The second stage of my 'Bulls in the City' summertime campaign is a statuesque contribution in the company of Messrs May, Walker and Beardsmore. Here comes Episode 88 of the Chip Foundation Chronicles...
- Mr B with Birmingham Explorer -
The usual evening instructions apply for us to meet beneath Ozzy's gruff Grand Central gaze, hence we all assemble just before 5pm. The cattle crawl can commence immediately thanks to ‘Birmingham Explorer’ as sited on the shopping centre's mezzanine level. Up and down the escalators we go in order to inspect a Philippa and Rachael Corcutt design complete with sunshine head and pale blue body. Smaller details include a bus stop, a playtime scene and a girl in a yellow mac laden with shopping bags, while the familiar locations depicted cover Kings Heath Market, the Bull Ring and Birmingham’s Museum & Art Gallery.
- JC Beef -
Across the New Street concourse past the station's own Wetherspoons we go, descending the Southside Steps to reveal ‘JC Beef' as a bright yellow excavator-esque bull. This is an imaginative take on the iconic JCB digger featuring orange warning indicator horns plus all kinds of mechanical coils, springs and pistons. Over the road, the former Crown pub has become an impromptu Black Sabbath shrine with the faces of band members emblazoned over the window panels, then we proceed via Hurst Street to meet 'Bull in a China Shop' with its oriental red, yellow and blue patternings in the sunken Arcadian courtyard. The first drinks stop of the day is our old friend the Craven Arms, sampling cider, coke or Cappuccino Stout amidst green leather seating with mirrored backdrops - I always love its vintage Holder's tiles.
- Deliverabull -
Two bulls are to be found somewhere in the vicinity of the Mailbox. ‘Deliverabull’ is a playful postal inspired Royal Mail tribute - think River Rea maps, envelopes, stamps and a postman's cap. We then head down the Inhale Exhale AstroTurf steps to reach ‘Bill Bull Barge’ which carries the feel of old-fashioned narrowboat paintwork on the little pontoon outside the malls. Displaying a nominal barge name of Sweet William plus a neat chocolate box rendition of Dudley Castle, his body is mostly green with a blackened hull and the quintessential floral effects you can see daily out on the Birmingham Canal Navigations.
- Pravha in the Gas Street Social -
Thoughts now turn to our second watering hole of the evening so I suggest taking a trendy punt on a bar that’s part of the wider Mailbox complex. First impressions are that the Gas Street Social seems very refined but we’re okay to come in just for drinks, in which case make mine a half of Pravha. Nick follows suit and soon declares himself surprisingly partial to this Czech keg Pilsner, although we do note Guinness and Aspalls are on tap dispense from the back wall. Sitting on swivelly high chairs near a curtained-off restaurant section, I supply Ken with my footballing predictions for the fates of the various West Midlands teams during the upcoming season; let's just say I'm not optimistic about Wolves's chances but I reluctantly resist the urge to tip West Bromwich Albion for relegation!
- Canalside Bar -
Two more Gas Street establishments await, starting with the Tap & Spile as a basin mainstay with much to admire. We’ve done this once before, back in 2012 when the narrow depth of the building stood out, but it retains its waterside appeal and general sense of towpath charm. Of the cask contingent, Holden’s Special drinks well (and needs to at £5.50 a pint!) aided by a nourishing cheese and onion cob. Following that, we pitch into the Canalside Cafe when a blackboard mention of real ales provides all the inducement Nick and I require. They don't have many - Proper Job versus Davenports XPA - so we go with the latter as poured (I think) straight from the barrel. Like with the Tap & Spile, we’re in a thin slither of an interior with only just enough space for a hotchpotch of seating while lightbulbs of different colours sparkle in the window. The original waterways cottages were never very big so they cram in what they can here, and the fact it functions as a cafe as much as a bar is apparent from the All Day Breakfast menus. We'd do this one again, maybe in conjunction with the Botanist and the Waterside Tap, a newly-purchased Joules concern which doesn't open on Mondays.
- Bulls-Eye of the Tiger -
Drinking done, we haven't finished with our bullish brief quite yet. Via Black Sabbath Bridge and Brindley Place we gravitate towards Centenary Square to meet a tiger themed bull by the International Convention Centre. ‘Bulls-Eye of the Tiger’ has the classic black and orange stripes and fearsome glare you might expect of a powerful cat, allied to the bulls muscular frame for a very striking, instantly recognisable creation. Darkness is descending and our resident royal is mindful of train connections, so we'll squeeze in one more sculpture...
- Moo-seley -
Beckoning across the square outside the library is ‘Moo-seley’, a sporting sight dedicated to Moseley Rugby Club in red and black kit. Studded boots and a stitched rugby ball for its head augment the effect, and the 1873 date is a nod to the club’s year of formation. Ken can recall Moseley's heyday in the 1970s as one of the leading amateur rugby union sides in the country and although they've fallen away a little in the professional era, consolidation has come from a new home at Billesley Common. Nick duly scurries to Snow Hill, meaning the rest of us can meander back to New Street for our train home. Cheers!
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