Pubs of St Luke's Road in Highgate Birmingham - History and Information on the Pubs, Inns, Taverns and Beer Houses for Local Historians and Genealogists
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1731 Westley Map



 

Birchall Street Homepage > Warwickshire > Birmingham > Birchall Street

As can be seen on this extract from William Westley's map of 1731, Birchall Street was, at one time, known as Brickhill Road. This provides a clue into the industrial activity of the past - the section curling up towards Deritend Bridge was later called Stone Yard. The lane led out to Birch's Pasture and, later, Birch's Hole. Like Vaughton's Hole, a channel was cut to feed water from the River Rea. The street was later called Birch Hole Street. Note the rough crossing across the River Rea connecting Digbeth and Deritend High Street. With the river tamed and culverted, it is hard to imagine nowadays that the Rea once formed a difficult obstacle for locals and travellers. But there isn't a thoroughfare called Floodgate Street for no reason. Originally called Water Street, Floodgate Street was a tranquil lane in the early-mid 19th century. Tranquil that is until it rained heavily on Windmill Hill between the Lickey's and the Clent Hills, the source of the River Rea. The name Floodgate Street serves as a reminder that Brummies earning a living here had to occasionally harness the water source that provided their main source of power. The force of the river in winter acted as the impetus for the construction of the church marked on the 1731 map. The church of St. John the Baptist was founded in the late 14th century for the Aston parishioners living in the locality. Deritend and Bordesley were, up until relatively recent times, part of Aston not Birmingham. Permission was granted and a chaplain installed to conduct divine services for those who lived some distance from the parish church at Aston and could not attend St.Martin's in winter because of the river. The chaplain was paid £5 per annum by the Deritend guild, the same sum that was paid to another priest who acted as a teacher. The original church was a small rectangular structure that featured a steeply-pitched roof. Like the illustration by Westley, the west end of the building had square bell-turret with a pyramidal roof and weather vane. The church was replaced in 1735 with a edifice described by J. W. Bloe as a "rectangular brick building with tall round-headed windows and a tower of two stages surmounted by a balustrade with urns at the angles." Although restored between 1881-91, the building was not in use in 1939. It was in this year when the parish and benefice were united with St. Basil of Deritend. Sold to the local authorities before the outbreak of the Second World War, the building was hit by a bomb and later demolished. The enlarged church of St. John the Baptist is marked on this 1778 map by Thomas Hanson. This map extract shows the early development of the area. Bradford Street had been laid out and the estate of Henry Bradford was underway. The line of Birchall Street can be seen running down from St. John's Chapel, although the section near to Deritend High Street would be called Chapel House Street. Birchall Street was laid out in the mid-1780's, the first pub [The Minerva] appearing in Birmingham's Trade Directories in 1791.
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A workman garotted by his mates
"William Price [19] brass-caster, Alcester Street, and William Aston [27] whitesmith, Heath Mill Lane, were charged with assaulting and robbing Joseph Brooks, 9 Court, 6 Adelaide Street, gas fitter. Brooks was walking along Birchall Street on Sunday in company with Price and Aston. They asked him for 1d. He declined to 'part' whereupon they proceeded to extract all his loose cash by physical force. Whilst one placed his arms around the neck of Brooks, the other rifled his pockets of 2s.6d., after which they coolly walked on. Brooks ran after them and requested the return of his money, upon which they said "He has got another 6d. let's take it." They then forcibly took the tanner out of his pocket, likewise a knife, and added injury to insult by maltreating him. Mr Cheston appeared for the defence, and sought to establish the fact that no felony or assault had been committed. It was all done in a drunken "lark", and it was in disarming the prisoner of his knife which he attempted to use that he got knocked about. Price was fined £5, or two months, and Aston was committed for the latter period without the option of a fine."
Birmingham Daily Mail
25th April 1871

A model husband
"David Higgins [51], 66 Birchall Street, was charged with violently assaulting his wife, Ann. He arrived home on Tuesday night, drunk. Not finding his wife present to dance attendanee on him, he rushed upstairs, pulled her out of bed, and brutally kicked her. Not content with this savage conduct, he exerted his strength to pitch her downstairs, but fortunately his kind intention was frustrated by the advent of the police. The husband admitted having dragged her about the room, but denied the kicks. He said his wife had "sold him up" twice. He was committed for two months."
Birmingham Daily Mail
3rd May 1871

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Britannia-Inn  

I do not know of a photograph of the Britannia Inn but the site of the pub would have been just to the left of this photograph taken from Birchall Street looking towards Chapel House Street. This scene changed dramatically during the Second World War when St. John's Church was bombed and later demolished. The fake-timbered building on the corner of Green Street was the Hope and Anchor. Recorded in the 1823 Triennial Directory for Birmingham in 1823, the Britannia Inn was the second pub to trade in Birchall Street. The building was owned by Ralph Baker who was also the proprietor of the adjoining properties. The annual ground rent charged to Joseph Chambers was £10.0s.0d. who, according to a ratebook for Bordesley and Deritend compiled in the same year, also had to pay rates of just five shillings. Joseph Chambers named his pub the Britannia, the Roman name for Britain. It was in the diaries of Samuel Pepys that the first mention of the symbolic female figure emerged as a reference to a medal struck in 1665. The model for the figure was a future Duchess of Richmond, Frances Stewart, who was then a mistress of Charles II. The now familiar pose of her resting on a shield had earlier been used on Roman coins which many pubs adopted. However, they also both use the 'ruling the waves' aphorism. For the latter we have to refer to James Thomson, the Kelso-born Scottish poet. He first wrote of Britannia in 1729 in which he criticised Sir Robert Walpole's foreign policy. However, it was his 1740 work Alfred, a Masque which contained the song 'Rule Britannia.' In this he wrote 'When Britain first, at heaven's command, Arose from out the Azure main, This was the charter of the land, And guardian angels sung this strain: Rule Britannia, rule the waves; Britons never will be slaves.' Unfortunately, Thomson could not foresee consumerism for he might have thought twice about such a notion. Pub lovers will much prefer the line by the English clergyman, Sydney Smith, who in one of his essays wrote: What two ideas are more inseparable than Beer and Britannia? Joseph Chambers was succeeded by George Hemming who traded as both a victualler and cabinet maker. In the ratebook for 1838 his name was crossed out and replaced by that of Richard Newbold. By this time Mary Baker was recorded as the owner. John Ward was the licensee by the time of the 1851 census in which he was recorded as a 37 year-old victualler from Sheffield. Three years older, his wife Mary was a Brummie. They employed Susannah Wilson as a general servant. The couple later moved with their children, Arthur and Rosina, to Arthur Street where John Ward worked as a brassfounder. However, there is a Slater's Directory for 1852-3 lists a John Ward at the Wagon and Horses Tavern at Summer Row so the family may have lived there for a short period - I have yet to ascertain that it is the same John Ward. The Ward's departure from the Britannia Inn marked the start of the Richards' family long association with the pub. Edward Richards had previously lived in Bishopsgate Street where he worked as a waiter. Born in 1802 in Bewdley, Worcestershire, Edward Richards was married to a woman 23 years younger. Ann Richards hailed from Brereton near Sandbach, Cheshire. The couple had two young children - 2 year-old Alice and Edward who was just 3 months old at the time of the survey. Edward Richards employed 23 year-old Ann Bradshaw as a general servant. Ann Richards made the local newspapers in March 1871 [see article] - it sounds like serving dodgy ale was more risky in Victorian times and that complaining was not the done thing! Edward Richards died on December 20th 1875 and the licence passed to his wife. Her son Edward also worked in the pub but daughter Alice earned a living as a Teacher of Music. Ann Richards died on August 29th 1884, leaving a small estate of £431.10s.0d. Her son took over the Britannia Inn and stayed until 1891. The family had run the pub for almost forty years. Edward Richards was succeeded by James Pears who had previously kept the Sailor's Return in Watery Lane. Jesse Payne was the last licensee of the Britannia Inn which seems to have come to a rather unusual end at the start of the Edwardian period. By the time of the 1906 ratebook for Bordesley and Deritend, it was listed as the Ansell's-owned Floodgate Street Social Club. I assume the brewery, who had invested heavily in the nearby White Swan, decided to close this pub down but retain it as a club for their employees.
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Dog-and-Partridge  

This photograph dates from post-1934 but pre-1937 because it shows the pub in the livery of Ansell's. The Aston brewery had recently acquired the pub when they bought the Holt Brewery Company. Septimus Bradshaw was the publican at the time. This is a public house that has had three names. Today, this architectural jewel is called the Market Tavern. The building replaced an older pub that was originally known as The Minerva. However, for the best part of it's history, that stretches back for more than two hundred years, the pub on the corner of Birchall Street and Moseley Street has been called the Dog and Partridge. Being on the corner, it has also been listed in both streets on a number of occasions and, for a brief period, actually had two official addresses - 210 Moseley Street and 42 Birchall Street. Historically it belongs to the latter and can be traced back to 1791. In that year, James Prime was listed in Pye's Trade Directory for Birmingham as a victualler at this address. He called his public house The Minerva. The early date makes it one of the oldest sites in Birmingham to still have a pub trading on it. Another old pub called the Britannia Inn opened not too long after but it closed over one hundred years ago. Only two pubs now stand in Birchall Street but the Dog and Partridge is around fifty years older than the neighbouring White Swan, another pub rebuilt in 1900. The Minerva's name was changed by John Reeves who took over the licence in 1823. The reason for this is not clear - perhaps he simply wanted to create a new identity for his boozer. However, the Minerva was already an established and popular pub name that referred to the Roman equivalent for Athena, goddess of the household arts. In Roman mythology Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, poetry, music, medicine, arts and science. As the Roman empire expanded she was adopted as a war goddess. However, this was a perverse distortion given that she was the patroness of intellect and learning. As a pub sign, the Minerva is one of great antiquity and, like the Bush or the Chequers, was possibly used during the Roman occupation of Britain. The Dog and Partridge is a pub name associated with rural pursuits and may seem at odds with the pub's location. However, at the start of John Reeves' incumbency, the countryside was only two hundred yards away from the front door. The building was owned by Sarah Cox and John Reeves was a tenant. The beers sold in the pub were produced in the adjacent building, a malthouse kept by George Stephens. Benjamin and Mary Bridgewater kept the Dog and Partridge for five years during the 1830's before moving to the Barrel at Snow Hill. They were succeeded by Joseph Bill who had previously worked as a hairdresser in Jamaica Row. In the 1851 census Joseph Bill was recorded as a 48 year-old Birmingham-born victualler. Also a Brummie, his wife Matilda was born in 1804. Joseph Bill's sister-in-law Jane Franklin also lived on the premises and worked as a barmaid. 21 years-old, she hailed from Gosport. The Dog and Partridge was a busy house and Joseph Bill employed two live-in servants, Owen Pike and Abraham Fairfield. Following the death of her husband, Matilda Bill took over the licence and remained until 1861. The Bill family's 24-year term remains the longest served by the pub's tenants. Hailing from Oswestry in Shropshire and formerly living in Shirley Street, William Jones was 26 years-old when he took over the Dog and Partridge in 1861. Born in Shirley, his wife Ann was the same age. The couple had a 3 year-old daughter named Mary. Ann's younger sister Harriet Edwards [22] lived and worked on the premises. Caroline Freeman was employed as a live-in general servant. Tragedy struck the pub shortly after the new tenants moved in. William Jones died at a very young age on September 11th 1861. Ann Jones held the licence until 1868 when it passed to her second husband Robert Cotterill. In the 1871 census he was recorded as a 32 year-old licensed victualler from the Warwickshire village of Rowington. Despite the fact that some of Birmingham's breweries had developed and started to supply a large numbers of pubs, the Dog and Partridge continued to sell its homebrewed ales. This is confirmed in the 1871 census as 46 year-old brewer John Thomas is recorded as living and working on the premises. George Mercer was the new incumbent in 1878. In the Post Office Trade Directory for that year he is also listed as the licensee of the New Inn at Bromsgrove Street. He may have worked for Joseph Lawrence who, shortly afterwards, became the new licensee of the Dog and Partridge. Joseph and Lawrence Lawrence controlled a small empire of pubs in Birmingham. An 1881 trade directory shows that, between them, they operated the Grand Turk at Hockley Hill, the White Hart in Moseley Street, the Turk's Head in Lancaster Street and the Whittington and his Cat in Great Brook Street. It is likely that all the pubs under their control were supplied with a standard range of beers and brewing ceased at the Dog and Partridge. Although Joseph Lawrence retained the licence for the pub, George Anderton worked for the Lawrence family as manager of the Dog and Partridge. In the 1881 census he was recorded as barman. He lived at the pub with his wife Matilda [28] and their three daughters. By the time of the next census in 1891 Joseph Lawrence employed William Talbot as manager of the Dog and Partridge. He was born in Wolverhampton in 1861. One year older, his wife Sarah hailed from Bishop's Wood, a small Staffordshire village to the west of Cannock. The couple had previously lived and worked in West Bromwich, the recorded birthplace of their two children, Thomas [5] and Eliza [4]. Also living at the Dog and Partridge was employee John Coles. Born in Wednesbury, it is possible that the 25 year-old barman worked with the Talbot's in West Bromwich and joined them when they moved to Deritend. Although operated by the Lawrence family, the leaseholder of the Dog and Partridge was Jeremiah Howard of Dublin who, in turn, rented from the freeholder Richard William Penn, Earl Howe. A large landowner, he was a descendant of the Curzon family who came to England with William the Conqueror. The Dog and Partridge became a target for the expanding Holt Brewery Company and they bought the residue of the Jeremiah Howard's lease before securing a 99 year lease in 1899. The lease agreement featured a covenant that the Aston brewery would rebuild the Dog and Partridge within 12 months and the cost of the new structure would be a minimum of £1,000. Shortly afterwards Richard William Penn made a similar lease agreement with Ansell's for the neighbouring White Swan. Holt's commissioned architects James and Lister Lea and Sons to design a new Dog and Partridge. The plans were drawn up on October 17th but sadly are in such a poor condition they cannot be opened without causing irreparable damage. Consequently, they frustratingly remain in the city archives. The building is a very similar design to that of the neighbouring White Swan. The windows and doors are in exactly the same position but there are subtle differences in the brickwork and corner tower. The Cannon Street-based firm were in a difficult position as they could not be seen to be creating two identical pubs for two different breweries. As a result, they 'mixed and matched' to produce functional buildings with individual characteristics. Both pubs are typical of the architects work during this period. Although not in use today, there was once a door in the centre of the building facing Moseley Street. From the two vestibules there were large mahogany and stained glass snob screens all the way up to the counter, creating three distinct areas within the bar. This layout concurs with the new class divisions of the Victorians where the multi-roomed pub became fashionable. The rear smoke room was more luxurious and usually accessed by a separate passage from the street. On completion of the building, Holt's installed Arthur Murcutt as manager. In the 1901 census he was recorded as a 29 year-old Birmingham-born licensed victualler. Also a Brummie, his wife Ruby was five years younger. The couple had a four month-old daughter named Phyllis. Two servants lived and worked in the Dog and Partridge - Martha Rogers [24] was from Stourbridge and Bernard Goypins [19] was an Irishman. A 1906 ratebook for Bordesley and Deritend shows that Holt's were paying an annual ground rent of £120.0s.0d. for the Dog and Partridge. As manager, Thomas Coley paid the rates of £14.7s.6d. on behalf of the company. He later moved to the Gooch's Arms in Hurst Street and was succeeded by John Hill. Owned by the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Company, the Dog and Partridge, in 2006, formed part of the Pubmaster portfolio. It was the Hartlepool-based company who re-named the pub and called it the Market Tavern to celebrate Birmingham's long history of retail trading. Markets have been held in the area since before the Norman Conquest. There have been several markets and Thursday was confirmed as Market Day over eight hundred years ago. A Cattle Market was established around 1776 in Deritend and up until the opening of Smithfield Market, pigs and sheep were sold in New Street. An ancient market formed part of 'le Bul ryng' which started as an open trading space. Eventually, stalls were introduced on which farmers displayed their samples of grain and, on occasions when the grain harvest was poor, and subsequently a bread shortage, the stallholders often needed protection from the constables. A vegetable market also began it days in the Bull Ring prior to being moved into the Smithfield Market. Elaine Talbot took over the licence of the Market Tavern on December 13th 2001 and, together with her partner Steve, run this famous old Deritend corner pub. They had previously kept the Moseley Arms in Ravenhurst Street.
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Duke-of-Edinburgh  

Located close to the corner of Cheapside, this beer house can be traced to 1838 when John Rhodes was listed in an Aston ratebook living in a property owned by Elizabeth Penn. In the following year the beer retailer and fire iron maker was listed in Wrightson's trade directory for Birmingham. The pub was named in honour of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Goth who became the Duke of Edinburgh after marrying Queen Victoria in 1840. John Rhodes was succeeded by Samuel Leadbetter, another man that conducted two trades at this address. In the 1845 Post Office Directory he was listed as a manufacturer in Carpenters' Bits and Braces, Iron and Brass Ship Sail, Thimble and Malleable Iron Nail. Sounds like he was a busy bloke. By 1852 Thomas Clift was selling ales at No.64 Birchall Street. He came from a family of shopkeepers in Deritend. He later moved to the Red Cow in Gooch Street. In the 1861 census widow Hannah Evans was listed as the licensee of the Duke of Edinburgh. Born in Portsmouth, 49 year-old Hannah Evans was widowed after her husband lost his life serving on a coastguard vessel. Her sons William and Edward, both brassfounders, were born in Bristol. They had previously in lived the St. Paul's district of Bristol where Hannah had run an eating house. Henry Swinfen arrived as the landlord in 1863. He had previously been the licensee of the Green Man on Aston Road, where, in the 1860 Post Office Trade Directory, he was recorded as a "manufacturer of English and Foreign Weights of every description, all kinds of weights accurately adjusted [established 1817]." He continued to operate his brass weight-making business in Birchall Street along with operating the Duke of Edinburgh. His wife Elizabeth probably looked after the pub during the day and he would have served ales in the evening. However his listing, along with the record of Samuel Leadbetter, suggests that the beer house adjoined a substantial workshop building. By 1866 Henry Swinfen's Brassweight Manufactory was based in Darwin Street whilst he had moved to a house in Legge Street at Gosta Green. William Grove was the licensee at the time of the 1871 census in which he was recorded as a 32 year-old Birmingham-born retail brewer, suggesting that homebrewed ales were produced on the premises. The Grove family were all Brummies. His wife Emma was two years younger. The couple had five children - Elizabeth, William, Harry, Florence and Thomas. They employed 44 year-old Emily Turvey as a general servant. The Grove's soon moved to the Roebuck at Moor Street and were succeeded by former coal dealer William Pickersgill who came from the George and Dragon in Wharf Street. The Victorian age seems to be a period of musical pubs for many of the licensees of the town. Evidence of home brewing was still in evidence at the Duke of Edinburgh in the 1880's. Charles Teale was the licensee at the time of the 1881 census in which he was listed as a retail brewer. He was born in Pershore in 1844. Two years younger, his wife Ann hailed from the Black Country town of Tipton. Their six children also lived at the pub. Five years later the family moved to the Manor Arms at Cato Street before taking over the Bull's Head in Villa Road where Lozells meets Handsworth. Charles Teale was succeeded by Mary Ann Phillips who came from the Vine Inn at Blews Street West. Despite holding the licence of the pub, Walter Harley was recorded as "living on his own means" in the 1891 census. It was his wife Emma who was listed as publican and daughter Ann helped her run the place. The ratebook for the same year details the pub as a retail beer house with brewhouse, maltroom, workshop and premises. Still in Birchall Street but on the other side Cheapside was the maltroom, kiln and premises of Walter Thomas Kirkland. The Holt Brewery Company had acquired the Duke of Edinburgh by the time the ratebook for Bordesley and Deritend was compiled in 1906. The annual rent for the property was £34.0s.0d. As manager John Hodgkins paid the rates of £4.19s.2d. on behalf of the Aston-based brewery. The Duke of Edinburgh closed during World War One.
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Site of the Malt Shovel
Malt-Shovel  

The Malt Shovel was originally, and for good many years, known as the Old Bricklayer's Arms. In the mid-late 1830's the beer house was owned by Joseph Baskerfield and kept by George Haydon, a maltster and retail brewer who also took over the business of Richard Hill in the street's malthouse. It was probably George Haydon who named the pub. The malthouse was located on the opposite side of Birchall Street, further towards Cheapside. The building was on the south-east side of the street next to the post office on the corner of Cheapside. George Haydon was born locally and kept the Malt Shovel with his wife Mary. The Haydon family moved to Cheapside where, ironically, they had another pub called the Bricklayer's Arms. George continued making beer - in 1854 he was listed in the Post Office Directory for Birmingham as a brewer, maltster and hop merchant. No doubt, George Haydon supplied a number of pubs in the locality, if not for beer then certainly for the ingredients used by other small scale brewers. The new incumbent of the Malt Shovel in 1851 was William Stych, a 30 year-old retail brewer from London. Three years older, his wife Ann worked as a lacquerer. They had two young children. William Stych also had another trade - in Slater's 1852-3 Trade Directory he was listed as a beer retailer and cabinet maker. In fact, he returned to this trade when he moved with his family to Price Street. The Stych's later moved to Upper Gough Street where his son, also named William, followed in his footsteps as a cabinet maker. The pub was trading as the Bricklayer's Arms during the tenure of Henry Shaw. Born in the Warwickshire village of Ansley in 1808, he kept the pub with his wife Maria. The couple's two sons lived on the premises in the early 1860's; 17 year-old James worked as an apprentice to a tailor whilst 14 year-old Job was a brass caster. Both born-and-bred in Birmingham, William and Sarah Palmer were running the Bricklayer's Arms in the 1870's. They were succeeded by John Brett in 1878. He had previously kept the Freemasons' Tavern in Mary Street, Balsall Heath. His stay at Birchall Street was brief and he was succeeded by Joseph Sumner. I suspect that he was the man behind the pub's name change. Certainly, the beer house was listed as such in Kelly's Trade Directory for 1880. In the following year's census Joseph Sumner was recorded as a 40 year-old retail brewer from Solihull. His Brummie wife Mary was one year older. The couple had four sons and two daughters. The owner of the pub during Joseph Sumner's tenancy was Edward Peyton. He charged the brewer an annual ground rent of £27.0s.0d. The pub seems to disappear from the records around the turn of the 20th century. It's final listing in the rate books for Bordesley and Deritend is 1901.
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White-Swan  

The White Swan is arguably the finest surviving James and Lister Lea and Sons pub in Digbeth, the reason being it has retained much of the interior features. The passageway leading to the lounge and toilets is a sea of beautiful Minton tiles and mosaic flooring. Incredibly, a few years ago this building was scheduled for demolition in order to widen the road junction. Thankfully, the ridiculous action was scrapped and Deritend is all the richer for it - what a pub! Replacing an older structure known as the Swan Inn, this building was erected in 1900. A simple beer house rather than a fully licensed house, the older building was first operated by Elias Foster who was previously a butcher at 226 High Street, Deritend. Indeed, White's Trade Directory for 1849 lists the Swan Inn as a butcher's and beer shop. Elias Foster was born in the Black Country town of Sedgley in 1806. He kept the Swan Inn with his wife Elizabeth who was a born-and-bred Brummie. The couple's six children lived on the premises; daughters Martha and Elizabeth acted as a key attraction to customers by working as barmaids. In 1851 the Foster family moved to the Coach and Horses in Upper Dean Street and were succeeded at the Swan Inn by John Bradley. The beer retailer moved on to a short-lived beer shop at 33 Bishop Street. Benjamin Perks took over the licence in 1865. He was previously the landlord of the nearby King William IV in Bradford Street. However, he had enjoyed success as an iron bedstead maker and, at one time, he was employing four men in this field. Following his death, his wife Louisa became the licensee. In the 1871 census she was recorded as a 58 year-old beer house keeper. She later moved to the Cross Keys in Emily Street and was succeeded by Edward Newton who had previously been listed as a maltster and hop merchant close to the St.Matthew's Tavern in Lupin Street. Edward Newton was born in Bromsgrove in 1842. The maltster kept the Swan Inn with his Birmingham-born wife Clara. The couple lived here with their four children and shared the accommodation with the Bloyd family who were all hired as servants. At this time the boot maker Thomas Webb lived next to the pub and next door-but-one was a sweet shop run by the confectioner George Matthews. Henry Whitfield arrived as the publican in 1885. He moved here from the Boar's Head in Macdonald Street. Two more licensees came and went before the arrival of Edward Hope. The Birmingham-born retail brewer kept the Swan Inn with his wife Sophia. The fact that he was documented as a retail brewer suggests that homebrewed ales were produced on the premises. There was once a large malthouse in Birchall Street and this was the likely source of brewing ingredients for Edward Hope. The malthouse was located on the south-east side of the street next to the post office on the corner of Cheapside. Edward and Sophia Hope had previously kept the Warwick Arms in Great King Street at Hockley. The move into the licensed trade represented a departure from Edward's earlier career in the jewellery trade. The son of a manufacturer of nickel and silver goods, the Hope family had traded in Hylton Street where they specialised in spoon making. Edward Hope was succeeded at the Swan Inn by Arthur Shrimpton. Born in Walsall in 1863, he married Lavinia Latham in 1888 after he had moved to Birmingham to work as a brass founder. The couple later kept the Gunmaker's Arms at Smethwick. William Foxhall was the licensee of the Swan Inn when Ansell's acquired a 99 lease on the property from Richard William Penn, 3rd Earl Howe. He owned substantial tracts of land in Birmingham. Born in 1822, he was the son of Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe and Harriet Georgiana Brudenell. The family's name is commemorated in a number of Birmingham's streets such as Howe Street, Penn Street and Curzon Street. The latter was a result of the marriage of Penn Assheton Curzon [Richard William Penn's grandfather] to Lady Sophia Howe, daughter of Admiral Howe. She was the niece of Charles Jennens, the wealthy eccentric who was dubbed "Solyman the Magnificent." He built Gopsall Hall near Twycross and where, it is claimed, that his protégé Handel composed part of Messiah. His name was remembered with another of Birmingham's streets - Jennens Row and the house was commemorated at Gopsall Street. The lease agreement between Richard William Penn and Ansell's featured a covenant that the Aston brewery would rebuild the White Swan within 12 months and the cost of the new structure would be a minimum of £2,000. The Holt Brewery Company had entered into a similar agreement with the nearby Dog and Partridge - but for half the sum. This is perhaps why the interior decor of the White Swan is more ornate. Indeed, the lessor, Earl Howe, had specified that the new White Swan was to be "a building of good class and suitable to the character of the neighbourhood." The lease was sealed on October 27th 1899. The annual rental on the site, which originally included an adjoining cottage, was set at £100.0s.0d. per annum. The Ansell's property register shows that the company were to commence rebuilding from December 25th 1899 and, in the interim period, paid a rental of £1 per week. Ansell's commissioned architects James and Lister Lea and Sons to design the new pub. The building plans were drawn up and submitted on December 12th 1899. The building is a very similar design to that of the Dog and Partridge. The windows and doors are in the same position but there are subtle differences in the brickwork and corner tower. From the two vestibules there were large mahogany and stained glass snob screens all the way up to the counter, creating three distinct areas within the bar. The centre door on Birchall Street was included for a jug department - an essential watering hole for the factory employees working the hot foundries nearby and, in particular, those slaving in the Patent Enamel Works next door to the pub. This factory, with its frontage on Bradford Street, dominated the area between Birchall Street and Rea Street. The White Swan served as the factory's key watering hole for many decades. A club room [see building plan] for the use of societies and even political gatherings was included on the first floor. This was later used as a billiards hall and is advertised as such in the photograph [above] taken in the early 1930's. On completion of the building, Ansell's installed John Whitehouse as manager, though a succession of publicans came and went throughout the Edwardian period. Alfred Iliff moved on to the Smithfield Arms in Jamaica Row before Harry Froggatt put at least a few years into the pub. He was followed by Hannah Jordan who was custodian until the 1920's when Albert and Mary Butler were at the helm for three years. George Winters had a brief spell behind the counter in the 1930's. He had previously kept the Calthorpe Arms in Handsworth. He was succeeded by Christopher and Agnes Payne who remained at the White Swan throughout the Second World War. Indeed, Christopher Payne held the licence until February 1956. The pub then had a revolving door fitted for a succession of come-and-go managers and tenants. These included William and Dorothy Corfield, Bartley and Jean McGovern, Thomas and Katherine Naughton, and James and Bridie Matthews. However, this instability was brought to an end at the end of the 1960's when the Creaton family took over the pub. Indeed, the family who run this pub today have enjoyed one of the longest runs of any pub in the city. Rosscommon-born Michael and Agnes Creaton first took over the White Swan on May 15th 1969. After Michael's death in 1975, Agnes took over the business and has achieved remarkable success with her daughter Angela. The late Michael Creaton was one of the great characters in the Irish community and is still remembered fondly by many people. Their son Andy, along with his wife Geraldine, both regularly worked behind the bar for many years. Two other daughters, Bridget and Maggie are often to be found in the White Swan but not on the same side of the counter as Angela and Agnes. Clocking up nearly forty years behind the counter, Agnes Creaton is one of the longest-serving tenants in Birmingham. In fact, in the current pub climate this sort of term is very, very rare. Her daughter Angela intends to take over the licence when Agnes decides to put her feet up and enjoy a well earned rest. When I had a drink in here in 2001 I was chatting to Dave Kirby who Angela teased as being one of the fixtures and fittings. He exemplified the continuity this pub enjoys as he used to work behind the bar in the 1950's. Talking to me, he recalled some of the previous gaffers - he had even worked for long-serving publican Christopher Payne. The White Swan remains very much a community pub and has been enjoyed by several generations of the same families which helps to create a unique relaxed atmosphere for a city pub. I have enjoyed enjoyed many a happy hour in here. In 2007 I found it better than ever, especially as the beer range had increased so that a good range of the Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries portfolio was available. Sitting in the bar with a pint of well kept beer, one can enjoy the sight of the wooden floor, decorative ceiling, tiled walls, light pouring through the leaded stained-glass windows and, of course the enormous servery - a monster of a creation in carved wood with a highly decorative back bar including two inlaid clocks. The pub also has a cosy smoke room accessed via the magnificent corridor. The walls feature a few frames to remind folks that this was once an Ansell's house. Towards the end of their lease agreement signed in 1899, the White Swan formed part of the Allied Domecq empire. However, the freehold of the building had been acquired by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries in 1989 creating the bizarre situation of Allied renting the building from a rival brewer. The Penn Curzon connection ended in 1935 when the building was conveyed to Deritend Estates Ltd. By 1989, the property was in the possession of the Wesleyan and General Assurance Society. The Colmore Circus-based company sold the White Swan to Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries. In 1995 Agnes Creaton won the Ansell's "Lady Lessee of the Year." The quality of the beer was deemed so good that when directors from Ansell's took champagne to the pub to help celebrate her time at there, they ended up drinking the mild instead. At the time Ansell's business development manager John Kent said "Agnes is one of the nicest and most professional licensees I know and is well respected in the community... she is virtually tee-total but does all the cellar work herself and, without doubt, the quality of the beer is second to none." Once the old Ansell's lease agreement expired on March 24th 1998 beers from Wolverhampton appeared on the counter. After personally sampling the beer since that date, I can confirm that Agnes and Angela have maintained their very high standards.
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Birchall Street Pubs

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