Stirchley Saturday, Showground Sunday

A weekend double-header with Bookworm Bygrave sees us spending Saturday evening on the Stirchley Beer Mile in the company of Zoe and Mike, before Sunday takes us to the Three Counties Showground for the Malvern Autumn Show...

- The Stirchley Gorilla -

The Stirchley district of Birmingham has become a real hotspot for up-and-coming venues specialising in craft beer, street food and good times. There must be a dozen or more places we could sample strung out either side of the Pershore Road but we have a hitlist in mind, starting with The Den which I think used to be a card shop. Several Deya beers are being showcased here, including my pick of a New England pale ale called 'Magazine Cover'. We settle in under a 'Make Time For Pints' smoking frog poster and try to outdo each other over a game of Anomia, requiring quick recall of jazz musician names or palindromes - would the Stirchley gorilla approve?

- Glasshouse Beer Co. -

The Waterside Business Park alone is home to at least three drinking establishments, of which the Glasshouse Beer Co. taproom is definitely our top target. Looking out over the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, it has a few beer benches inside and the familiar sight of Crispmalt sacks piled up by the brewing equipment. From the extensive range, my liking for real ale results in a cracking pint of Aoraki as their main cask offering, tasting as fresh and clean as I could wish for; Zoe really likes the Anemones provided we pronounce it correctly (this is a crushable orange peach beer apparently) then Mike entertains us with Donald Trump impressions. We're also briefly joined by Hannah and Alex for a quick pint prior to a gig they're attending, hence chatting about university welcome weeks, Black Country Type photobooks and the philosophical stroking of beards.

- Trying Trillium -

 A few units further along is the Brew Export Beer Cave specialising in American craft lines, the physical space being similar to Glasshouse. Trillium Brewing's 'Boat Under Train Under Car Under Plane' is a total mouthful in more ways than one but I rather like it for a fruity brew. We then amble over to Mary Vale Road and make Attic our second brewery tap of the evening but it is absolutely heaving with folks watching the England vs Spain football match; we just about squeeze in for a standing perch while accounting for beers such as Quarter and Clasp, hearing rather than seeing the goals flying in. Deadbeat looks very interesting as a dive bar concept but our collective craving for curry means we will finish off at the Kolkata restaurant where the usually spice-averse Bookworm Bygrave braves the Butter Chicken - I think Emily's tastebuds lived to tell the tale. We might only have scratched the surface of Stirchley this time around but that's all the more reason to go back - watch this space...

- The Wheatsheaf Vintage Pub -

Sunday's action takes us to the Three Counties Showground on the outskirts of Malvern where the Autumn Show has been in full swing all weekend. The remit is to celebrate the produce of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire as well as being a primary showcase for the best in local agriculture and horticulture. The Bygravemobile is ushered into car park N8, positioning us handily by the North Gate entrance close to a vintage fairground. We've not long arrived when we spot the Wheatsheaf as a 1940's themed pub based in a repurposed portakabin. It aims to raise money for veterans charities - a most worthy cause - and serves up a cracking drop of Teme Valley's T'other amber ale. The period vibe is evoked through pre-decimal coins, a rotary dial telephone and an Edith Piaf soundtrack emanating from an old wireless set.

- Googly-eyed Vegetables -

The Harvest Pavilion awaits next for googly eyed pumpkins and long stringy carrots - these aren't even the giant specimens, just standard produce but are clearly grown with much love. The Floral Art section has lots of imaginative installations depicting Christmas dining tables, choral music stands, graffiti and other themes where you have to admire the creative thinking involved. Cards beside each exhibit indicate which ones are the main prizewinners, from Show Champions to Gold, Silver Gilt and Bronze medallists through to the lower placings.

- Snuffling among the Cider Apples -

Continuing by way of the Orchard & Hop Tent, this celebrates everything related to local apples, pears, quinces and beer ingredients. Several regional producers have their own stalls so I'm spoiled for choice in terms of whose wares I'm most keen to sample. Ultimately I opt for the Ross on Wye Autumn Cider, a 7.2% heavyweight half which gets supped whilst watching a scratting machine demo using the ‘Norman’ variety; the ripened cider apples are converted to a mash or pulp similar to porridge in order to better extract their juice for fermenting. This is a time honoured process which requires much skill for recognising when the apples are at their harvesting peak. A cheeky straw pig seems to be enjoying any leftover windfall specimens!

- A Pastry Pause -

Unsurprisingly busy irrespective of a sudden shower, the Food Hall presents a full range of gourmet goodies so there are pies, cakes and pastry products at every turn. I spot a craft beer flag and duly investigate for half of Copper Beech's Dog Days, the name of the beer sealing the deal in reference to Mabel and Hank - Emily seemed to appreciate the gesture. We keep out of the worsening rain by checking out the Giant Vegetable Championship Hall, some of the exhibits are ridiculous!! Massive marrows and ginormous pumpkins need to be seen to be believed, they must weigh a tonne (well several tonnes actually). The Craft Hall however is where Emily's heart really lies, finding greetings cards and coasters galore. One artist has a machine for dispensing prints at £1 a go - we initially get double badgers but exchange one for a frog design. A quick stroll back past the classic tractors seals the deal, and something tells me we might be back in spring for further Three Counties fun. Cheers!

WME Flickr Focus - September 2026

The summer heatwave now seems like a distant memory as I gaze out of my window upon autumn mists and darker evenings, plus the cricket season has concluded - happily for us, it finishes with Warwickshire crowned as County Champions for the ninth time in their history, excellent! As for any photostream progress, September has been all about Exploration Extra...

We've hit one of those periodic passages when my archiving system takes us away from the West Midlands and focuses on places further afield. And what a scattering we have, covering southern cities, North West coastal places, sleepy Herefordshire villages and the urban life of Leicester to name but a few. Let's see what's been occurring shall we?

Picking up where August left off, I'll commence in Chichester where the Truevision Electricals store satisfied my liking for vintage shopfronts. Old stonework and a supply of street signs stick to my standard dietary requirements through reference to Westgate and St Peters but arguably my favourite item is a Shippams meat and fish pastes clock which looks very retro. Sussex is also the location for a couple of Hove railway-related pictures as snaffled back in 2012, while we can stay south-ish for a Somerset sighting of Taunton's Firepool Lock.

The wider Midlands counties are well represented amongst this month's batch of arrivals. Herefordshire claims Colwall for traffic-calming warnings of a bygone age, not to mention a Golden Fleece grab from Hereford itself; Gloucester's rugby-themed street art resurfaces in the vicinity of Kingsholm Stadium again; Derbyshire delivers us Cromford's canal wharf with glimpses of Scarthin Books - Miss Bygrave would like that - then there's a larger slice from Leicester comprising the Newark Houses Museum's teddy bear trail plus a Sunny Jim doll.

Our northern contigent takes us west to Cleveleys and Fleetwood (think brutalist seafront shelters and timewarp greasy spoon cafes, sprinkled in with souvenir shops and penny arcades) then east into Yorkshire. Old stadium seating at Headingley - the rugby ground side - piles on the nostalgia, and if you like dusky trains there's one at Leeds station for you to enjoy. The Bar T'at pub in Ilkley offers a nod to a famous moor-inspired phrase, and we'll finish in Filey with a ghostly knitted postbox topper to prepare us for October - it'll soon be Halloween!

Montgomery Moments

September 2026: a few selected highlights from a weekend away with Bookworm Bygrave and her family, plus a full throng of canine companions...

- Clun Bridge -

The journey to the Welsh borders takes us through South Shropshire, stopping off at the ever so enchanting Clun. The medieval river bridge dates from about 1450 and would historically have carried packhorses as opposed to the strains of modern traffic - it remains a photogenic crossing point. The White Horse Hotel is home to the Clun Brewery, purveyors of superb ales such as Clun Pale, Loophole and the mighty Citadel (a mere 5.9% abv), while the Sun Inn has its own significant charms centred upon cruck frames and an inglenook fireplace. Both pubs are recommended by CAMRA, and Emily even gets to learn some basic rules of dominoes. 

- Montgomery Castle -

We're staying in the Whitehall Dairy a couple of miles outside Montgomery - the property has connections to the Doctor Zhivago actress Julie Christie. It's a peaceful spot where chickens roam freely, some of which might be rare breeds with one seemingly having a Liberace-style quiff. Montgomery itself is our Saturday destination, and although the town is by no means big, it packs in a lot of history. The local castle was involved in the biggest Civil War battle to be fought on Welsh soil when the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalists here in 1644.

- Windswept by the War Memorial -

The castle was subsequently slighted by the victorious Roundheads to ensure it could not be used as a fortress again, effectively creating the ruins you can still see today. It nevertheless occupies a commanding position overlooking the surrounding fields, and the same can also be said of the Montgomeryshire War Memorial as erected on Town Hill. It gets extremely breezy indeed at the summit (the Walker hair never stood a chance) but we enjoyed the climb to find it, Mabel the border terrier trotting along merrily between bouts of rolling around in the grass.

- Bunners -

Closer explorations of Montgomery town centre result in a family visit to the Dragon Hotel, a famous old coaching inn across from the Town Hall. They serve locally produced Old Monty ciders so I partake of their Perry (rather potent) and the even stronger Oakey Cokey, matured in rum casks. It takes a lot to upstage a pub in my affections but Bunners Ironmongers is up to the task, stocking a mindboggling array of stuff in a labyrinthine series of rooms that seem to go on forever. If you need hardware, electrical appliances, giftware or petrol this is clearly the place to come - it feels like the Welsh version of Arkwright's from 'Open All Hours'.

- Kerry Ridgeway Scenery -

Sunday is mostly a leisurely day with the Bygrave clan, relaxing at the dairy with the doggies. We do head out for an afternoon walk whereby the Kerry Ridgeway at Block Wood sounds a perfect location for stretching our legs while giving Mabel, Hank, Peggy and Jessie their daily exercise. On a bright afternoon the views are extensive, looking out across Wales towards Newtown in one direction and England towards Bishops Castle in the other. My phone signal is intermittent so Emily kindly keeps me up to date with important matters at Molineux, Wolves thankfully defeating the dreaded West Bromwich Albion in the Black Country Derby.

- Bishops Castle (Church Street) -

That brief mention of Bishops Castle brings me lastly onto Monday for a day dedicated to this wonderful town tucked away at the extremities of South West Shropshire. I'd never ever been before, despite receiving several recommendations over the years regarding its pub pedigree. We park up by the Livestock Market from where it is but a very short stroll to see the combined charms of Church Street blending into High Street. The houses are painted different colours - making for an attractive visual spectacle - with some of them having added themed detailing, whether this be stars, zips or even jigsaw pieces. St John the Baptist Church stands at the bottom end of the main street with the Town Hall towards the top, the latter hosting an exhibition of book cover artworks from 1970s science fiction literature.

- The Six Bells -

Looking closely at some of the properties, there are diamond-shaped little plaques at regular intervals recording the Lost Pubs of Bishops Castle - it seems that every other house must have sold beer at some point in its lifetime. Of the current contingent there are two I'm really eager to see, but irritatingly the Three Tuns has closed for refurbishment; the brewery of the same name is next door, I have been known to be partial to a drop of XXX or Cleric's Cure where available. The Six Bells itself used to be a brewpub but nowdays concentrates on serving good beer from other regional breweries. A pint of Clun's Loophole is on point while considering the building's bright orange appearance just across the road from the church.

- Poetry Pharmacy -

A walk around the churchyard proves rewarding in the Shropshire sunshine, noting a red line across the stonework that was used when playing the olden game of ‘fives’ (which sounds like a precursor to what we now call squash). The church's clockface only has one hand because locals say life slows down to such an extent here that the minute hand is deemed superfluous. A treat for the Bookworm completes our getaway, whereby the Poetry Pharmacy is something that little bit different. The concept is simple: literature - especially poetry - can act as medicine for the soul so an apothecarial approach is taken, stuffed full with old drawers and shelving. Emily is in her element browsing the curated range of nature and wellbeing books here, even picking up some poetry 'tablets' and being served with a handwritten prescription. Cheers!

St Fagans

The startlingly swift conclusion to the match between Glamorgan and Warwickshire risks leaving Mr B and myself at a loose end, but acting upon a recommendation from our very own Ken, we spend our final day in Cardiff investigating St Fagans National Museum of History. The day was so full of interest it deserves a separate blog post...

- Abernodwydd Farmhouse -

St Fagans is an open air museum which first launched to the public in 1948 and currently has over 40 original buildings which have been re-erected here to represent different aspects of Welsh history. The arrangement feels similar to Blists Hill or the Black Country Living Museum closer to home, in that you can explore the properties plus see live demonstrations of heritage crafts and industries, although here the aim is much wider, encapsulating a sense of an entire nation. Catching the number 32 bus out from Cardiff Bridge (via Victoria Park and Fairwater), we have four hours to see as much as we can. A gallery in the entrance hall sets the scene with artefacts from daily life, leisure (a holiday caravan), work (a grey Ferguson tractor) and death (a Roman stone coffin). Heading outdoors, we start at the Pen-rhiw Unitarian Chapel for its simple plain interior strewn with harvest displays of rhubarb stalks and berry baskets. The Abernodwydd Farmhouse was reclaimed from Llangadfan in Powys and has been on site since 1955, showcasing a typical mid-Wales dwelling of timbered walls and a thatched roof.

- The Prefab -

Our tour next takes us past a tollhouse, originally dating from 1771 and used to collect fees from traffic heading south from Aberystwyth (hence a long list of applicable charges, as well as exemptions). The Rhyd-y-car terrace comprises six properties covering a timespan from 1805 to 1985, each with their own garden plot styled accordingly. You can clearly see how living conditions would have improved and how consumer goods became more prevalent, while a live-in shed laid out for cake consumption is a nice surprise. Also on the residential angle is a Prefab relocated from the Gabalfa district of Cardiff, one of the B2 specification which provided much-needed housing after the Second World War. The volunteer tells us asbestos could be an issue with these properties (although not this specific example), and that heat regulation was also a factor - freezing in winter with ice up the windows, boiling in summer. Similar housing has been evident in some parts of Wolverhampton and Willenhall.

- Fresco section from St Teilo's Church -

Wales has many farming communities and their impact is captured through the inclusion of several contrasting buildings from the more humble (Cilewent, where half of the property was used to store cattle and the other half was the family home) to the more substantial (the red distinctive daub of Kennixton, transferred from the Gower) and wealthy (Garreg Fawr with its two chimneys, one on the diagonal). Religion was hugely significant to the Welsh population so St Teilo's depicts a late medieval example of a Catholic church - the fresco wall paintings are stunning, depicting biblical stories at every turn. The contrast with the basic setup we'd seen with Pen-rhiw is marked, although the illustrations would have been covered up as a matter of necessity during times of Catholic suppression.

- The Vulcan Hotel -

Passing the Rhayader Tannery, where one can only imagine the stench that would have been involved when processing animal hides in square pits of bark solution, we reach one of the day's undoubted highlights. Yes, St Fagans does have its own pub in the form of the Vulcan Hotel, preserved having stood in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff and subject to a campaign when it was threatened with demolition. The pub interior is set in the year 1915 with sawdust on the bar room floor, a separate rear smoke room and hints of the publican's living quarters. We pause for a drink, Cwrw Vulcan in my case, with all of the ales provided by the Glamorgan Brewing Company. The tiled facade is very evocative of the period and you can see nods to the W W Nell Brewery who would have owned the building at the time.

- If D9 can do it... -

The current Vulcan is positioned close to the Oakdale Workmen's Institute (the 'Stute) which formally opened to serve its village community north of Caerphilly in 1917. The layout includes a library (always a winner in my eyes), reading room and committee room - there's even an old safe bearing a maker's mark from Wombourn near Wolverhampton. Elsewhere, a Victorian schoolhouse has been rebuilt here from Lampeter - Stephen reckons the curly cane could be used to punish any errant Glamorgan batsmen - then the Gwalia Stores represent a Bridgend grocery and ironmongers business. It's fascinating to peruse the recreated packaging for well known brands (such as Oxo or Jacobs Biscuits) and those since forgotten over time. Mr D9 would love the cast iron urinal outside which has been salvaged from Llanwrtyd Wells.

- Turog Bread -

Bizarrely, the number 32 route has a limited timetable and the last bus leaving the museum goes at 14:28 which seems ridiculously early to us. Nevertheless we need to catch it and only have time to pick out a few extra features while heading back to the car park. The pigsty is fashioned from layered flat stones which form a beehive-like dome, the round shape is said to discourage the pigs from digging their way out. I particularly like Nantwallter, a farmworker's cottage from Carmarthenshire which is another thatched roof charmer with walls made out of 'clom', a durable mixture of clay, mud and straw. Last but not least is the Derwen Bakehouse which carries branding for Turog Bread (a one-time competitor to Hovis) and VitBe. There's rather a lot we didn't have time for, including a post office, some roundhouses and a tailor's shop, not to mention the grounds of St Fagans Castle. We've made a note to come for a second look if the chance ever arises, batting collapses permitting!

- Cardiff City Stadium -

The bus timings mean we still have a large portion of the afternoon at our disposal so a spot of sporty sightseeing sounds like an excellent idea. After a pit stop at Canton's Ivor Davies Wetherspoons for more Beardsmore ham, egg and chips, we stroll the short distance to the Cardiff City Stadium which has been hosting football matches since the summer of 2009. The stadium is everything you would expect of a modern arena: well-provisioned, surrounded by car parking spaces and retail parks, but with famous moments captured in huge photos on the sides of the stands. One notable statue shows Cardiff's 1927 FA Cup-winning captain Fred Keenor clutching the trophy, a proud moment for most of Wales that! Cardiff used to play their home matches at Ninian Park which was situated just over the road and has been turned into a housing estate; a set of pale blue gates with a bluebird emblem recall the years when that ground was in operation, 1910 to 2009.

- Cathays Beer House -

The local railway station still bears the name Ninian Park and is an unstaffed stop on the City Line offering links to places such as Aberdare and Pontypridd. A walk along Ninian Park Road gets us back to our lodgings, and our final evening in Cardiff is spent in the student-centric suburb of Cathays where almost every international cuisine imaginable seems to have an outlet or restaurant. The Woodville definitely attracts its share of the undergraduate pound (Electric Bear's Werrrd American Pale Ale is my citrus sharp tipple here), then the Cathays Beer House serves up a crystal clear pint of Ronnie Pickering Ale. Arguably this micropub's biggest attraction is not the ale but a large fishtank containing several beady-eyed aquatic creatures, some of which seem intent on getting into a staring contest with Stephen. All that then remains is our homeward trains via Hereford and Shrewsbury on Saturday morning. I have a strong suspicion we'll do Cardiff again at some point, but whether the Glamorgan batting line-up will be as charitable with their dismissals is very unlikely. Cheers!