A Double Dose of Mr D9

Maintaining my recent liking for 'buy one get one free' trip reports, this latest blogpost recounts back-to-back meetings of the Hub Marketing Board. Firstly the Chairman and the Secretary enjoyed an early evening sampling of Chapel Ash hostelries, then came a more in-depth raid upon Kingstanding and Streetly. Here is the tale of both outings...

- Cruzcampo in the Lupo Lounge -

Ever a slave to logic, let's start at the beginning which in this instance involves a Tuesday 15th May rendezvous in Wolverhampton. Chairman D9 has specifically requested we investigate Chapel Ash as it's been several years since we last ventured that way together, but he is not averse to having an opening drink somewhere in the centre of town - provided the Secretary is paying for it that is! Cue the Lupo Lounge, a bar/eaterie on pedestrianised Dudley Street where the Cruzcampo lager stings poor Mr WME to the tune of £5.30 a pint - ouch indeed. Admittedly the setting is a nice one with masses of portraiture and mirrors, not to mention a long speckled brown sofa that reminds me of the settee my Nan used to have in the 1980s.

- Crazy in the Clarendon? -

Chapel Ash is a busy little area just outside the city centre where the A41 (Tettenhall Road), A454 (Compton Road) and Merridale Road all fan out like spokes radiating away from the main Ring Road. Banks's Brewery is a major feature here so we're contractually obliged to visit their nominal brewery tap - the Clarendon Hotel - although we do go slightly rebellious when opting for the Brooklyn Lager rather than any Amber, Wainwright or Sunbeam. In some quarters this might be enough to warrant disciplinary proceedings so the Chairman tries to disguise himself with glasses, a hi-vis 'skirt' and some very strange facial expressions!!

- 'Spotted' by the former Eye Infirmary -

Besides the brewery, another important Chapel Ash landmark has to be the old Eye Infirmary. Opened in 1888, the building has seemingly been rotting for far too long after services were transferred to New Cross Hospital in 2006; there have been signs of progress in more recent months so hopefully the blight is merely temporary. A certain bald spot digests the scene then we complete our Chapel Ash crawl at three absolutely cracking boozers. The Combermere Arms is a gem of cottagey proportions, serving up a perfect glass of Twickenham Spring Ale while an elderly cat prowls around behind the bar; the Royal Oak on Compton Road is a red brick treat with a real community focus, unsurprisingly full even though it's just an ordinary Tuesday evening; and the Chindit is one of Secretary WME's all-time favourites, supplying Fixed Wheel's Top Ganna amongst a selection of blonde, pale and golden ales. Excellent!

- D9 drives the 5 through Scott Arms -

Whether we'll encounter quite the same quality come Friday 17th May remains to be seen but we'll give Kingstanding and Streetly a whirl regardless. A malfunctioning phone makes for a very stressful WME morning but the Secretary parks himself in the Wheatsheaf at West Brom hoping that the Chairman will have seen his scrambled messages; luckily Mr D9 is eventually present and correct having earlier attended the funeral of a bus driving colleague, so once the necessary Golden Glows are consumed we're all clear to proceed with our afternoon agenda. The number 5 towards Sutton Coldfield is the route we require, grunting up near Sandwell Valley Park and Hamstead to negotiate the notorious Scott Arms bottleneck crossroads.

- Mascot Moments in the (second) Kingstanding -

We alight just beyond Kingstanding Circle and intercept a helping hand 33 down to Warren Farm Road. Things have the potential to get confusing now because two of our target pubs have very similar names but we locate the Kingstanding Inn easily enough, overlooking the Conker Island play area amidst an oval of local amenities (a medical centre, primary school, Christ the King Catholic Church and so forth). The pub in this case used to be Kingstanding's Ex-Servicemen's Club so it still has the unmistakable air of a social club setting with its lobby area - it even seems to offer accommodation upstairs. M&B Mild is a Brummie throwback that seems suitable for the occasion, then we set off via Hurlingham Road so as to find our second Kingstanding-named watering hole in swift succession...

- Kingstanding Precinct -

Whereas Tuesday evening's silly songs were very safety conscious (Beverley Bunt telling us how to cross the road correctly on 'The Queen's Highway' for example), our Friday selection is more religious in tone with various Hallelujahs and Praise the Lords thrown in. Kingstanding Pub #2 is based in a function suite next to what used to be the local police station (but is now a Dominos Pizza outlet); from what we can gather, this bar effectively replaces the derelict boozer which burnt down on the other side of the Circle roundabout. Anyway, it's a very lively haunt with Aston Villa flags aplenty and sepia photos of the old Odeon cinema-turned-Mecca Bingo. A Carling each helps us blend in, mascot George makes the acquaintance of a rocking unicorn, and we can survey what's left of the boarded-up 1960s shopping precinct which is hopefully due to be replaced by a Lidl supermarket in the not-too-distant future. The sooner this happens the better really because the current mess doesn't do the area any favours.

- Elephant Riders in the Brew House -

Satisfied with our Kingstanding endeavours, we'll now switch our attentions towards Streetly whereby the 935 bus can give us a handy link onto the Hundred Acre Estate (crossing from Birmingham territory into Walsall in the process). The block of shops on Boundary Road is home to the Brew House, a popular one-roomed micropub which has deservedly won the CAMRA 2024 Pub of the Year title for Lichfield, Sutton & Tamworth Branch's portion of the West Midlands (the exact geography of these things always confuses me). Anyway, up to four rotating cask ales are usually available, complemented by ciders and craft beers too; judging by the array of previous pumpclips on show, they've stocked a lot of ales the Secretary is very partial to which must bode well. Today's tipple is Elephant Riders by Fown'd, perched on a high stool munching cobs while one of the regulars receives some birthday gifts. Well worth seeking out, isn't it surprising what treasures you can find on an average housing estate?!

- Farmer Johns, Aldridge Road -

Part of the reason for the Brew House's popularity might be that the other alternatives nearby aren't especially exciting, although our commitment to the ale cause means we're going to try them just for the sake of completion. Saying that, the Foley Arms and Farmer Johns (both Marston's) plus the Queslett (Ember Inns) must all be doing something correctly because they're certainly pulling in the punters this evening - presumably the good folk who live along the Aldridge Road corridor enjoy going out for Friday meals. The Foley is probably the more down-to-earth of the three while Farmer Johns has more of a refined dining emphasis, and the Queslett is exactly what you'd expect of an Ember with a decent drop of Adnam's Ghost Ship.

- A Cat & Fiddle Nightcap -

Hitching a lift on an incoming 997 back through to Pheasey, we've just enough wriggle room for a box boozer nightcap. The Cat & Fiddle is a presentable enough Greene King effort which faces up Collingwood Drive from its position on Beacon Road, not far from the Barr Beacon nature reserve in fact. In keeping with several of today's establishments, this one is very full (the presence of black-tied mourners might explain the busyness here) but we can squeeze in for the briefest of Carlings near a Staff Champions noticeboard. With that, we make sure we're aboard the next 5 onwards to West Bromwich and for once the Chairman is home in line with his permitted curfew time. Two for the price of one? I think we got a pretty good deal there!

Lincolnshire Larks

Much as it did in both 2009 and 2014, the seaside resort of Skegness is beckoning to me with the prospect of making more priceless family holiday memories. The weather forecast looks very promising indeed so fingers crossed I'll be spending a few days enjoying the loveliness of Lincolnshire...

- Skegness Clock Tower -

Monday 6th May: we venture across to the East Coast on Bank Holiday Monday, enjoying a relatively trouble-free journey via the outskirts of Nottingham, Newark and Boston. Checking in at our caravan park around lunchtime, we're then free to reacquaint ourselves with Skegness itself from its 'Jolly Fisherman' mascot (inspired by the 'Skegness is so bracing' railway advert of 1908) to the Jubilee Clock Tower which forms a key focal point along Grand Parade. The town hasn't changed a great deal in the ten years since I was last here, and certainly seems very popular with young families making the most of the sunshine.

- The Red Lion -

Mingling among the Botton's Pleasure Beach crowds, we pause for a bargain ice cream (£2 with 99 flake) then wander over by the pier with its mixture of softplay, amusement arcades and bingo. Another busy Bank Holiday haunt is the Red Lion Wetherspoons on the corner of Lumley Road and Roman Bank, a building which dates from 1881. Many of the sunworshipper punters are sitting outside - some risking looking ever more like lobsters without sunscreen protection - so we stay indoors safely in the shade whilst partaking of Worthington's, wine or Hook Norton's Old Hooky. My liking for cask ale then has me seeking out one newer arrival in the form of the Crafty Little Ale House, a Lumley Avenue micropub which first opened last year. Magpie Best is a tasty 4.2% traditional bitter from a Nottingham-based brewery - nice!

- The Maud Foster Mill -

Tuesday 7th May: Skegness bearings re-established, it's time to concentrate on the wider delights of Lincolnshire. Boston is an hour's bus ride away (via Wainfleet and Old Leake on Stagecoach's Interconnect 57 route), and with single fares still capped at £2 per journey we really can't go wrong. There are several Brylaine vehicles on layover when we alight at the town's bus station before a Wetherspoon's breakfast fortifies me for the walking ahead. Top target is the Maud Foster Mill, seven storeys high and proudly stone-grinding flour since 1819 so it celebrated its 200th anniversary not too long ago. The windmill is situated on Willoughby Road beside the Maud Foster Drain and has five sails in full working order.

- York Street Football Ground -

Directly opposite the windmill - on the Horncastle Road side of the waterway - is a traditional pub called the Kings Arms. I developed a taste for Bateman's beers when visiting the brewery back in 2009 and this is one of their unspoiled tied houses so a swift pint of XB is necessary in unassuming surroundings. A nifty dose of sidestreet navigation then has me homing in on a sporting location which has sadly seen better days - Boston United's former footballing home at York Street. This has all the hallmarks of a classic old school ground with corrugated stands and proper floodlight stanchions - imagine watching a match here of a cold winter's evening. Boston relocated to a new edge-of-town stadium for the 2020/21 season, after which Railway Athletic played here but the site currently seems to be used as overspill fairground parking.

- A Sighting of The Stump -

Wherever you go in Boston, one presence above all others seems inescapable - the towering magnificence that is St Botolph's Church, affectionately known as The Stump. It dominates the horizon for miles around and is a truly awe-inspiring example of C15th century ecclesiastical architecture so it'll come as no surprise that I attempt several pictures of it from a range of differing angles. Nestled on Wormgate barely a stone's throw from the main church door is Goodbarn's Yard, a Good Beer Guide-listed establishment that seems to have attracted the pensioner pound with its lunchtime menu. Wafts of scampi therefore accompany my imbibing of a pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord, pondering cobbled courtyards and life in general.

- Medium Haddock in Steel's Corner House -

Wednesday 8th May: the holiday has already supplied more than its fair share of highlights but a Wednesday visit to Cleethorpes might top the lot. We travel up the coast via Ingoldmells (a mass of holiday camps), Mablethorpe and Saltfleet to park up at Lakeside on the southern end of Kings Parade. The resultant seafront stroll is an expectant one because we know we're headed for Steel's Corner House, an absolute institution of a fish and chip restaurant which started trading in 1946. Mom and Dad have sampled their wares before so know about the treat which lies in store, namely a medium haddock platter for £13.45 complete with perfect chips, bread and butter, cups of tea and a generous dollop of tartare sauce. Fabric partitions screen off the tables and stained glass lampshades add a touch of elegance, I love it! 

- Cleethorpes Station Pub -

I didn't think Cleethorpes could get any better after Steel's but it certainly goes out on a limb to keep me transfixed. The town's railway station terminus offers not one but two excellent pub prospects - No 1 Pub (in the original main station building), and No 2 Refreshment Room as situated 'Under the Clock'. I can't do one without the other so I simply resign myself to a most contented hour of beer and railwayana heaven. Rudgate Ruby Mild and the sounds of Scott McKenzie are my reward in the Refreshment Rooms, whereas Horncastle's Dreadnought Porter is a steal at £2.50 a pint over in the 'Aleway' Station. I adore perusing the various fixtures and fittings, including the Watkin Room with full views over the adjacent platforms.

- The Signal Box Inn -

And if that isn't enough of a railway fix, there's just the tiny - but not insignificant - matter of the Signal Box Inn which proclaims itself to be (and I quote) "The smallest pub on the planet". I've simply got to check that out haven't I? Unlike its counterparts on the mainline station, this one is served by the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway which runs miniature trains from Kingsway to Lakeside and back. For sheer novelty value this is a lot of fun and you certainly wouldn't be able to swing the proverbial cat inside the bar area; there are however plenty of benches and tables on hand as part of the wider Lakeside station site, and a quick half of Cask Tetley's is sufficient to say I've checked it out. 

- The Horncastle Canal -

Thursday 9th May: with the excellent weather set to stick around for a good while longer yet, I'm blessed with even more blue skies when catching the InterConnect 56 service inland to the quaint market town of Horncastle. This is a place with a fine reputation for antiques shops although I'm more interested in exploring a stretch of the Horncastle Canal, a non-navigable waterway which nowadays forms a wildlife haven and leisure walkway out towards Tattershall. Wildflowers and birdsong add to the idyllic sense of springtime as I take a moment in nature to recharge my batteries, then it's back past the swimming pool and bowling club into the town centre again so that I can pick out more landmarks to photograph.

- St Mary's Church -

Landmarks don't come much more charming than St Mary's Church which is thought to have had Roman and Saxon predecessors, although the current edifice is C13th with considerable elements of Victorian restoration. The War Memorial Hospital and the Court House also catch my photographic eye, not forgetting the general Market Place vista, and then I satisfy my urge for more Bateman's beer by calling into the Kings Head on Bull Ring. Even without the lure of a pint of XXXB, this one would have enticed me anyway simply on account of its magnificent thatched roof and overall cottagey pinkness. I would have liked to have paired it with Old Nick's Tavern (no, it isn't named after our Warwickshire correspondent) as the Horncastle Brewery's taphouse but it doesn't open until 6pm.

- Sir John Franklin -

Instead I hop back aboard the bus and check out the nearby settlement of Spilsby, a small town known for being the birthplace of the Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin (1786 - 1847). His rather fine statue watches on from one end of the Market Square, joined by Timeless Interiors and an old-fashioned petrol garage. A selection of coaching inns includes the White Hart, the George Hotel and the Nelson Butt although I give my custom to the Red Lion, tempted in by a back-to-basics Bateman's interior. A final evening in Skegness involves one last seafront stroll, then on Friday 10th May its an early beat-the-traffic dart to get us home to the West Midlands. Great weather, great memories, Lincolnshire you didn't let me down!

An Early May Medley

After my varied April assortments, I now bring you a May montage being as the new month has already yielded a couple of local investigations - nothing too exciting, just solid exploring you understand with a focus on scrumptious cobs...

- Vine Sustenance -

Speaking of which, I must draw your attention to this mighty fine example which I procured from the Vine in Wednesfield on Friday 3rd May. A slab of cheese, your standard red onion and a generous side portion of black pudding rounds all matched with a crusty roll. As is often the case at the Vine, the cask ale was excellent too - I sampled both the Green Duck 'Murder She Oat' (a great name) and Mallinson's 'Jester', as fresh as you could wish for. Visiting duties at nearby New Cross Hospital meant I wasn't inclined to get too adventurous but chips with Mr B and a Cricket Club Quiz at Tettenhall made for a memorable evening; alas Team Bears finished a narrow second after an unfortunate wipeout involving Ursula von der Leyen!

- 172218 at Stourbridge Junction -

Merrily I'll hop forward a few hours into Saturday 4th May 2024 and a Stourbridge area outing with a penchant for Pedmore. Catching the train down from Smethwick Galton Bridge, I keep my eyes peeled for any sightings of George the Cat but he doesn't appear to be on desk duty. The platform is however populated by several anxious-looking Bluenoses nervously awaiting  their connection to St Andrews for the pivotal match against Norwich; sadly despite winning, Blues will be playing League One football next season. A handful of Class 172 train pictures get my camera into gear and then it's time for me to start walking...

- Pedmore High School -

Grange Road (past the Handy DIY store) and Grange Lane combine to lead me into Pedmore, a leafy district directly south-east of Stourbridge town centre. It's been a few years since I was last in this neck of the woods so it's good to get to grips with features such as the local High School (part of the Invictus Education Trust), not forgetting Ham Dingle Primary Academy. Pedmore forms the edges of the West Midlands before you reach Hagley and Worcestershire, with tempting footpaths across towards Wychbury Hill and its famous obelisk. The mysterious case of 'Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm' remains unsolved, referencing the 1940s discovery of a woman's dead body in nearby woodland. 

- Pointing to Pedmore -

Hoping to avoid any such grisly discoveries myself, I continue through Stourbridge suburbia for housing estate glimpses involving Old Ham Lane, Beckman Road and Pedmore Lane. The Saturday morning weather is much brighter than was originally forecast so I'm in my element, noting Ham Dingle's secluded trackways stretching off towards Wollescote or eyeing up any lingering bits of springtime blossom. Swindell Road offers a streetscape of tidy bungalows before the number 7 bus trundles past en route to Lye Cross and Dudley.

- St Peter's Church -

Further along Pedmore Lane is St Peter's Parish Church, a Grade II listed place of worship which is mostly C19th having been consecrated in 1871. The current building replaced an earlier church and there are still some intact aspects of Norman architecture, most notably a decorative semi-circular tympanum set into the stonework above the south doorway. Fluttering bunting brightens up the churchyard and I'm enchanted by the neighbouring cricket field which has its own gate in the perimeter wall. Pedmore Cricket Club currently play in the top division of the Worcestershire County League; their main access is off Pedmore Hall Lane.

- Ember Expectations at the Foley Arms -

In terms of pub possibilities, Pedmore's principal option is the Foley Arms overlooking the Hagley Road roundabout. An Ember Inns establishment, it is tastefully furnished and offers a decent range of cask ales from which I select Wiper & True's naturally hazy Kaleidoscope for a tangy taste of the tropics. Salopian and Timothy Taylor wares are also available while soft lighting plus toffee-toned seating adds a mellow upmarket ambience to proceedings. I can't deny I usually prefer more traditional pub settings but this is very acceptable indeed, and I've got my eye on a Bathams classic just down the road anyway.

- A Seven Stars Cob Specimen -

The Bird in Hand is the place in question, giving me an Oldswinford fix of my favourite Best Bitter beneath strung-out rows of Black Country chain flags. An Absolute Radio 1980s playlist has a Duran Duran fixation while the regulars include a group of cycling enthusiasts seeking refreshment after a lengthy bike ride. From here I'll wend my way back to Stourbridge Junction railway station, permitting myself just enough time for the Seven Stars (Black Country Ales) at the bottom of the station driveway. Homegrown Brummie whets my whistle as a vegan-friendly gluten free tipple but arguably gets upstaged by another example of cob excellence: ladies and gentlemen, I give you plentifully-filled egg mayonnaise and bacon deliciousness. Cheers!

WME Flickr Focus - April 2024

Can you believe we're a third of the way through 2024 already? April has brought its customary mixture of showers and blossoms with a fair amount of sunshine, and I'm pleased to say it's been a solid month in terms of photostream progress too. Here's what I've plucked from the potting shed over the last few weeks...

As was the case in March, our Head Gardener has been Exploration Extra although it hasn't quite managed to maintain its total stranglehold on my updates this time around. Among the prized blooms are a Kendal 2021 sequence of Ulverston mural snapshots, picking out illustrated extracts from the life of Sir John Barrow during his diplomatic career. Sizergh Castle sprouted up with prime topiary pyramids and an orchard view, not to mention some succulent lily pads, while Sedbergh had me trying to dodge stray cricket balls in the vicinity of Loftus Hill.

From the Lake District we'll progress northwards into Scotland where two albums have been lovingly tended to. Edinburgh 2017 receives an injection of Scottish banknotes plus a glimpse of Preston Tower (a historic Prestonpans landmark), whereas Southerness 2022 cultivates seafront stones with a lingering look at my favourite lighthouse muse. Back on English soil, Manchester 2021 nurtures some Navigation Road station seedlings with Metrolink branding and a platform exit sign. A Stretford Washeteria shopfront isn't the prettiest of sights but they all count. 

Still with Exploration Extra, we'll duck into our metaphorical greenhouse to grapple with budding growth from Northampton 2018. An All Saints Church clockface has taken root alongside some Wantage Road cricket stand action but I'm most taken with aspects of Monks Park Working Mens Club with its lovely corner lettering. Down in the South West, Brean 2022 has been boosted by the presence of Weston-super-Mare seal art, not forgetting an airing for the Old Colonial pub or Minehead's 'metal head' cast of characters (one coastguard creation thus far).

That's likely to be the last we'll hear of Exploration Extra for a little while as the focus switches once more to my main West Midlands galleries. These too have been getting green-fingered of late, especially WME Solihull which has propagated two Kingshurst bus pictures (the 54 at Fordbridge Road and the 71A by the shopping precinct). WME Birmingham mulches over to Albert's Schloss for hints of delectable Pilsner Urquell Czech lager, then WME Dudley sows the seeds of Amblecote pubbiness care of the Maverick and the Starving Rascal.

Elsewhere, WME Wolverhampton is not usually one to be overshadowed but contents itself with a spot of All Saints street sign pruning courtesy of Chain Gardens and Forge Road, part of the new estate off Steelhouse Lane. That just leaves us with the horticultural efforts of WME Telford which yields an Aqueduct pub interior (the Britannia) and a branch out of Bayley Lane from Arleston. The hosepipe and trowel are on standby for further gardening in May, so until then please enjoy the photos!