Lost Pubs from the WME Archives #39

There's a definite Black Country bias to this next installment in the Lost Pubs Series, with bygone boozers to report from each of the four council boroughs - which ones of these five do you remember, if any?

- The Swan -

I'll begin over in Bilston and a Banks's pub I have a lot of affection for, the Swan having been a wet-led traditional tavern towards the west end of the High Street. I can happily recall visits here with both Nick and Mr D9, enjoying the simple ambience of the bar whilst supping Bitter or Mild among the various trinkets of brewing heritage. My understanding is that Marston's sold the building to Lidl to facilitate expansion of the adjacent supermarket and its car park.

- The Crown -

Almost the very definition of an estate box boozer, the Crown and its exceedingly flat roof could be found on Simms Lane in the Netherton district of Dudley. The spartan appearance here meant I approached with considerable trepidation when the Hub Marketing Board called by for a Christmas drink back in 2015 (Mr D9 naturally being much more enthusiastic than I ever was); the latest I heard is that the place is to be demolished to make way for shopping units, some of which will be accessed from Halton Street.

- The Yew Tree -

Still within the bounds of Netherton, we'll next pay homage to a Hockley Lane hostelry in the form of the Yew Tree, an establishment which served the hilly crests above the Dudley No. 2 Canal near Lodge Farm Reservoir. I never quite managed a drink in this one, the closest I came being in May 2011 when it was closed for a private party. By 2015 the site had been flattened to make way for houses.

- The Plough -

So that's one from Wolverhampton and two from Dudley so what has Sandwell up its sleeve? How's about the Plough in Tividale (just along from the Burnt Tree roundabout) which itself can also easily be labelled under the basic Banks's banner. Handsome enough in plain brick with gold lettering, it must have been shut for at least twelve years if not longer; the building now operates as a restaurant-cum-takeaway business with a hand car wash on the side.

- The Royal Exchange -

All of which means we must finish with a Walsall contender in which case I present the Royal Exchange, a Stafford Street specimen with hints of Brewers Tudor beams. Perched on the junction with Hospital Street, the updated signage suggested it had become the premises for Happy Times Ltd (whatever their line of business was), and more recently the building has borne branding for Harvey's Autos car dealership.