Colloquially known as the "Bosted Boot", St Luke's Tavern stood on the corner of St Luke's Road and Vere Street. It was a building with an unusual shape and featured two arched doorways fronting St Luke's Road, once a thoroughfare packed with terraced housing and courts. The left-hand door was the main entrance to the bar and the right-hand door was used to access the pub's outdoor for off-sales. The pub's smoke room was accessed via an entrance on Vere Street. The licensee of this old beer house at the time of this photograph was Bernard John Williams. He had been the publican until 1941 but may have been called up for service. The licence was transferred to Lilian May Williams until he returned home. Indeed, this a time of family re-unions. There is a home-made homecoming sign above the entry to the right of the pub. A small boy is standing on the pavement - is he waiting in expectation? The sign is a large V with the message "Welcome Home Val". No doubt a good old fashioned party and sing-a-long was held in the pub to celebrate Val's return. During the 1860's and 1870's George and Jane Ainge produced their own homebrewed ales at this pub before moving to the White Swan on Bell Barn Road. Following George Ainge's death, Jane Ainge later kept the Anchor Inn on the corner of Bradford Street and Rea Street until her death in 1895. But back to the photograph... Herbert Guest succeeded Bernard Williams as licensee towards the end of the 1940's. A victim of redevelopment, the St Luke's Tavern was closed on November 4th 1960. The site was later occupied by Matthew Boulton College.
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History and Information on the Public Houses of Birmingham with Licensees and Newspaper Articles PLUS Genealogy Connections