Albion Inn - Wall Heath: Pub History, Publicans, Photographs

The Albion Inn is tucked away in a thoroughfare that is lined with Victorian and Edwardian houses. The building dates from the mid-19th century when the thoroughfare was laid out for housing. This fantastic photograph shows the Albion Inn during the Edwardian era. Eli Bird was the publican at the time and no doubt is featured in the photograph. He took over the licence not long after Queen Victoria's death and remained until the end of the First World War. When housing around the Albion Inn was constructed in the mid-19th century, the development attracted migrants from the surrounding area and it was one such family that arrived in the late 1840's. Trysull-born tailor John Munday moved into the property with his family. He was recorded as John Mundy in a trade directory published in 1850. Nearby Albion Terrace [see top-right gallery photograph above] is dated 1845, suggesting that the pub itself originates from the late 1840's. However, the earliest record traced to the property is for John Munday in 1850. This advertisement for the sale of household furniture was placed in the Brierley Hill Advertiser in March 1856. Note the sale of hogshead barrels, perhaps a connection to the Albion Inn or the Board Inn. John Munday applied for, and was granted, an alehouse licence in 1858. The success of the neighbouring beer house trading as the Board, later the Drillman's Arms, may have inspired John Munday and his wife Elizabeth [nee Wall] to open their doors to the public. The locale comprised of colliers, scythesmiths and nailers, all of whom worked up a good thirst at work. Living in such a tight-knit community, they would have mainly patronised both the Albion Inn and The Board. The latter closed in 1908 but The Albion Inn survived into the 21st century and served as an important reminder of the halcyon years of Wall Heath's industrial age. John Munday continued in the cloth business; trade directories record him as both a tailor and licensed victualler. He and his Kingswinford-born wife had three children. The couple also employed Stephen Law, a 19 year-old apprentice. Son Charles also trained as a tailor. Probably learning her skills from her parents, daughter Francis also worked as a dressmaker. John Munday died in 1878 and the licence of the Albion Inn passed to his wife Elizabeth. She later moved to the Cottage Spring, a beer house in Hill Top, Wednesbury. She re-married in 1881 to Thomas Timmins; the couple would later operate a number of public houses in the Black Country. Son Charles also entered the licensed trade when he move to Trysull to take over the Plough Inn. Enoch and Eliza Bennett were running the Albion Inn during the mid-late 1880's. The son of a clockmaker, Enoch hailed from Gornal. He had worked in the iron trade before entering the licensed trade. He and his wife would later run the Vine Inn at Wombourne. Also originating from Gornal, Eli and Mary Bird took over the Albion Inn towards the end of the Victorian period. A former bricklayer, Eli was a successful entrepreneur and eventually acquired the freehold of the property. In trade directories he was also recorded as a builder. The first photograph in the gallery above was taken in the Edwardian period when Eli was the licensee, a position he held until 1919. He sold the Albion Inn to the Kinsey family who kept the tavern until the Second World War. It was in April 1953 that the Albion Inn was purchased by the Simpkiss Brewery at Brettell Lane, Silver End. So for many years the lucky residents of the locality enjoyed the legendary Simpkiss Bitter. Sadly however, the brewery was controversially sold to Greenall Whitley in 1985 and they promptly closed brewing operations at Silver End. Greenall Whitley had also bought the Shropshire and Wem Breweries Co. Ltd. and their beers were sold in the Albion Inn for a number of years. The photograph of the pub's inn sign features Wem Ales on the signboard. The Albion Inn later formed part of the Enterprise Inns estate. The pub's millennium celebrations were hosted by Martin and Sharon McGrath, a couple who moved into the Albion Inn during 1999. They put a lot of work into the pub and made it a really popular local. They created a mini-farm in the back garden and set up a hi-tech games room in a shed so that children could occupy themselves whilst their parents enjoyed a drink. Martin was born in Hampstead and raised in Kilburn. He met Rowley Regis-born Sharon when they both worked at the Halesowen office of the Automobile Association. Martin was an inspector and Sharon a centre specialist. The couple had two sons, Sam and Ben, living at the pub. Another member of the family to work at the Albion Inn was nephew Terry Barton. Martin and Sharon were married in a remarkable location. They were visiting a cousin in Green Bay, Wisconsin for his daughter's wedding and decided to tie the knot themselves at one of the most famous picture postcard locations on the shore of Lake Michigan at Eagle Harbour near to Ephraim, Door County. They took over The Albion Inn on September 29th 1999. Indeed, they had looked at a few other places such as the Elm Tree in Kinver, The Old Bush in Hinksford, and the Dodford Inn near Bromsgrove. However, they spotted a good measure of potential in The Albion Inn so moved to Wall Heath. Martin and Sharon remembered the first night they opened the pub - they had just seven customers. However, with a lot of hard work, they built up trade at the Albion Inn. They retained much of the pub's traditional character whilst stamping their own identity on the place. With parents from County Clare and Wexford, Martin spruced the lounge up with quite a Celtic collection of prints, photographs, poetry and maps. The room was subsequently named McGra's Bar. © Copyright. Images supplied by Digital Photographic Images.		1858 - John Munday 1878 - 1881 Elizabeth Munday 1881 - 1884 Joseph Bate 1884 - 1894 Enoch Bennett 1894 - 1898 Matthew Bartlett 1898 - 1901 Sarah Bartlett 1901 - 1918 Eli Bird 1918 - 1919 Mary Bird 1919 - 1920 Alfred Albert Kinsey 1920 - 1932 Walter Alt Kinsey 1932 - 1935 Florence Annie Kinsey 1935 - 1938 Alfred Alt Kinsey If you have a genealogy story or query regarding this pub you can contact me and I will post it here in addition to including your message within the website pages for Staffordshire Genealogy. Click here for more information on the sign of The Albion. Given the location of the Albion Inn there may be a Roman influence here. The pub and street are located a short distance from the old Roman camp at Greensforge. It is pure conjecture of course but, did John Mundy consider this when choosing a name for his public house? Taken from a survey of 1900, this map underlines how sparsely populated this locale was in the late Victorian period. This would change in the Edwardian era when many more houses were constructed, infilling the spaces you can see here. Albion Street can be seen running north-west from the centre of Wall Heath. There was a cluster of cottages around the area of Maiden's Bridge. The track that crossed Holbeach Brook and running off the northern edge of the map was an old route to Himley. Dubbed the Mad Brook by locals, Holbeach Brook originates in the Cooper's Bank area and flows down to Hinksford to join the Smestow. A number of forges were built along its route and there was a mill at Holbeach which was still in use at the time of this map. Wall Heath Website “The English beer is best in all Europe... it was necessary to drink two or three pots of beer during our parley; for no kind of business is transacted in England without the intervention of pots of beer.” Jarevin de Rochefort		Details to follow....		Staffordshire Places Alton Amblecote Barton-u-Needwood Bilston Blackheath Bloxwich Bobbington Brewood Brierley Hill Brockmoor Burton-on-Trent Cannock Chasetown Cheadle Cheslyn Hay Clifton Campville Codsall Coseley Cradley Heath Darlaston Eccleshall Edingale Enville Ettingshall Fazeley Fenton Gornal Great Bridge Greensforge Hanbury Hanley Harlaston Hednesford Himley Hopwas Kidsgrove Kingswinford Kinver Leek Lichfield Newborough Newcastle-u-Lyme Ogley Hay Old Hill Pattingham Penkridge Penn Pensnett Quarry Bank Rowley Regis Sedgley Shenstone Silverdale Smethwick Stafford Stoke-on-Trent Stone Swindon Tamworth Tatenhill Tipton Tividale Trysull Tunstall Upper Arley Uttoxeter Wall Heath Walsall Wednesbury Wednesfield West Bromwich Whittington Wigginton Willenhall Wolverhampton Wombourne Woodsetton Wordsley

The Albion Inn is tucked away in a thoroughfare that is lined with Victorian and Edwardian houses. The building dates from the mid-19th century when the thoroughfare was laid out for housing.

This fantastic photograph shows the Albion Inn during the Edwardian era. Eli Bird was the publican at the time and no doubt is featured in the photograph. He took over the licence not long after Queen Victoria's death and remained until the end of the First World War.

When housing around the Albion Inn was constructed in the mid-19th century, the development attracted migrants from the surrounding area and it was one such family that arrived in the late 1840's. Trysull-born tailor John Munday moved into the property with his family. He was recorded as John Mundy in a trade directory published in 1850. Nearby Albion Terrace [see top-right gallery photograph above] is dated 1845, suggesting that the pub itself originates from the late 1840's. However, the earliest record traced to the property is for John Munday in 1850.

Sale Advertisement for Household Furniture at Albion Terrace in 1856

This advertisement for the sale of household furniture was placed in the Brierley Hill Advertiser in March 1856. Note the sale of hogshead barrels, perhaps a connection to the Albion Inn or the Board Inn.

John Munday applied for, and was granted, an alehouse licence in 1858. The success of the neighbouring beer house trading as the Board, later the Drillman's Arms, may have inspired John Munday and his wife Elizabeth [nee Wall] to open their doors to the public. The locale comprised of colliers, scythesmiths and nailers, all of whom worked up a good thirst at work. Living in such a tight-knit community, they would have mainly patronised both the Albion Inn and The Board. The latter closed in 1908 but The Albion Inn survived into the 21st century and served as an important reminder of the halcyon years of Wall Heath's industrial age.

John Munday continued in the cloth business; trade directories record him as both a tailor and licensed victualler. He and his Kingswinford-born wife had three children. The couple also employed Stephen Law, a 19 year-old apprentice. Son Charles also trained as a tailor. Probably learning her skills from her parents, daughter Francis also worked as a dressmaker.

John Munday died in 1878 and the licence of the Albion Inn passed to his wife Elizabeth. She later moved to the Cottage Spring, a beer house in Hill Top, Wednesbury. She re-married in 1881 to Thomas Timmins; the couple would later operate a number of public houses in the Black Country. Son Charles also entered the licensed trade when he move to Trysull to take over the Plough Inn.

Enoch and Eliza Bennett were running the Albion Inn during the mid-late 1880's. The son of a clockmaker, Enoch hailed from Gornal. He had worked in the iron trade before entering the licensed trade. He and his wife would later run the Vine Inn at Wombourne.

Also originating from Gornal, Eli and Mary Bird took over the Albion Inn towards the end of the Victorian period. A former bricklayer, Eli was a successful entrepreneur and eventually acquired the freehold of the property. In trade directories he was also recorded as a builder. The first photograph in the gallery above was taken in the Edwardian period when Eli was the licensee, a position he held until 1919. He sold the Albion Inn to the Kinsey family who kept the tavern until the Second World War.

It was in April 1953 that the Albion Inn was purchased by the Simpkiss Brewery at Brettell Lane, Silver End. So for many years the lucky residents of the locality enjoyed the legendary Simpkiss Bitter. Sadly however, the brewery was controversially sold to Greenall Whitley in 1985 and they promptly closed brewing operations at Silver End. Greenall Whitley had also bought the Shropshire and Wem Breweries Co. Ltd. and their beers were sold in the Albion Inn for a number of years. The photograph of the pub's inn sign features Wem Ales on the signboard. The Albion Inn later formed part of the Enterprise Inns estate.

The pub's millennium celebrations were hosted by Martin and Sharon McGrath, a couple who moved into the Albion Inn during 1999. They put a lot of work into the pub and made it a really popular local. They created a mini-farm in the back garden and set up a hi-tech games room in a shed so that children could occupy themselves whilst their parents enjoyed a drink.

Martin was born in Hampstead and raised in Kilburn. He met Rowley Regis-born Sharon when they both worked at the Halesowen office of the Automobile Association. Martin was an inspector and Sharon a centre specialist. The couple had two sons, Sam and Ben, living at the pub. Another member of the family to work at the Albion Inn was nephew Terry Barton.

Martin and Sharon were married in a remarkable location. They were visiting a cousin in Green Bay, Wisconsin for his daughter's wedding and decided to tie the knot themselves at one of the most famous picture postcard locations on the shore of Lake Michigan at Eagle Harbour near to Ephraim, Door County. They took over The Albion Inn on September 29th 1999. Indeed, they had looked at a few other places such as the Elm Tree in Kinver, The Old Bush in Hinksford, and the Dodford Inn near Bromsgrove. However, they spotted a good measure of potential in The Albion Inn so moved to Wall Heath.

Martin and Sharon remembered the first night they opened the pub - they had just seven customers. However, with a lot of hard work, they built up trade at the Albion Inn. They retained much of the pub's traditional character whilst stamping their own identity on the place. With parents from County Clare and Wexford, Martin spruced the lounge up with quite a Celtic collection of prints, photographs, poetry and maps. The room was subsequently named McGra's Bar.
© Copyright. Images supplied by Digital Photographic Images.

1858 - John Munday
1878 - 1881 Elizabeth Munday
1881 - 1884 Joseph Bate
1884 - 1894 Enoch Bennett
1894 - 1898 Matthew Bartlett
1898 - 1901 Sarah Bartlett
1901 - 1918 Eli Bird
1918 - 1919 Mary Bird
1919 - 1920 Alfred Albert Kinsey
1920 - 1932 Walter Alt Kinsey
1932 - 1935 Florence Annie Kinsey
1935 - 1938 Alfred Alt Kinsey

Odysseus and the Sirens

If you have a genealogy story or query regarding this pub you can contact me and I will post it here in addition to including your message within the website pages for Staffordshire Genealogy.

The Bayeux Tapestry shows the Normans enjoying a drink
Click here for more information on the sign of The Albion. Given the location of the Albion Inn there may be a Roman influence here. The pub and street are located a short distance from the old Roman camp at Greensforge. It is pure conjecture of course but, did John Mundy consider this when choosing a name for his public house?

Map Showing Location of the Albion Inn in 1900
Taken from a survey of 1900, this map underlines how sparsely populated this locale was in the late Victorian period. This would change in the Edwardian era when many more houses were constructed, infilling the spaces you can see here. Albion Street can be seen running north-west from the centre of Wall Heath. There was a cluster of cottages around the area of Maiden's Bridge. The track that crossed Holbeach Brook and running off the northern edge of the map was an old route to Himley. Dubbed the Mad Brook by locals, Holbeach Brook originates in the Cooper's Bank area and flows down to Hinksford to join the Smestow. A number of forges were built along its route and there was a mill at Holbeach which was still in use at the time of this map.

Wall Heath Website

Not One to Mix with the Riff-Raff in the Bar

“The English beer is best in all Europe... it was necessary to drink two or three pots of beer during our parley; for no kind of business is transacted in England without the intervention of pots of beer.”
Jarevin de Rochefort