Hotel -

Let's finish in Wolverhampton City Centre with reference to the Fox Hotel, a watering hole which would have been a noted landmark for anyone driving around the Ring Road (albeit any architectural appeal was distinctly dubious). It overlooked the Penn Road roundabout from the end of School Street at a time when the Indoor Markets would still have been operational, but is now just a car park space with little trace it was ever there. 

Perton then Pensnett

To steal a phrase from a famous advertising slogan... p-p-p-pick up a Perton, and whilst you're at it, p-p-p-pick up a Pensnett too. Biscuity chocolate bars might not otherwise be involved in this particular posting but you are getting two trips for the price of one as I attempt some Easter(ish) exploring...

- Spring has sprung on Redhouse Road -

Let's begin with Easter Tuesday (is that even a thing?) - also known as the 2nd April 2024 - and a terrific Tettenhall morning en route to Perton. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and I've got the whole day all to myself for indulging in photography plus a couple of pints. Woodfield Heights has an alleyway link onto College Road comprising several sets of steps before Tettenhall Library and the Peter James estate agents earn their latest archive snaps. I'm rather taken with a ceremonial water fountain I don't think I'd ever captured on camera previously; it is late Victorian in origin and has a prime spot overlooking Upper Green. By contrast, I'm always partial to getting pictures of blossoms so the white-petalled specimens awaiting me on Redhouse Road and Wrottesley Road West are duly documented, lovely.

- A Perton Pony -

After a Cranmere Avenue detour just to satisfy a lingering curiosity, I take Westcroft Road and the crusty old tracks of Dippons Lane to edge closer to Perton, a 1970s overspill settlement built on what used to be the RAF Perton airbase (mainly operational during the Second World War). Pony paddocks give me a rare slice of wildlife action, not that the steeds concerned look remotely impressed by me showering them with attention, then Mercia Drive spits me out onto The Parkway which effectively functions as the estate's main loop road. Two lakes, a selection of schools and a flatpack church are among the various amenities while Sainsburys are the anchor supermarket within the Anders Square shopping precinct. 

- The Pear & Partridge -

In terms of Perton pub provision, I've mentioned both the Pear & Partridge (Greene King) and the Wrottesley Arms (Marston's) on earlier bloggings, although it's encouraging that both are still very much trading and seemingly enticing in grey pound lunchtime diners on a Tuesday afternoon. This established duo has latterly been complemented by the Ale Hub as situated within an Anders Square shopfront; as with the similar outlets at Mere Green, Shirley and Dickens Heath, it offers real ales, craft beer and select spirits in welcoming surroundings. Green Duck's Session Pale is in fine fettle as I relax in a comfortable sofa below 'It's Gin O'Clock' stencillings. Steering clear of mother's ruin myself, I stick around to partake of a Moreton Mild (North Cotswold Brewery, very nice) before catching the number 10 home.

- St Mark's Church -

Fast forward three days to Friday 5th April and my second 'P' destination of the week will be the Dudley district of Pensnett. Again I'm blessed with agreeable weather (give or take some blustery gusts) as the 15 bus deposits me on Tiled House Lane just shy of the busy High Oak crossroads. The local High Street has a derelict relic of a chemists store - H.L. Myers, sadly shorn of its vintage Max Factor appendage - followed by St Mark's C of E Primary School as linked to the parish church of the same name. A funeral service is just drawing to a close when I venture along Vicarage Road but I can nip respectfully through the churchyard to inspect the 1849 cruciform architecture complete with proud clock tower. 

- Barrow Hill Cross -

Vicarage Road also serves as my access point for the Barrow Hill Nature Reserve, one of Dudley's most significant areas of grassland and ancient woodland in terms of geology and biodiversity. Apparently part of the site was once an active volcano so I'm hoping to steer clear of any eruptions today! Burial chambers thought to date back to the Bronze Age help give the reserve its name, and a large metallic cross helps emphasise this resting place provenance as well as marking the hill's summit. On clear days such as this, there are impressive panoramas to enjoy looking out towards The Wrekin, Worcestershire, the Clent Hills and Brown Clee.

- Russells Hall Shops -

Proceeding further along the Barrow Hill footpaths, I emerge into Russells Hall via Merryfield Road. Although I know the estate quite well from rides on the former 222 bus route down the years, it had largely escaped my camera's gaze until now. Making up for lost time, I pounce upon the main block of shops on Middlepark Road corner, noting a Spar store, a post office and Taylor's family butchers (not forgetting the Living Hope Church, previously known as St Barnabas's). Further shops - including the Blue Submarine Fish Bar - can be found at the junction with Overfield Road beyond some playing fields and a nursing home.

- A Feathery Co-op? -

Russells Hall used to be served by two watering holes, neither of which have survived. On Corbyn Road there used to be the Old Park with its very triangular pointy roof but that got replaced by apartments, whereas Overfield Road opposite the primary school is where you would have found the Plume of Feathers. This latter establishment is at least still standing, nowadays fulfilling a communal function as a Co-op store albeit with a shape that very much has the hallmarks of a lost Banks's boozer. 

- Pens Ale Prospects -

Any quest for pints in the vicinity must therefore bring me back to Pensnett, where that trusty favourite the Fox & Grapes once again delivers on my Bathams Bitter + cheese and onion cob remit. I park myself in the main bar for a change, thinking it quite quiet early doors until some hi-vis workmen claim their regular positions and get the banter properly flowing - Friday pm knocking-off time, you can't beat it! The Pens Ale micropub at 81a High Street (next door to the chip shop that used to be the Four Furnaces) has earned Good Beer Guide recognition in recent years, so the slightest hint that my intended Holden's Golden Glow is off means I'm swiftly furnished with an impeccable Oakham Inferno replacement. Cheers!

A Good Friday for the Chip Foundation!

Anyone up for some Easter exploring? Believe it or not, it's approaching ten years since Nick, Stephen and I left the public library scene for pastures new. Back in 2014, we celebrated Nick's retirement with a special pubcrawl visiting some of his favourite hostelries and now - a whole decade later - we're going to stage a similar trip in order to mark this notable anniversary...

- Bantock Park Magnolia -

Good Friday (29th March 2024) is close enough to the exact date of Nick's escape from working life that it fits well for meeting up, and what's more I can indulge in some springtime photography en route to joining the chaps in Wolverhampton. Bantock Park looks especially pretty with pathside daffodils and magnolia trees in full bloom, and its heartening to hear the bumblebees buzzing around in search of pollen and nectar. Bantock House and surrounding grounds were bequeathed to Wolverhampton Council on the death of Albert Baldwin Bantock in 1938, with the main house subsequently becoming a museum. 

- Mr Beardsmore points the way from Sedgley Beacon -

Nick and Stephen are ready and waiting for me near Wolverhampton railway station so we can easily hop aboard the number 1 bus bound for Sedgley. An invigorating stroll should get us in the mood for the ales to follow, and the bracing winds up on Sedgley Beacon certainly help to clear any lingering cobwebs. One of the highest points in the Black Country, you can spot numerous West Midlands landmarks from such a lofty elevation including BT Tower, the Bond Wolfe block in West Bromwich, plus Wolverhampton's Mander House with Victoria Halls. One particularly strong gust almost sends the Beardsmore baseball cap spiralling off towards Ettingshall Park Farm but Stephen nimbly retrieves his miscreant headwear from the gorse.

- Dark Ruby Mild? Don't mind if we do... -

Keen that Stephen should not risk losing any more items of apparel, we dodge beneath the Beacon Tower (erected in 1846) and into the Beacon Hotel, home of Sarah Hughes Brewery and their prized Dark Ruby Mild. Intercepting Ken on the doorstep, we've timed our arrival not long after midday opening and yet the place is already very full with Bank Holiday merriment. Dimpled glasses and Taddy Lager beermats add to the effect as we commandeer the far table in the smoke room, always an evocative space in which to imbibe of 6% gorgeousness. Alas the special barrel of Snowflake winter ale has quickly sold out so the still-excellent Sedgley Surprise steps in for my follow-up half while conversation covers recent holidays in Cromer, Exmouth, Scarborough and Great Yarmouth.

- The Classic Beardsmore Chip Picture -

The 229 bus is due straight outside the pub at 14:03 and arrives promptly to whisk us off to Bilston, where we've time for a legendary chip shop lunch before Stephen has to leave us. Major's on Church Street has been a renowned local institution for nigh on fifty years, and although the business changed hands in 2023, they still serve the bright orange battered chips for which Bilston has become famous. Mr B gives them his special seal of approval albeit we have to scamper for the shelter of the bus station when a nasty shower sets in.

- Remembering Reg in the Trumpet -

As the rain relents and our resident Beardsmore bids us farewell by catching his 25 bus link into Wednesfield, the rest of us have a date with another Bilston mainstay. The Trumpet is a wonderful Holden's boozer which specialises in live jazz under the stewardship of Musti and Diane; many is the evening we've spent here over the years, listening to the likes of Patsy Gamble, Sheila Waterfield, Henry Newman and the much-missed Reg Keirle. Claiming our Golden Glows and Holden's Bitters respectively, we nudge below framed portraits of Tommy Burton and Louis Armstrong to chat about music, politics and travel in the time-honoured way. I particularly like the caricature sketches of the various musicians who've graced the stage here down the decades, not to mention a wide array of musical trinkets and figurines.

- Grinning with Glow in the Great Western -

Two pubs done with two more to come so we'd best get heading back to Wolverhampton. The number 82 bus offers a helping hand via Portobello (Moseley Road) and Deansfield, then we soon find ourselves descending the distinctive Corn Hill cobbles to reach the Great Western, nostalgically framed by its railway bridge approaches. An all-time classic, this pub is another of Holden's finest establishments with a neat line in railwayana, cobs and coal fires. Claiming our customary seats in the conservatory, we account for more Glow, Bitter and Woodsetton Pale Ale as the whole place seems alive with good natured Bank Holiday banter. 

- The Lych Gate Tavern Finale -

The fourth of our intended quartet sees us finishing off exactly as we did in 2014, by pitching into the Lych Gate Tavern just off Wolverhampton's Queen Square. Black Country Ales are the custodians here having brought the historic beamed interior back into public use in 2012; it had been an office space prior to that so it's good that the timber elements can now be fully appreciated again. Beartown's Creme Bearlee battles Birmingham's Stout Brummie in our darker ale affections albeit Ken takes a trip along memory lane by opting for Brew XI, the Midlands brew he forged his beery tastebuds on. The only things missing are the Catholic priests who kindly wished Nick all the best on his retirement ten years ago, but we've had a cracking afternoon with or without any such ecclesiastical interventions. Cheers!

WME Flickr Focus - March 2024

The vagaries of my personal filing system mean that WME updates tend to be grouped into alphabetical batches, following a loose publication order based on the filenames. All very interesting (not!) except that it means Exploration Extra - by dint of a different prefix to the rest of my pictures - tends not to get any additions for ages, then they all arrive in a sudden rush...

So it is that March 2024 has been one of those unusual months where Exploration Extra has totally ruled the roost, bolting the door on any other gallery's attempts to sneakily smuggle their items through. The result is a wide-ranging set of arrivals taking us from Bristol to Edinburgh by way of Manchester, Cumbria and Derby with not a solitary West Midlands photograph in sight!

Let's start in the Lake District where my Kendal 2021 album must surely be one of the largest on my entire photostream (91 pictures and counting). The newer contributors here include Keswick (offering the Crafty Baa pub, Fitz Park and the Ruskin Monument), Derwent Water (complete with Friar's Crag viewpoint), Fell Foot Country Park (for attractive dry stone wall scenery) and Helsington (a flock of curious cows). These are all supported by Kendal itself which summons various holes from its putting green, not to mention yet more cuddly rabbit dolls from the cottage where we were staying. 

Sticking in the North West, my Manchester 2021 cricketing collection is growing nicely thanks to the input of Cornbrook Metrolink branding, the Circus Tavern and Old Trafford - the football ground variety - with its clock commemorating the Munich Air Disaster. Cricket was likewise the underlying inspiration for my Bristol 2022 assemblage which currently amounts to two pub snippets (the Quinton House and the Kingsdown Vaults) plus a badger mural and a Clifton Down railway running-in board.

Slightly closer to home, Rail Rover 2018 busies itself with Cheltenham content focusing on the Stagecoach bus depot, the Vine pub and the very elegant Regency frontage to Cheltenham Spa railway station. Over in the East Midlands, Derby Ram Trail 2021 takes delivery of a further batch of ram-related sculptural snapshots (hello Poseidon!) not to mention some Normanton street signs care of the terraces near the Falstaff free house. 

Last but not least, let's trek all the way up to Scotland for two doses of album accumulation. Edinburgh 2017 benefits from the presence of two Hibernian turnstiles from Easter Road stadium - hence the green colour scheme - plus a lobster-influenced nod to the Cafe Royal, whereas Southerness 2022 has a starter snippet of rusty chains on Kirkcudbright Harbour. April is scheduled to maintain the Exploration Extra monopoly but there could be some interesting gems coming our way so watch this space...