The
Barrel Inn, an Amblecote pub now
trading as the Moorings Tavern and not, as is commonly thought, anything
to do with the Navigation Inn. You can read about this - and every pub
in Amblecote - by immersing yourself in a comprehensive page devoted to
this former independent Urban District area.
The
Waggon and Horses, a rare original
building in Adderley Street that was once a Showell's house and seen
here in Ind Coope livery. The pub went through a spell as The Cannonball
due to the jazz club that was held in the first floor club room.
The
Grapes Inn at Chapel en le Frith seen here around 1912 with licensee William Dickens
stood on the doorstep with a few of his regular customers, locals who
were generally engaged in the cotton trade, working with
locally-quarried stone or were employed on the nearby railway. Read also
about long-serving Sarah Cresswell who was running this pub well into her eighties.
The Bowl
Turner's Arms, an old beer house on Belgrave Gate
that, unlike some forty other pubs on this thoroughfare, has managed to
survived into the 21st century. Oh, the name? Well, early publican
Thomas
Cattell was a "turner of bowls."
The
Lime Kiln Inn, as its name suggests, was closed linked with mineral
extraction in and around Cropwell Bishop. Indeed, the first publican was
a victualler, lime burner and farmer.
The
Abingdon Arms in Thame, an ancient inn probably named in honour of
the 5th Earl of Abingdon, Montagu Bertie. The pub was formerley called
The Chequers and, before that, The Greyhound. It was as the latter that
the pub was reputedly the headquarters of Jimmy Figg, who some regard as
the first World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
The
Plough Inn at Caldecott, a pub that has actually moved location. The
licence of the Old Plough was
transferred to this building around 1948.The 'new' Plough fronts the main road but is in the corner of the old green
where nearby there was the village pump and stocks.Click here
to read about other pubs in the village.
The
Boat Inn, a pub name that puzzles the modern traveller but a
hostelry that had a long tradition of serving boatmen on the now defunct
Lichfield Canal. Read how the canal suffered from water level problems
from day one until the construction of the reservoir now known as
Chasewater.
The
Waggon and Horses, a Grade II-listed jewel in Oldbury that was
constructed by the Holt Brewery Company replacing the old inn in which
the maltster George Thompson, founder of Wolverhampton and Dudley
Breweries, was born.
The
Rev.Jamesis a beer I have
enjoyed before but on a recent visit to the King's Arms at Claverley I
had one of those pure nectar moments. It was a perfectly served beer in
an excellent setting amid a fine session - a set of circumstances that
happen only now and then. Both beer and pub are warmly recommended.
Ever
wondered what all those strange-sounding ales on the pub's chalkboard
are really like? Slowly being constructed to include all the region's
brewers, here's a guide to
the nutters who
climb in mashtuns
with their wellies on.
There is a little history on the firms still trading and information on
those that disappeared many brew lengths ago. There are tasting notes to the magic potions the
current brewers produce so you'll be fully clued up next time you see that grotesquely-titled liquid is down
below in the
cellar. Click here for your virtual session on the beer.
As I gradually
research pubs around the Midlands, I will try to provide details of some
of the lost breweries of the region. This section will cover
very large
brewery concerns through to moderately small businesses but not sole trading
retail brewers who are included in the pub's entries.
Click here to
read about those sadly missed brewers such as Dares's and
Simpkiss.
A developing glossary helping to explain some of the
technical stuff you may encounter when next looking properly at your
local boozer. Come on, how many of you really look above the ground
floor windows? Here you can browse through a
glossary
of marble, terracotta, stained glass, grotesques, corbels, stonework, mosaics,
tiled interiors and gallows inn signs.
Click here for
some aesthetic delights.
Looking for a good
old-fashioned drinking pub in the countryside where the emphasis is on
the beer not the chips? Well,
The Plough at Shenstone could be just the place for you. No music
and dog friendly - hooray! But do remember to take a map or get used to
asking for directions!
Ever
wondered how a pub got its name? This website has
zillions of inn sign examples coupled with an
attempt to explain
their origins from Roman times
through to the Steam Age. Read about the location specific signs in the
Midlands from the Asbury Tavern and The Old Priory to the Hawne Tavern
and The Ten Arches or
browse through the omnipresent chestnuts like the Red Lion or Bull's
Head.Click here
to start your tour
- but be
warned, once you get interested in
signs you'll never be able to drive past a pub in quite the same wayagain.
A forum
for you to post your genealogy questions and answers. Maybe someone out
there can shed light on your hunt. I try to answer some of your
questions myself on the webpagesIt's all a bit pot-luck but worth a try. However, I think it's
fair to say that the majority of postings have received a bit of help or
information. Click here
to see how it works.
The latest plan to be published on the site is a
design by James and Lister Lea and Sons for the White Swan in Deritend.
Click here
to see how
this pub was put together in the late Victorian era.