- Serious Steering on the 16 -
It's Friday 4th September and a 10:30am Wolverhampton rendezvous has been agreed, the Chairman arriving off his tram in relatively punctual order. We're still awaiting news of when the Midland Metro extension to Dudley might open with the launch date delayed again until later in 2026 or possibly early 2027. Stourbridge is in our sights today however hence we board the number 16 bus for the familiar journey along the A449 Penn Road and into the South Staffordshire villages of Wombourne, Swindon and Hinksford, Mr D9 saving his best scowling steering poses for extracting us around the endless Darlington Street roadworks.
- A Tea4Two Coffee Call -
Keeping a beady eye out for breakfasting opportunities, a few greasy spoon candidates could enter the equation although the Chairman draws the line at having lettuce and cucumber as part of his fry up. Tea4Two in Wall Heath looks a good bet and is partly a building site due to the cafe being extended into the gaming shop next door. Black polythene sheets protect the walls as we line our stomachs with a sensible portion of bacon, egg, sausage and black pud, all washed down with mugs of tea or coffee. They have one menu item called the Tea4Two Challenge which has a monstrous amount of stuff on it, presumably as a sharing platter.
- Wollaston's Bike Hub -
The bus stop outside Wall Heath Church is as good a setting as any for divulging this trip's silly song selections. 'I Like Birds' by Terry Scott was in line to be a future secretarial pick but the Chairman beats WME to it, although the "Valerie, Valerie" chorus of Richard Stillgoe's 'Suffering from Inflation' could well be a long-term earworm. The 16 combines with the 8 at Stourbridge Interchange to project us beyond Wollaston Farm, alighting on Bridle Road for a glimpse of the Bike Hub combining bicycle repairs with an associated coffee outlet. Next door is the Plough, one of the mainstays of the Enville Street pubcrawl route. It used to be an M&B establishment and we can see the results of a stylish makeover while supping Hop Shed's Crowd Surfer malty ale, our halves proving very agreeable to the D9 tastebuds.
- D9 Destroyer in Bisto Mode -
One pub above all others is central to the Chairman's aims this afternoon - he's absolutely insistent that we cover the Gigmill, a Marston's estate boozer between Wollaston and Norton. The number 7 bus gives us a helping hand past Stourbridge Crematorium, hopping off on The Broadway and venturing straight up to the bar. Spying an unoccupied dartboard, we settle in for a few legs of Carling-fuelled arrows, albeit WME Whirlwind has gone completely off the boil when it comes to hitting those all-important checkouts. D9 Destroyer is in inspired form, some might almost call it clinical: the result is a 6-1 thrashing that puts the bald one in pole position to win the 2026 Pub Games Champion Award. Very 'Bisto' (or should that be Bristow) indeed!
- The Waggon & Horses -
Despite a few closures, Stourbridge still seems to be stacked with a good proportion of inviting alehouses. The New Inn (on Cherry Street) and the Longlands Tavern (on Western Road) are both still going strong in the sidestreets off South Road, then we arrive on Worcester Street for a classic pairing of the highest quality. The Plough & Harrow used to be a Holt, Plant & Deakin (Holt's) tied house which retains some of the former Langley-based brewery's insignia; these days it is owned by Craddocks so we try to tame a glass each of Crazy Sheep. Back towards the town centre, the Waggon & Horses has long had a reputation for good beer and lives up to that promise again today. 'Dunk' is a collaboration involving Tiny Rebel and Titanic who have combined to craft a biscuit ale with a tinge of tea-tones about it, I'm most impressed!
- A Sociable Secretary -
There are enough pub possibilities within the confines of Stourbridge Ring Road to keep most people occupied should they so wish, in which case the Hop Vault and the Crafty Jar would be worth seeking out if you favour the more refined style of surroundings. The latter serves up a tasty Easy Tiger (Green Duck Brewery) and has surprisingly spacious toilets if like Mr D9 you notice these kind of things. Although our remit is to target places the Chairman hasn't covered before, there's always room for a WME wildcard and the Stourbridge Social will be that venue this time around. Situated within a River Rooms industrial unit below Domino's Pizza, it has a vast courtyard appearance lined on one side with padded booths, and even features a large blown-up photo of the 1977 incident when a train smashed through the wall at Stourbridge Town Station and was left dangling over the road. Hobson's Town Crier is a cask bonus here.
- White Horse, Amblecote -
We're nearing the end of our pub collecting expedition but there's still time to tickle the Old Wharf (close to the Bonded Warehouse) for a classy half of Mallinson's Wiggle Room, enticed by the psychedelic wavy lilac pumpclip. This is quite an upmarket haunt, far removed from the days when the Moorings Tavern was on its last legs so the owners have done well to breathe new life into the place. I need the 16 for my critical dancing link to Wombourne so we stroll the short distance up to Amblecote where the Chairman is deposited in the White Horse with his Boddington's nightcap. Readers might know this one better as the Maverick - complete with carved chieftain - but it has reverted to its historic name and lost a few of the Country and Western touches which made it more distinctive; still a solid pub though. Cheers!
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