Museums Medley

A Bank Holiday outing with Rog and Woody sampling the delights of the Two Museums event organised jointly by Aston Manor and BaMMoT.

• An early start sees me walk into Wolverhampton for photos of the Molineux and St Peter's Church. The Metro was affected by line problems, so I catch the train into Birmingham and arrive somewhat earlier than I anticipated.
• I take the chance to get some rare photos in Birmingham City Centre, beginning with shots of Victoria Square and Central Library. Preparations were underway for a holiday event in the square, with the army, fire service and Aston FM setting up their display stands (or in the radio station's case, a display bus)! Having dodged army recruitment, I track down a couple of pubs that had intrigued me - the Wellington on Bennetts Hill, and the Old Contemptibles on Livery Street.
  
• At half ten, its up to Colmore Row to see if the 9 had arrived. Messrs Chance and Wood are soon on the scene, seemingly a little put out by my early arrival. We wait on Hill Street for a museums shuttle bus, and come 11am its off to Aston Manor with a ride on a classic D9.
  
  
• Aston Manor proved well worth a visit. There were a number of buses parked out on the yard, including a Guy Arab demonstrator, a Midland Red Leyland National and a Central Buses offering branded for the S1 Sutton Link. After getting in the way of each other's photos, its time to head indoors to carry out a different type of photo hunt, browsing the sales stands for any hint of Stourbridge examples.
• Time for lunch, so we head back to Birmingham and track down the Briar Rose Wetherspoon's on Bennetts Hill. Here Rog and I sample some Stour Stout (which Rog refers to as "poor man's Guinness") and discuss future trip opportunities. The pub wasn't as busy as some of the other city centre Wetherspoon's we've visited and this fact made it all the more enjoyable.
• On with the museums medley with a ride from Hill Street down to BaMMoT, a nice little journey via the cricket ground, Moseley and Kings Heath. At BaMMoT we hop onto the car park shuttle, hoping that there might be some extra buses on display at the other end - there weren't. Back to the museum then, where we investigate a motley collection of buses, sales stands and the occasional milk float and I inadvertently get a close-up of Mr Wood's bald spot (I'm saving that photo for when I really need to use it...)!
• Having survived a congested museum shop and toured the modelling display, its onwards again with the help of a preserved Chase Leyland National that conveys us to Alcester Lanes End. Here we change onto the 50 for glimpses of Balsall Heath and Highgate, before alighting at Digbeth for our next pub experience.
  
  
• The Anchor has garnered a fine reputation for its real ales, with Rog and I certainly enjoying our visit last year despite the pub being packed out with Birmingham City fans having a pre-match drink. The pub was quieter this time around, giving us chance to have a look inside, admiring old bus photos and a somewhat antique map of old National Express routes. With Mr Wood on the cokes, Rog and I try some Cheddar Valley cider - the pint slipped down a treat despite being alarmingly orange in colour. Thankfully it didn't have the taste of cheese that Rog was expecting!
• After a short hop on the 97, its into the Bull Ring for a bite to eat at Burger King. The less said about Rog's £3.19 plain burger the better! His mood improved when we visited our next pub - the Anchor was good but the Wellington in my opinion was even better. Here you choose your tipple off a tv screen then order by pump number; the selection was excellent although we decided to stay local with a pint of Pig on the Wall Mild. The pub had a nice ambience and we're already looking forward to a return visit, although whether Rog will work his way through the entire screen is another matter entirely.
• The homeward stretch sees the 138 take us to Halesowen, where the bus station still fails to impress us much. The 9 completes the leg back to Stourbridge, and we finish with some nice evening drinks at the Old Crispin and the Glass before a final goodbye pint out on the patio at the Rock Station with a slumbering Blade for company.

An excellent day all told then, the museums provided a welcome blast from the past and there was time for a bit of exploring and some classic pub experiences too. A fine way to spend a Bank Holiday!