Hub Marketing 2026: Mr D9’s Wombourne Wishlist

The Hub Marketing Board’s summertime saga continues with another of our squeeze-one-in-on-the-sly type outings the Chairman likes to sneak under his dragon’s radar. We have a few leftover strands from last autumn to attend to after our Greensforge Gallop and Wet Weather Wombourne trips still left us with a few South Staffordshire holes, so Mr D9 has issued instructions for a speedy Monday meeting…

- The Student Hub -

Trip Log: Monday 3rd August 2026 and a rendezvous near Wolverhampton Art Gallery has been arranged in the region of 4pm. Chairman D9 must be eager for not only does he arrive earlier than the Secretary, he's taken up a prime position for advertising the Goose's Student Hub credentials - his commitment to the marketing cause is ever unwavering! The plan for the next couple of hours is duly confirmed and we'll proceed with the express intention of mopping up a handful of outlying Wombourne watering holes which have yet to receive a Board visit. 

- D9 drives the 16 -

A Stourbridge-bound number 16 bus is soon on the scene, allowing for top deck views of Market Square reconstruction activities; the new development off Salop Street will apparently be called Smithgate and combines urban living with diverse shops and leisure opportunities. The A449 Penn Road is the recipient of the latest D9 driving masterclass, powering past the Mount Tavern, Hollybush and the Lloyd Hill roundabout into Staffordshire. Wombourne isn't very far and we're under orders to alight at the New Inn, a pub we can't do today even if we wanted to. Sadly this one has been shut for a few months now, which explains why the beer garden looks so overgrown and the building is starting to fall into disrepair; no, our first tipple of the trip will have to be sourced elsewhere...

- Enville Ginger in the Round Oak -

Marching along Ounsdale Road past the Leisure Centre and the adjacent renamed secondary school - now simply called Wombourne High - we reach the Round Oak as invitingly situated alongside the Staffs & Worcs Canal (next to Houndel Bridge). Gleaming glasses of Enville Ginger, a beer with a nice little kick to it, can slake our growing thirst while we home in on a well-ventilated raised rear lounge. On very warm days such as this, it's always a relief when pubs have good fan provision for cooling folk down. Large potplants and trellis-like partition screens add to the garden-like ambience here, plus there are some lovely vintage frosted window panes to give Mr WME his history fix too. A 1980s soundtrack is proving fun until 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' reminds the Chairman of his domestic bliss status!

- Mount Pleasant -

Spicy Enville beer quaffed, we continue on our merry way to guarantee our intended call at the Mount Pleasant. As with the Round Oak, Mr D9 can't remember ever setting foot in this place before although the Secretary has enjoyed some hospitality here previously. The Chairman's wallet is prepped to take advantage of the promotional prices on Carling - it doesn't seem that long ago when £3.95 would have been our most expensive beery outlay, not the cheapest! If the Ounsdale Road boozers were engaging in a tussle for blowy one-upmanship, the Mount Pleasant is ahead on points thanks to a huge industrial fan circulating air around the lounge. We find a mottled brown booth behind a central chimney breast to debate plush toys, bus timetabling matters and generally set the world to rights.  

- The Wombourne Closet Bald Spot -

Retracing earlier footsteps, we hurtle down Windmill Bank where the Chairman’s ever-reliable closet radar detects a toilet block by the maypole sculpture; apparently D9 may have utilised these facilities during his 1990s bus driving shifts, hence the bald spot's sense of nostalgia at being back again. Pub number three awaits whereby the Old Bush is an essential secretarial request being as it fits neatly on the way to our ultimate Red Lion landing point, plus its Black Country Ales-ness makes it a no-brainer with Mr WME in urgent need of some sustenance. Ashover’s Elderflower Ale is a risky selection but the floral flavour thankfully doesn’t become too overpowering while the critical cob is of generous proportions, chunky cheese and onion exactly as I’d been longing for.

- Snug Seating in the Red Lion -

Our finale comes at the musty Red Lion down Battlefield Hill where we both have very fond memories to recall. It’s ticking over reasonably well here for a Monday night with a scattering of folks in the beer garden plus a few stalwart barflies to keep the tills ringing. We collect a pint of Holden’s Golden Glow each - top quality ones at that - and bonus packets of Gill’s white label pork scratchings before parking ourselves on the table which nudges inside the lounge hearth. This half of the pub is particularly homely, you just need to be careful not to wallop your bonce when standing up - ouch! All that then remains is a sprightly A449 scurry to the Billy Bunns Lane bus stop and our mopping-up mission is declared a success. Cheers!

Lost Pubs from the WME Archives #45

Buckle up one and all as we plunge headlong once more into the dusty depths of the WME photo repository. The cobwebs are being blown off five more Lost Pubs but which of these - if any - do you remember visiting?

- The Belvidere -

I'm leaving the Black Country behind this time around and instead recalling a quintet from our surrounding shires. First up we'll visit the Belvidere which used to grace Shrewsbury's eastern extremities, tucked away on Crowmere Road among pleasant semi-detached housing. I never staged a drinking visit here, instead having to make do with this fleeting sighting from the days when it functioned as a sports bar. It was built by Banks's in the 1960s to serve the expanding estates in this part of town but ceased trading circa 2016 and has since been demolished.

- The Globe -

Staying with Shrewsbury but moving closer to the town centre, the Globe could be found on Coleham Head within easy walking distance of English Bridge. This always looked a plain but traditional prospect with its mostly whitewashed frontage and simple blue signage, hence I can well imagine it being popular for pub games such as darts and dominoes back in the day. The building is still standing but has become a private residence in tones of battleship grey.

- The Brandy Cask -

From Shropshire to Worcestershire next and the market town of Pershore in the district of Wychavon. The Brandy Cask was one of my prized pub finds during Rail Rover Week 2012, an independent free house serving their own real ales and earning praise in the Good Beer Guide meaning there was a lot for me to like. A very enjoyable pint of Brandysnapper proved ample reward for my efforts in getting here and the elegant Georgian setting had its charms too, so I'm sad to report that this Bridge Street property has latterly been converted into flats.

- The Cricketers Arms -

Having accounted for one from Wychavon, let's swoop over to Wyre Forest and the carpet town of Kidderminster. Backstreet Banks's efforts didn't come much more beguiling than the Cricketers Arms, an end-of-terrace brickbuilt property a few doors along from the Milton Hall Baptist Church and Sunday Schools chapel. Handy too for the Severn Valley Railway station, my main memories of this place involve visiting with Roger and Ant to play darts (badly). It has now reverted into being a standard house with not much to indicate it was ever a pub.

- Tweeddale Arms Hotel -

Let's finish in Staffordshire, albeit only just given that Tamworth nudges close to Warwickshire territory. The Tweeddale Arms (as was) is a very familiar landmark on the roundabout outside the town's railway station so countless numbers of passengers must have wandered past over the years, and I dare say a fair few would have quenched their thirst here too. Despite having 'Beers from Coors' at the time of this photo, it would go on to become a Domino's Pizza outlet.

WME Flickr Focus - July 2026

Heatwave temperatures, World Cup heartbreak, another change in Prime Minister - all par for the course where July 2026 is concerned. Amidst all the sweat, blood, goals and political turmoil, the WME photostream has quietly stayed out of the limelight, happy enough to do its usual update thing. Here's what the last month has brought our way...

It doesn't require a presidential trophy lift or a speech from behind a Downing Street lectern when declaring WME Wolverhampton to be July's chief contributor. We've hit a rich seam of Wulfrunian material lately with West Park and Wolverhampton Art Gallery both attracting more than their fair share of arrivals. Funfair posters, magnolia blooms, park pathways and classical Chemistry figures have all earned selection alongside less thrilling items (a West End Club parking notice) although there is a Whitmore Reans Santa Claus to see if you're so inclined. Sprinkle in a triceratops alongside some gingerbread people and you've got quite a lineup!

WME Dudley has shown itself to be partial to a medal presentation (or the occasional lap of honour) and continues its strong performance across the whole of 2026 with a fresh batch of additions. Wollaston makes solid strides here, boosted by several street signs - Gerald Road, Eggington Road, Lawn Avenue etc - plus a peek at Swan Pool Playing Fields, although we mustn't overlook the efforts of Withymoor Village to donate its doctors surgery and Turners Lane to our noble cause.

Another 2026 big-hitter maintaining consistent levels of output would be WME Birmingham, waiding - sorry, raiding - its box marked 'W' for titbits from Weoley Castle (a pub dartboard), Walmley (ditto) and Winson Green (Midland Metro tram stop railings designed to represent James Watt's engineering ingenuity). WME Telford took its time to get going by comparison but has hit a purple patch from springtime onwards - Wellington ensures this momentum is undimmed and yes, there is even more boot bunting to report! The Oddfellows, Cock Hotel and Dun Cow pile up the pub quota too.

After a productive time of it in June, WME Walsall takes things slightly easier this time around but nevertheless has enough energy to pick out a Holtshill Lane pumpkin and revisit Walsall Wood's Boatmans Rest; WME Staffordshire tickles Tutbury a little more, obtaining the Cross Keys and a war memorial poppy wreath; WME Worcestershire extracts two more lock items from the Tardebigge flight, leaving WME Warwickshire holding up the rear courtesy of The Butts in Warwick itself. All eyes will now be on August to see what else might appear...

A Heatwave Hub Marketing Homage

The summer of 1976 has gone down in folklore as one of the hottest ever on record, with day after day of baking heat lasting for weeks. The young Chairman was there to experience it first hand, living near West Bromwich and being subjected to the Wurzels’ ‘Combine Harvester’ repeatedly by neighbour Mad Matthews. Fifty years on, another prolonged heatwave is taking hold so we have perfect conditions to relive D9's youth... 

- All aboard the 47 -

Trip Log: Thursday 16th July 2026 and it doesn't seem five minutes since we were last in the Wednesbury area, full of World Cup excitement. Alas the country is now recovering from the agony of England's semi-final defeat to Argentina but the Hub Marketing Board put aside any lingering melancholy when meeting at the Great Western Street tram stop. Chairman D9 is in charge of the evening's itinerary, picking out places that bring back personal memories of his schooldays - he had hair back then! - and his first instruction is to board the number 47 bus for a ride along Ridding Lane, Hydes Road and Crookhay Lane. To get ourselves into even more of a nostalgic mood, the WME Silly Song is Max Bygraves and 'The Drought of 76', complete with references to water rationing and Percy Thrower's radishes!

- The Coach & Horses -

Passing the Gough Arms as Mr D9 recalls a character nicknamed the 'Hateley Heath Beast' (she had a certain liking for bus drivers), we make our first port of call the Coach & Horses on Kesteven Road. This has been spruced up since we last came and has banners stating that it is under new management, although it still counts as a flat-roofed estate pub however much they try to make it look more fancy. According to the Chairman, some teachers at the nearby Menzies High School (nowadays renamed as the Phoenix Collegiate) might have been known to have a sneaky tipple in here back in the day. Our choice of lubrication is Carling, giving the Secretary a £3.50 discount which would seal spreadsheet honours as the trip unfolds. ODI cricket meanwhile shows on the big screens with Jasprit Bumrah batting for India at Cardiff.

- Remembering Menzies C Block -

Our very own Chairman was himself a pupil at Menzies in the 1980s so Marsh Lane has us travelling back in time, pointing out where the entrances to B Block (containing the school's library plus Maths and Geography classrooms) and C Block (housing the English, Drama and Art facilities) would have been. The athletics track appears to have been repainted and tidied up after previously falling into disrepair, although it's far too warm to contemplate running the 400 metres today. Instead we recreate the route a youthful D9 would have taken to get home at the end of a busy school day, briefly linking onto Jubilee Street before Princess Grove has apparently changed very little since the late 1970s. Some of the garden fences and concrete lampposts could well still be intact from when this part of the estate was originally built.

- Outside the former D9 family home -

It was back during the spring of 1976 when the Chairman first moved to what would be the D9 family home for his formative years. This means the likes of Caldwell Street, Walsall Road and Alexandra Terrace inspire fond reminiscing on the long hot summer, even though hearing the Wurzels ad nauseam must surely have driven everyone to distraction! Other tunes to resonate off the Chairman's playlist include 'Save Your Kisses For Me' by Brotherhood of Man and 'Let Em In' from Wings, the latter a reminder of the chimes on Mrs Morris's doorbell. D9 thoughts of next door neighbours and old friends come flooding back at this stage of our stroll, not to mention the lady who ran the local sweetshop.

- Pennyhill Primary School -

And the memories don't just end there. Next up is Pennyhill Primary School, occupying a site bounded by Hollyhedge Lane, Willett Road and Connor Road. When the Chairman attended lessons here, it was effectively two conjoined schools (Charlemont and Hollyhedge) with the current name adopted circa 2007 when these were amalgamated. Young D9 would have been taught in the Charlemont side, where provision had first been established in 1929, whereas the Hollyhedge counterpart was set up from 1964 onwards. Some of the school railings look as though they might have been around since the 1960s actually, and our accompanying soundtrack has now switched to hearty renditions of 'Jeans On' by David Dundas.

- Royal Oak (Newton Street) -

All this wallowing in the past has made us rather thirsty so a pit stop in the Crown & Anchor is deemed necessary. More commonly referred to as the Jinglers, this falls under M&B's Sizzling brand with a predictable offer in terms of both food and drink, majoring on stacked skillets and big burgers. A cool glass of Carling is sufficient for our needs, allowing the Chairman to recall when the Edwards family used to run the place. The Secretary is pining for quality cask ale however and gets his wish granted care of the Royal Oak, a homely free house just around the corner on Newton Street. We've been here a couple of times before but it suits us nicely for well-kept Enville White, watching the Open golf from the comfort of a very cosy lounge.

- Spotted near the Spinney -

Pressing onwards, the next location lined up for D9 reflection is the Charlemont estate where Beaconview Road offers glimpses of several blocks of flats. Marshall House was demolished many years ago but others have survived, notably Camberley and Briarley (the tallest tower) which still have the hallmark of 1960s construction albeit with modernisation over time. Of the local pub provision, the Mill is sadly no more after falling victim to fire damage, leaving us the Spinney to supply our next slice of Carling action. We begin indoors in the presence of signed Chris Brunt West Bromwich Albion shirts then move outside to a plain beer table so that the Chairman can fully appreciate what he calls 'proper scenery'.

- A Gospel Oak nightcap -

It isn't only 1976 that the Chairman is keen to relive so the final two pubs on our mini-crawl enable him to dip into his 1980s catalogue. The Stone Cross is a large roadhouse midway between Walsall and West Bromwich, perched on a busy gyratory encircled by the A4031. The current pub building replaced the previous one in 1934, and after years of Mitchells & Butlers ownership it is now an Indian bar and grill. Yet more Carling is supped to the tune of Judy Boucher's 1987 smash 'Can't Be With You Tonight' and a bit of Bros might have entered the equation too. After helping hands from the 40 and 11A buses, our landing point ends up being the Gospel Oak near Tipton for a 1988-themed nightcap listening to the likes of Kylie and other Stock Aitken Waterman alumni. With that, our wander down memory lane is over but it goes to show how certain songs, locations and temperatures can really trigger vivid recollections of people and places that mean a lot to us. Cheers!