We may be out of national lockdown again but the Tier 3 restrictions imposed on the West Midlands have scuppered any prospect of the Hub Marketing Board holding a full Christmas meeting this year. However, festive fun can still be on the agenda if you'd care to join us in another memory lane trawl through the pages of Hub history...
- Inspecting the Cape Hill Closet -
Our Christmas compilation begins back in 2011 when we rounded off our first full year of marketing action by investigating the December delights to be found around Moseley and Ladywood. A damp morning gave way to an exciting afternoon, calling into the Merry Maid and the Vine (Ruston Street) among other watering holes. The Chairman has a longstanding fascination with Smethwick so it was only appropriate to finish there, reliving memories of pick-up trucks by trundling around the Robin, the Hono Bar (previously the George) and the Queens Arms - we resisted the offer of a scalp massage in the latter, Mr D9 wanting to keep a clear head for his tribute to the Cape Hill Closet.
- Foaming with Joy in 2012 -
East Birmingham was our December destination in 2012 for a seasonal sweep around Saltley and Small Heath. St Clements Road summoned up a Nechells nugget for the Chairman's closed closet collection, and we gazed in awe at giant gasholders when recalling the area's lost industries. The Albion Vaults was a backstreet sleeve success for the Secretary while the Foaming Tankard provided a definitive flat roof fix, all washed down with some M&B Mild. Ward End then kept us occupied with every single round seeming to come to £2.50 (bar the Wetherspoons), but the piece de resistance had to be our evening visit to Bedders fish and chip shop - their diced pickled onions are a thing of legend!
- Bah Humbug Bus Driving -
Fast forward twelve months into 2013 and Wednesbury was in our sights as the inaugural Pub Games Championship reached the tightest possible conclusion, WME Whirlwind prevailing by a single darts leg - cue wild celebrations in the Croft! D9 Destroyer was crestfallen having committed the cardinal sin of defaulting a critical pool frame in the Old Mill, knocking in an accidental black that has haunted the Chairman ever since. Hateley Heath and Hill Top had got the trip off to a lively start (complete with us gatecrashing a wake in the Gough Arms), and there was something of a 'Shameless' swansong when we rubber-stamped the dive credentials of both the Brunswick and the George.
- Picking out the Puffing Billy -
2014's yuletide masterpiece got underway with some extended exploration thanks to a first-class ferret from Handsworth all the way to Langley Green. Stan's Cafe was a greasy spoon experience par excellence, plus we staged a Winson Green jailbreak (the Chairman clutching his prized calendar) and homaged Hockley Port on the Soho canal loop. Amidst all the fun we almost forgot to sample some pubs, a situation we corrected by pairing the Royal Oak with the Old Cross before savouring a Smethwick soiree involving the Hollybush and the Puffing Billy; the latter has sadly since burnt down and is due for demolition.
- Bring on the Calendar! -
Our festive outings always require additional administration to be carried out, chiefly the declaration of the Hub Awards (by Charles Pemberton Rowbottom III) and the presentation of the Hub Calendar. The Chairman was the grateful recipient in 2015 at the Swan, Long Lane during a Halesowen bash that also covered Hasbury and Hurst Green (playing darts in the Fairfield). Mr D9 had earlier emerged largely unscathed after some Blackheath pensioners took exception to recent bus route changes, meaning he was still present and correct for a Netherton nightcap at the atmospherically unspoiled Bulls Head.
- Darts Duel in the Duke of Cambridge -
Another ceremonial aspect every year is totting up the scores in the aforementioned Pub Games Championship, whereby WME Whirlwind has established something of a stranglehold over the years. 2016 was a case in point, the Secretary having sewn up the title well in advance of our Short Heath session. The vanquished D9 Destroyer consoled himself with wrapping paper drapery at the Duke of Cambridge, and a cheeky call at the Avery Club also merits a mention. However the undoubted star that day was the Manhattan in Heath Town, massive speakers belting out a reggae disco in cementing fond memories of a pub that no longer exists, the building having been flattened a couple of years later.
- Banks's in the Beehive -
If that 2016 offering had flirted briefly with Willenhall, 2017's seasonal special put the town firmly in the spotlight. Chairman D9 recovered from his sickbed to complete a terrific tour of tempting taverns, notably including the Falcon, the Jolly Collier and the Navigation. Derelict factories prompted thoughts of 'Deirdre's Bristols' and secretarial shenanigans, the vintage theme then being maintained by several old-fashioned petrol pumps at Fibbersley Service Station. That spot of refuelling prepared us well for a Deansfield denouement, Banks's Mild and brandy in the Beehive being the perfect way to sign off.
- The less said the better! -
As for 2018, a doorstep focus meant that Whitmore Reans and Wolverhampton supplied our end-of-year entertainment. Flat-roof boozers were again to the fore with pride of place going to the Winning Post (near Dunstall Park Racecourse) and the Pegasus, while the Chairman became rather too well acquainted with the potholes on the Emerald Club car park. Dusting himself down, Mr D9 recovered his composure over in Penn Fields although an inexplicable bauble and battered sausage routine still defies description. Other memorable highlights involved inflatable Santas in the Stile and match night musings in the Hatherton Arms, not forgetting an encounter with a Leaping Wolf!
- Cheers from the Little Chop House -
All of which brings us to the small matter of 2019's Christmas classic which saw board members descending once more upon Ho Ho Halesowen. A Crafty Pint micropub moment in Hasbury preceded a Picks pause and the homely Black Country charms of both the Hawne Tavern and the Why Not. Charles Pemberton Rowbottom III was last seen in the Wilson Hall (Cradley Labour Club) snoozing away having imbibed generously of the house bitter - hopefully our founder will be in a fit state for the 2020 Awards, wherever they may be held...
Merry Christmas from the Hub Marketing Board!
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