Some history of the Queen Tavern on Adderley Street at Bordesley in Birmingham in Warwickshire

Birmingham | Adderley Street | Queen Tavern

This beer house was located on the corner of Lower Trinity Street. The pub's name may indicate a date for the opening of this boozer. Certainly William Smith was trading here as a retail brewer in 1839, two years after Queen Victoria was crowned. One of the reasons for Queen Victoria being so popular on beer house signboards is because they first opened during her reign. Queen Victoria was the only child of King George III's fourth son, Edward, Duke of Kent, and Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg, sister of Leopold, King of the Belgians. Born in Kensington Palace, she was crowned following the death of her uncle William IV in 1837. She married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Goth in 1840. They had nine children.

When William and Elizabeth Smith were running the Queen Tavern during the early 1840s Sarah Forth was trading as a beer retailer on the opposite corner of Lower Trinity Street. However, by 1845 Daniel Quin was using the premises as a shop.

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David Edge was recorded as a retail brewer, suggesting that homebrewed ales were enjoyed by patrons of The Queen. Born in Rowley Regis in 1825, David Edge spent his teenage years living next to the Gunbarrel Works in Hayseech near Haden Hill. He kept The Queen with his wife Elizabeth. The couple employed Kingsbury-born Catherine Mills as a servant.

A rate book compiled in 1876 recorded Zenas Dunn as the publican of the beer house and that the property was owned by Robin Ebenezer. Zenas Dunn was born in the Black Country town of Netherton in 1852. He kept The Queen with his wife Elizabeth who was a Brummie. The Dunn family had previously lived in Sandy Lane where Zenas had worked as a French polisher. After their spell in Adderley Street, Zenas and Elizabeth moved to the Roebuck Inn on Hurst Street.

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Thomas Bickley was also recorded as a retail brewer at The Queen during the early 1890s. The Leicestershire-born publican kept the corner boozer with his wife Emma. The former metal roller remained at the beer house following her death but was helped by daughters Elizabeth and Gertrude who worked as barmaids.

A 1912 rate book records Henry Day as the occupier of The Queen, a property owned by Ebenezer Piercy. The annual rates for the building was £6. 8s. 2d.

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"At the Birmingham Police Court this morning, Thomas Preece, labourer, 2 back of 7, Mount Pleasant, Coventry Road, was charged with being drunk and disorderly and with assaulting four police-constables. It was stated Mr. J. E. Hill, who prosecuted, that at 10.40 p.m. Saturday, the 6th inst., the prisoner together with some other men, was in the Queen Tavern, Adderley Street. In consequence of their behaviour a police-constable was called in by the landlord to eject them. Having been turned out, the prisoner in particular became disorderly, and shrieked aloud, with the result that a great and antagonistic crowd gathered and threw stones and other missiles at the police. Four constables who endeavoured to arrest the prisoner were kicked by him in the most savage manner. Mr. W. G. Robbins, for the prisoner, said that Preece left the public-house without creating any disturbance, and no violence was resorted to by him until the police chased the man. The prisoner, in the witness-box, said one of the constables tripped him and kicked him while he was on the ground. After several witnesses had been called, the Bench decided to convict. The prisoner denied previous convictions that were recorded against him, in spite of the fact that police evidence was called to prove them. A fine £1 and costs was imposed on the charge of assault, in default of payment one month's imprisonment."
"Assaulted Four Policemen"
Birmingham Mail : May 24th 1911 Page 4