The stockroom door is prised ajar once more as I plot another pub-themed raid on the West Midlands Exploration photographic archives. My monthly-ish series recalling bygone boozers has now reached its twentieth episode (with potentially more to come) so let's see what this post has unearthed...
- The Golden Eagle -
The most common new uses for former pub buildings tend to be either residential or retail in nature, with flat conversions or convenience stores particularly to the fore. The Golden Eagle in Whitmore Reans bucked that trend by becoming a mosque (albeit apparently without the required planning permission) when it switched purposes back in 2010. I'm not sure if the building is currently in active use but it still stands on the corner of Hordern Road and Court Road, complete with a distinctive 1928 date panel featuring an eagle emblem.
- The Mountfort -
It's a rare pub indeed that enters Hub Marketing legend without the Chairman and I having ever set foot inside, yet the Mountfort in Kingshurst managed precisely that feat in early 2014. Having set his heart on sampling the place, Mr D9 was distressed to discover it had been demolished and all he could do was pose forlornly with a bottle of Domestos thinking of the bleach he'd missed out on. Very much an estate pub, the Mountfort stood on Over Green Drive close to the local shopping parade and Kingshurst Library.
- The Swan Inn -
The Swan Village portion of Woodsetton used to have three establishments in close proximity - the Park Inn (Holden's flagship brewery tap, still going strong), the Summerhouse (bulldozed and replaced by a Co-op store) and the Swan Inn, which looked appealingly homely yet I never quite managed a pint-supping visit. After ceasing to trade, the premises was taken on as the offices for Edwards Technical, an electrical and mechanical contracting firm.
- The Greyhound -
The Staffordshire version of Swindon (as opposed to the much larger Wiltshire counterpart) used to have three pubs to its name - the Green Man, the Old Bush and the Greyhound. The latter of those was a handsome Grade II-listed Georgian-styled property where High Street meets Wombourne Road, and was owned for many years by Banks's (Marston's). The main building has been adapted into apartments while several houses have sprung up on the car park and the previously extensive beer garden.
- The Mitre -
The WME archives are littered with pubs I wish I'd sampled only for the golden chance to elude me but there are some for which the sense of regret is particularly keenly felt. A case in point is the Mitre Inn at Tettenhall which had an enviable setting overlooking leafy Lower Green. The black and white hints of Brewers Tudor here blended in nicely with the wider streetscape, an appearance that has been retained despite the dreaded turned-into-flats fate.
No comments:
Post a Comment