Some history of the Adam and Eve on Bradford Street at Bordesley in Birmingham in Warwickshire

Birmingham | Bradford Street | Adam and Eve

The Adam and Eve closed as a public-house in 2014, following a series of violent incidents. The property was subsequently sold and converted into mixed use as a charity-led café and accommodation for those at risk of homelessness. So, the building remains but the public-house has gone. It is often referenced as the Adam and Eve at Digbeth but this building was in Aston and part of Bordesley NOT Digbeth. It stands on the northern side of the thoroughfare, on the corner of Warner Street.

Though rebuilt early in the 20th century and extensively repaired following bomb damage during the Second World War, there has been an Adam and Eve public-house on the corner of Bradford Street and Warner Street for more than 220 years. The original Adam and Eve public-house was built in Over Meadow, a pocket of land on the Ravenhurst Estate owned by John Lowe.

I have marked the future site of the pub on an estate plan drawn by Samuel Bradford in 1748. The estate was then owned by Richard Lowe, John Lowe's uncle. Notice the adjoining field is called Mott Close. The last remains of a moat earth-bank can be seen around the orchard which was the site of an earlier house known as Rabinneshurst, said to have existed during the reign of King Henry VIII.

Religious suppression meant that the house called Rabinneshurst passed to Thomas Fisher of Warwick and Thomas Dabridgecourt of Solihull. Deritend businessman William Paynton, one of the original Governors of King Edward's School, was a partial owner of The Ravenhurst but sold his share to Richard Smalbroke. He served as High Bailiff of Birmingham in 1552. One of his daughters Bridget married Ambrose Rotton and lived at Stratford House. Their initials can still be found over the entrance of the timber-framed property built in 1601 and is marked on Samuel Bradford's plan.

The Ravenhurst and its estate passed to Richard Lowe in 1657. He rebuilt The Ravenhurst around 1660. It was his grandson, another Richard, who owned the estate when the plan was produced in 1748. Connecting Bradford Street and Ravenhurst Street, Lowe Street commemorates these early landowners. The estate eventually passed to Richard Lowe's nephew John, an attorney of Birmingham. Following his death in December 1821, The Ravenhurst was inherited by Ann Lowe, but his other land passed to Robert Webb, also a practising attorney. This is the name that appears on an 1825 J. Pigott Smith map published in 1828 detailing the area around Deritend and Bordesley.

In the late 1850s The Ravenhurst was acquired by the Sisters of St. Anne's Convent of Mercy and they occupied it in January 1860. Other buildings were added and it remained a convent until bombed during the Second World War. The building was subsequently demolished.

This extract from Thomas Hanson's map of 1778 shows the early development of Bradford Street. Note that, although the 'bottom' end of the street was not laid out due to the lack of a crossing of the river, the development of the 'top' end was well under way. There are many properties between Alcester Street and Warner Street, the latter being tantalisingly just off the edge of the plan.

The earliest recorded licensee of The Adam and Eve is John Robbinson. He appeared alongside the first mention of the pub in the Warwick Licensing and Justices records for 1801. However, he was listed in the previous four years' records for Bordesley, Aston which omitted building names. In 1797 his name was incorrectly entered as John Robeyson. The 1800 Chapman and Bissett Trade Directory lists John Robbinson at Bradford Street in Deritend. Throughout its history, the Adam and Eve has confusingly been listed in the records for both Bordesley and Deritend.

John Robbinson chose the sign of Adam and Eve, perhaps a reference to the orchard that once stood nearby at Motte Close. Today, the Adam and Eve is a fairly rare pub name despite the fact that it does have a relationship with drinking houses. The original sinners were incorporated into the coat-of-arms of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers. Receiving its first Charter in 1605, the Company inspected all fruit and assessed any duty to be paid.

Little is known of the very earliest licensees of the Adam and Eve. However, the licence of the tavern was transferred to Zipporah Roden in 1806. He was earlier documented in Coleshill Street as a "manufacturer of machine, sideboard and all sorts of corkscrews." No doubt he was to demonstrate his finished goods to the customers of his wines and spirits vaults on Bradford Street. I would like to think he continued in production behind the pub but I cannot confirm this. Born about 1757, the publican was buried at Solihull in May 1813.

After leaving the Adam and Eve, Mrs. Thomas was a resident of James Street at Ashted when she married Thomas Shipley of Vauxhall Road in April 1837.

Thomas Wilshaw was recorded in a surviving Aston rate book but his stay was brief. Indeed, the tenure of his successor was also short-lived. This is somewhat unusual because the early publicans of Birmingham's public-houses tended to have an investment in the building itself. This was seemingly not the case with the Adam and Eve.

Samuel Birch was succeeded by Thomas Zouch in time for the next surviving rate book for Aston, compiled in 1837. This shows the Adam and Eve was owned by Thomas Taylor and that Thomas Zouch was the tenant. In this early document a separate rate was levied for each part of the property. The total annual ground rent for the Adam and Eve Inn, Back Part, Washhouse, Stable and House fronting Warner Street was £14.0s.0d. Thomas Zouch paid the rates of 11s.8d in full. He was succeeded by John Gibbons who kept the Adam and Eve with his wife Hannah.

Under the stewardship of John and Hannah Gibbons the Adam and Eve was deemed to be suitable for a number of meetings and social gatherings. For example, in November 1843 the Northern Light Lodge, Wolverhampton Unity, held their fourth anniversary dinner at this public-house. The members of the lodge partook in a substantial dinner prepared by Hannah Gibbons and during the after-dinner speeches the couple were praised for their hospitality.

The couple celebrated the birth of daughter Fanny at the Adam and Eve before they moved to the White Hart Inn on Paradise Street. It was there that they advertised they could "provide dinners for one to one hundred on the shortest notice and on the most economical terms." Clearly, they were highly proficient at their trade. In later years the couple lived at Islington Row from where they traded in wines and spirits with John Gibbons travelling the region as a sales representative.

It can be seen from this newspaper notice that the incoming payment by William Palmer resulted in the sale of livestock, farming equipment and furniture at Green Lanes Farm. The advertisement also indicates a connection with the Sailor's Return at Watery Lane. A quick check on William Palmer shows that there was a William Palmer at Coleshill Street in the 1847 Wrightson and Webb directory and two years later there is a listing for a William Palmer at the Brewers' Arms at Bordesley Street.

The Adam and Eve was being advertised again in July 1848 so it would seem that William Palmer's time at Bradford Street was very brief. Another newspaper notice advertised the lease, licences, goodwill and possession of the Adam and Eve which consisted of "five bedrooms, large club room, capital smoke room, gin shop, bar and tap room, along with excellent cellars, brewhouse and domestic conveniences." It was stated that the property featured "good stabling, shedding and a large yard with a carriage entrance."

The effects of the Adam and Eve were advertised in August 1849 when all the household furniture and brewing equipment were being disposed of, along with malt-processing equipment at Watery Lane, again connecting the two locations.

By the time of the 1851 census Elizabeth Bird was the licensee of the Adam and Eve. She moved to Bradford Street following a spell running the Three Crowns in Nelson Street West.

Elizabeth Bird was recorded as a 26 year-old innkeeper from Sutton Coldfield. Indeed, her mother, Mary Bird, had worked in a pub in Sutton and her father, Richard Bird, was a former farmer and publican in King's Norton. Both parents lived at the Adam and Eve with Elizabeth and her seven siblings. The eldest sister to Elizabeth Bird was 23 year-old Susan. She was recorded as an assistant at the Adam and Eve. She lived here with her 21 year-old husband John Devis. Although listed as a farmer's son, he could have come from the Devis family. James Devis kept the Hen and Chickens in New Street and Edward Devis operated a brewery and malthouse in Ryland Road. Two younger sisters, Ellen and Fanny, also worked in the pub but 20 year-old Ann was employed as a dressmaker. Richard, 13, Sarah, 8, and Clara, 6, were all scholars. Interestingly, they were all born in Sutton Coldfield which gives some indication when the family moved to Birmingham.

The Adam and Eve was auctioned off again in 1852, suggesting that the publicans running the place could enjoy neither happiness or good profits. The pub did have a high turnover of licensees during the 19th century. The advertisement for an auction of the licences, goodwill and possession of the Adam and Eve does at least afford another insight to what the old place looked like. The building comprised a "large smoke room, club room, bar, tap room, private kitchen, comfortable sleeping rooms, excellent cellaring, brewhouse, yard, stabling for ten horses, and every other convenience.' In addition, the fittings, stock and household furniture was to be taken at "a fair valuation not exceeding £150.0s.0d." Despite the sale, the Adam and Eve still struggled to keep a publican for more than a couple of years.

David Banister took over on the Adam and Eve. He was a road contractor and undertook much work in the construction of new roads in the area. His time at the Adam and Eve was also brief and Joseph Peplow came in to run the place and, by the look of his advert, ramp up the entertainment. To drum up some business, the publican would hold Harmonic Amicables at the Adam and Eve twice per week. Monsieur Levini would be banging the keys in support of the singing.

Joseph Peplow also issued his own tavern checks at the Adam and Eve. Featuring his full name of Joseph Francis Peplow on one side the reverse stated that it was for use at the tavern's skittle alley and quoits ground.

Joseph Peplow had previously been trading in Cheapside as a liquor merchant and tobacconist. His stint at the Adam and Eve seems to have done for him as he was declared an insolvent debtor in April 1853. He got back on his feet later in the decade and found work as a travelling salesman.

More licensees came and went during the mid-1850s. However, in 1858 William Snow arrived and some stability was established at the pub. In the 1861 census he was documented as a 45 year-old licensed victualler from Bath in Somerset. Four years younger, his wife Sarah hailed from Whittington in Staffordshire. This was probably her second marriage because the survey records two step-daughters, both of whom were born in Lincoln. 19 year-old Jane Johnson was listed as a domestic and 12 year-old Mary a scholar. William Snow also employed a live-in servant girl called Sarah Hunt. She was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

William Snow bought most of his ales from the nearby Deritend Brewery. Following what the Birmingham Journal described as 'a few days illness,' William Snow died on May 3rd, 1864. Step-daughter Jane Johnson took over the licence of the Adam and Eve until it was transferred to her husband Benjamin Reason on January 8th 1870. The son of a grocer, he was born in 1836 at Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire. Not long after taking over the pub Jane gave birth to daughter Jenny. Benjamin Reason had another daughter - Sabina was born in 1858 at Chilwell in Nottinghamshire. Benjamin Reason employed local lass Elizabeth Poyner as a general servant. Daughter Jenny Reason later went to live with her grandmother Sarah Snow in Brentford who, still recorded as a licensed victualler in the early 1880s, was living with her daughter Mary and her husband Thomas Burford, a pawnbroker by trade.

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26 year-old former clerk and machinist Edwin Arnett took over the licence of the Adam and Eve on June 2nd 1871. Unlike most of the previous licensees, he proved to be a tenant who was in it for the long haul. By this time the owner of the building was James Bond of Lowe Street. His family would retain ownership for the rest of the Victorian period and much of the 20th century.

In the 1881 census Edwin Arnett was documented as a 36 year-old Brummie-born licensed victualler. Two years younger, his wife Caroline was also born in Birmingham. Together, they had five children - Sarah, Florence, Edwin, Ada and Daniel.

Tragedy struck the family in 1885. Edwin Arnett, who already had a broken arm in a sling, was walking along the Coventry Road when he was run over near to the Clements Arms. An eye witness, Sarah Ann Trueman, saw him crossing the road in front of a horse-drawn covered van. At the same time a train known as the "Zulu" passed over the Bordesley Station railway bridge and startled the horse, with the result that Edwin Arnett was knocked down by the shaft. The man in charge of the van drove on, not knowing what had happened. A man ran after him and fetched him back but when they got back to the bridge Edwin Arnett had walked away.

Sadly, the story does not end there. The surgeon, Mr. Morris, was called to the Adam and Eve where he found the publican had a scalp wound. He later told the Coroner that he died on Saturday October 10th 1885, three days after the accident, from inflammation on the brain. The Coroner said the driver of the vehicle had not been found. He added that this was not the first accident which had been caused through horses having been frightened by trains passing over the bridge. The structure was authorised by an Act of Parliament, and had been in existence for a long time. He went on to say that "unless they could find a fact in addition to the fact that the train was passing over the bridge, he did not think he could suggest that there was any legal question arising between them and the Great Western Railway Company." Still, he added, "he did not wish to prevent relatives of Edwin Arnett, if they thought proper, seeking damages from the company." All he had to say was that there was no indictable offence. The jury found a verdict of "Accidental Death" and added there was no blame to be attached to the driver of the vehicle; but they wished to suggest to the railway company the advisability of substituting a more modern bridge for the present one."

Edwin Arnett left a personal estate of £1,637.12s.4d. to his wife Caroline who took over the licence of the Adam and Eve on December 4th 1885. In an Aston rate book for the following year, the annual ground rental for the Licensed Public House, Liquor Shop, Brewhouse, Stable and Premises was estimated at £37.10s.0d. Caroline Arnett paid the rates of £1.3s.3d. in full.

Caroline Arnett remained at the pub until 1889 when the Adam and Eve, like many Birmingham public-houses, became the target of the emerging large breweries. Most of the Adam and Eve's neighbours fell under brewery control. Holder's took over the Boar's Head, Mitchell's and Butler's grabbed the Cup Inn and the Shepherds' Rest became an Ansell's house.

The Adam and Eve was unusual because the lease was taken over by the Brewers Investment Corporation Ltd. who were based at Nos.3-4, County Chambers, Corporation Street. I assumed this was some sort of early pubco similar to that of The Criterion who acquired the Big Bull's Head in Digbeth. However, the company was part of a legal tangle involving Showell's Brewery Company Limited. In 1894 it was proposed to amalgamate the two concerns.

No sooner had the ink dried on the lease agreement, the company commissioned a local architect to redesign the Adam and Eve. The building plans were drawn up on March 21st 1889 by F. W. Franklin Cross, an architect based at 41 Temple Row. The plans were approved by the City Surveyor on May 3rd.

The building plan of the proposed alterations show an original three-storey building that was similar to the some of the pub' neighbouring counterparts. The key changes to the building were the large windows and fascia boards which were a popular addition in the late 19th century. The proposals also included the restructuring of the internal floor space and the creation of an outdoor department. This jug counter was accessed by its own door on Warner Street and was a key part of the pub's business. The men working the furnaces and stamping presses in local factories would send a 'runner' to the pub to fetch essential liquid refreshment.

The yard of the Adam and Eve was also adapted to incorporate a "new-fangled" pub addition - an outdoor toilet in the back yard. The alternative was the street urinal - once ubiquitous in Birmingham but few have survived to become architectural and street furniture rarities.

The pub's internal layout following the alterations resulted in a large bar occupying much of the corner with a corridor leading to a tap-room behind the main servery.

The licence of the Adam and Eve was transferred from Caroline Arnett to Charles Elkington on January 4th 1889. This was a stop-gap measure by the company as William Young was installed as manager soon afterwards. The licence was transferred to him on March 8th, 1889. The pub had four more licensees before the census was next conducted in 1891. I have seen very few pubs where the licence has been transferred so often. One can only speculate as to the reasons for this 'revolving door' culture.

The new manager, who had only just finished unpacking his suitcase in 1891 when the enumerator knocked on the door. Thomas Crow was born in King's Cross, London in 1851. Originating from Handsworth [then in Staffordshire], his wife Helen was two years younger. Their daughter Alice was also born in Handsworth in 1887 which helps to track the movements of Thomas Crow. 14 year-old Aston-born Amy Cottrill was employed as a general servant.

By the end of 1891 it was all change again at the Adam and Eve. A rate book compiled in the autumn shows that the lease for the pub had been transferred to Showell's Brewery following their merger with the Brewers Investment Corporation Ltd. The company installed Frederick Davenport as manager. The annual rent for the pub had jumped to £60.0s.0d. and the rates were £2.8s.10½d. That's what happens when you improve the place!

More licensees came and went before Arthur Hames arrived for the first of two spells as manager. He moved around for Showell's Brewery Company Limited. In the mid-Edwardian period he was running the Royal Mint on Icknield Street.

Henry Lord was the licensee when the 1901 census was conducted. The enumerator recorded him as a 37 year-old publican from Walsall. Two years younger, his wife hailed from Cannock. They had a five year-old son - Frank was born in Birmingham. Henry and Lizzy Lord would later run The Aquarium beer house in Moor Street. The couple were in charge of the Bell Hotel on Phillips Street where Henry Lord died in August 1914.

Arthur Hames was back at the helm when the rates were collected in 1901. By now the annual ground rent had escalated to £100.0s.0d. - a reflection perhaps of the way brewers were viewed by the city corporation. Arthur Hames paid the rates of £9.11s.3d. on behalf of Showell's Brewery Company Limited. The 1911 ratebook shows that the rent had decreased to £90.0s.0d which may demonstrate that trading conditions were difficult during the Edwardian period. Another factor is that Aston was now under the umbrella of Birmingham. The rates however continued to increase afterwards - William Machin handed over £11.17s.6d. to the collector.

In 1914 Showell's, along with their 194 tied-houses, were acquired by Samuel Allsopp and Sons Ltd. of Burton-on-Trent. The new owners maintained the property throughout the First World War and in 1921 decided to modify and extend the Adam and Eve.

Allsopp's commissioned the Colmore Row-based architectural firm of Wood and Kendrick to draw up the building plans. The work was completed on May 28th, 1921 and approved on June 17th. The cottages facing Warner Street were retained and only the corner section was rebuilt, comprising of a bar, a snug and two smoke-rooms. However, in 1928 the brewery decided to extend the design and commissioned the architect John H. Hawkes and Son of Union Chambers, Temple Row, to draw up a comprehensive extension of the building.

Using an identical exterior design to that of the 1921 building, the extension along Warner Street removed the three cottages, replacing them with a new smoke room and kitchen, along with indoor toilets - quite upmarket for the period. The new brickwork can be seen in the 1936 photograph below. The work was a triumph in terms of blending the exterior features. On the first floor the new building facilitated an extension of the committee room to form an assembly and dining room with a folding screen separation.

The building plans date from 1928 so I imagine that the work was undertaken soon afterwards, perhaps before 1930. It is likely that it was John and Eva Bull that had to put up with the noise and mess as they tried to pull pints of beer and keep the patrons happy. The couple had previously kept the Royal Oak in Fazeley Street. John Bull was born in Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. He married Eva Bishop in April 1900 at Saint Saviour's Church. A qualified fitter, he served in the Army Service Corps during the First World War. After their spell at the Adam and Eve John and Eva Bull moved to Clay Lane in South Yardley.

John Bull was succeeded by Howard Bishop in 1933. Born in 1899, he had served in the Royal Air Force during the Great War. After the conflict he lived in Mary Ann Street. By the end of the 1920s he and his wife Ivy were running the St. Matthew's Tavern in Lupin Street. In the mid-1930s the couple were running the Dog Inn on Alcester Street.

Arthur and Florence kept the Adam and Eve for four years during the mid-1930s. At the beginning of World War Two the public-house was managed by Henry and Irene Machin. Indeed, it was Henry's parents, William and Annie, who were here during the previous war. Henry was born in 1910 and baptised just up the road at Holy Trinity Church. During the mid-1930s he was helping his parents run the Brewers' Arms on Highgate Road. He married not long before taking over at the Adam and Eve.

The fine work of Hawkes and Son was completely undone by German bombs during the Second World War. The building was extensively damaged. Indeed, it was remarkable that the pub survived. Many of the building's neighbours faired worse and the area was almost completely flattened. The Ravenhurst, which had long been used by the Sisters of St. Anne's Convent of Mercy, was hit badly and the ancient farmhouse was subsequently demolished.

This photograph shows the scale of damage suffered at this end of Bradford Street. Many of the buildings around the Adam and Eve had been cleared in the post-war clear-up. Bryan and Winifred Mullarney were recently married when they kept the pub during the mid-1950s. The son of a police officer in the London Met, Bryan Mullarney was born in 1922 and previously trained as a motor mechanic. He married Winifred Shaw in October 1953.

Bryan and Winifred Mullarney were coming to the end of their time at the Adam and Eve when this photograph was taken in January 1958. They departed in July of the same year. The photograph shows the repairs carried out to the building following the war bomb damage. There was no attempt to replace the stonework around the ground floor window and plain windows were inserted instead. The upper floor windows on the Warner Street frontage were also plain replacements. Note the advertisements for Double Diamond, a flagship beer of Ind Coope, the company that had merged with Allsopp's in 1934. From this time the Adam and Eve would have sold a combination of beers produced at Burton-on-Trent.

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This view of the Adam and Eve shows the Bradford Street entrance along with the shop that traded next door for many years. This building fell into some decay in the early 21st century. At the start of the Second World War this shop was run by Catherine Saunders. It is a little blurry but I am fairly sure it is her name above the door in this image from 1958. The main banner advert across the shop is for "Cookeen - For The Golden Touch." Brasso is also advertised on one of those enamel adverts that fetch a few bob nowadays.

John French was the licensee when Ind Coope & Allsopp and Tetley Walker merged with Ansell's to form Allied Breweries in 1961. The livery of the Adam and Eve would then have been more familiar to local residents with Ansell's being sold at the pub. Evald Kallaste was the first publican for Ansell's. He took over the licence on November 15th 1962 and remained for six years. Despite his name, I believe Evald Kallaste was born in Birmingham in 1927.

In an industry shake-up in 1990 Michael O'Neill of O'Neill's Alehouse in Curzon Street bought the freehold of the Adam and Eve. Brother Peter O'Neill took over the licence on July 9th 1990. The fortunes of the pub soared and it developed a reputation as a live music venue. Peter O'Neill later acquired the pub. His wife Georgina took over the licence on February 1st 2001 before their son Robert became the tenant in 2002. He operated the pub with his business partner Adrian Harvey. The O'Neill family were still running the Adam and Eve when the pub made the headlines following a serious incident in which three people were stabbed outside the pub. This was the beginning of the end for the Adam and Eve as a public-house.

Interior Photographs

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"The excitement attendant upon the proceedings connected with the inauguration of the Peel statue, on Monday last, was unhappily attended by fatal consequences to Mrs. Mary Ann Knowles, of Bradford Street, the wife of Mr. Thomas Knowles, Inspector of Agencies to the Unity Insurance Company, one of the town council for this borough. It appears that a little before twelve o'clock on Monday morning Mr. Knowles and his wife and daughter, having tickets enabling them to witness the inauguration from the area in front of Christ Church, were making their way from the end of Waterloo Street to the church gates, when they were intercepted in their progress by a dense crowd of persons who had assembled. This caused considerable excitement to Mrs. Knowles, who was of stout habit, and naturally of exceedingly excitable temperament. Ultimately, however, the gates were reached, and Mr. Knowles handed in his wife and daughter, staying behind himself with the intention of joining the procession. In a few moments he received a message that his wife had been suddenly taken ill, and going the church steps, found her in a fainting fit, being supported by several ladies. She was immediately carried into the vestibule of the sacred edifice, where in a few moments she expired. A Coroner's enquiry was held at the Adam and Eve, Bradford Street, last evening, when the above facts were given in evidence, and Mr. Simons, surgeon, the deceased's medical attendant, was examined. He stated that he had attended her for several years; she was of a very excitable temperament; and he was of opinion that she died from disease of the heart, causing congestion of the lungs under the influence of excitement probably from apprehended danger. The Jury returned a verdict of "Died by the visitation of God."
"Melancholy Death from Excitement"
Birmingham Journal : September 1st 1855 Page 9

"On Wednesday evening an inquest was held at the Calthorpe Arms, Bath Row, on the body of a factor's clerk, twenty-six years of age, named Joseph Waring, who resided in Salop Street, and who committed suicide on Friday last by poison. It appeared from the evidence that the deceased was troubled in his mind, in consequence of being under notice to quit his situation which he had held for about three years, in the warehouse of Mr. Walker, Edmund Street, for having fallen into loose habits. On the evening of Friday, the 11th instant, he went to the Adam and Eve Inn, Bradford Street, and called for a glass of rum and water. He did not drink this at once, but after sitting a few minutes he was noticed to take a phial out of his pocket, to pour some of the liquid it contained into his rum, and to swallow the whole at a draught. He then drank the remainder of what was in the phial and after pulling a portion of the druggist's label from the bottle he lay down apparently to dose. The portion of the label having shortly afterwards been discovered to bear the word "poison," the deceased was roused up and conveyed home. It was then found by Mr. Jordan, surgeon, who was sent for, that he had taken laudanum. He was afterwards conveyed to the Queen's Hospital, where he died on Saturday morning, from the effects of the poison he had taken. A verdict to the effect that the deceased had "committed suicide while in a state of insanity" was returned."
"Distressing Suicide by a Factor's Clerk"
Birmingham Journal : April 19th 1862 Page 5

"An inquest was held on Saturday at the Adam and Eve, Bradford Street, before Dr. J. Birt Davies, Borough Coroner, touching the death of Rebecca Rosanna Banks [43], who had lived with her mother, at 151, Bradford Street. From the evidence of the mother, Ann Rickards, it appeared that deceased was the wife of William Banks, moulder, and had three children but she had been separated from her husband for three years, and had since been living with witness. On Thursday afternoon, about half-past four, deceased, who had been sitting in the parlour with witness, went out into the kitchen. Witness followed in a few minutes, and she was told by her daughter Sarah, who was making preparations for tea, that deceased had drunk a cup of tea, and had gone out into the yard, Witness immediately went after her and reaching the closet door she was startled to see a quantity of blood running beneath it. On opening the door witness found deceased lying partly on the floor, her head resting on the seat. There was large gash on each side of her throat and she was quite dead. A razor was lying upon the floor in a pool of blood. Deceased had manifested symptoms of insanity for a long time, particularly during the last month, and witness had been ordered by the surgeons who had been consulted to watch her, and place everything which deceased could injure herself out of reach. All the razors in the house had been locked with the exception of the one in question, which was placed out of sight and reach, as was believed, in the top part of the cupboard in the kitchen. Steps had been taken to have deceased removed to the Borough Lunatic Asylum. The verdict of the jury was, "That deceased committed suicide whilst in state of insanity."
"Shocking Suicide in Bradford Street"
Birmingham Daily Gazette : April 25th 1870 Page 5

"James Moore, general dealer, 28, Warner Street, was charged with assaulting Joseph Hodgetts, a drover, living at 204, Bradford Street. Complainant appeared to have sustained considerable injuries, his head and face being plastered and bandaged in several places. The men were in the Adam and Eve public-house in Bradford Street, and a quarrel was started. Complainant gave the prisoner some provocation, and the latter set upon him and assaulted him severely. The prisoner and a witness on his behalf said complainant called him a thief, and picked up a glass to throw at him. A line of £5. was imposed, in default one month's imprisonment, the Bench considering that the assault was a serious one."
"Assault"
Birmingham Daily Post : March 8th 1886 Page 5

"A Birmingham pub has had its hours cut after licensing chiefs heard an official may have been drunk when three people were stabbed outside. West Midlands Police ordered an urgent review of the Adam and Eve, in Bradford Street, after the triple knifing happened just after 4am on Sunday, October 5. One of the trio was also hit by a car. Non-league footballer Lewis Gwilliams, a goalkeeper for Sutton Coldfield Town, was among those hurt. Birmingham City Council's licencing committee heard Katie O'Neil had since been removed as the pub's designated premises supervisor. Birmingham licencing officer, PC Ben Reader, told the committee that detectives investigating the stabbings suspected she may have been intoxicated at the time of the incident. He said: "If there had been a radio link between staff on different doors, if there had been enough security staff on duty and there had been a sober DPS this may not have happened." The hearing was played a 999 call made after the victims were stabbed and hit by the car. Ms. O'Neil could be heard telling the operator that nothing had happened inside the premises. PC Reader told the committee three door staff had been on duty at the time of the incident, but previously four had been used when the premises had been open until 4am. He also said there had been no radio link between security staff on different doors. The committee also viewed CCTV which showed a man being shoved back outside by an unknown pair of hands as he tried to get inside and away from the violence. The committee heard that Ms. O'Neil's mother Georgina - the pub's owner - was the new premises supervisor. She said: "We want to put the reputation of the pub back on track and go back to being a music and eating house with 2.30am closing at weekends." She added: "The pub has been in the family for 25 years and we are horrified about this incident. We have to live with the fact that these people have been injured." The committee restricted the sale of booze until 2am on weeknights and 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. The venue was also ordered to close by 3am. A 22 year-old Great Barr man has been charged with wounding with intent and affray and will appear at Birmingham Crown Court in January."
"Adam and Eve pub has licencing hours cut after triple stabbing outside"
by Nick McCarthy in Birmingham Mail : November 3rd 2014

"A former Birmingham pub is beginning a new lease of life as a coffee shop staffed by people rebuilding their lives after addiction, mental health problems and homelessness. The upper floor of the Adam and Eve pub had already been restored as flats for homeless people looking to get back on their feet. Now the bar has been turned into 'Evolve' - a café and event space designed to provide young people with training. Already a group of elderly locals, through a charity called Community Boost, are to meet at the café every week for a meal and movie. Annette Fleming, chief executive of the charity Aquarius, which runs the café, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be re-opening the doors of this renowned building. Our expert team will now be able to work hand-in-hand with our young people in both the café and event space to give them vital training and employment opportunities that will support their long-term recovery." The pub's owner, Spring Housing, runs the apartments and offered the café to Aquarius, with a rent-free period. Spring Housing managing director, Dominic Bradley, said: "Spring Housing supports people across the city who have housing needs but for us, that's just the first step. We want to provide long-term stability for our young people and training and employment are a key part of that." He added: "We have been able to work with Aquarius on the Evolve project by providing space to them for a rent-free period, which has given them the opportunity to set up a vital social enterprise that will help to provide that stability for our young people in the future." Keith Slater, director of Community Boost, said: "This funding has given us the opportunity to bring 20 local, elderly people together at least once a week at the Evolve café where they will be provided with a lunchtime meal prepared by Evolve's young apprentices followed by a film screening of their choice. Working closely in partnership with Aquarius, this project will enable us to bring together two polarised and vulnerable groups in the same space to help support them on their recovery." The troubled pub closed at the end of 2014 following a string of violent attacks, including a triple stabbing. It was sold to Spring Housing and their development partner New Leaf Living for £355,000 in 2015 and work to covert its warren of B&B rooms into studio apartments for those at risk of homelessness began in autumn 2015."
"Adam and Eve pub re-opened as a coffee shop"
by Neil Elkes in Birmingham Mail : July 31st 2017