Lost Pubs from the WME Archives

I've been at this blogging lark for nearly thirteen years now and first started taking digital photos in 2002, so it's fair to say I've accumulated quite an archive in that time. One of the recurring themes over the years has been pub closures with many watering holes having passed into history, not just in the West Midlands but across the country. Here I dip into my back catalogue and remember a handful of those lost pubs...

- The Red Cow -

I was only in Pelsall with Mr D9 last week counting up the local pub casualties we could remember - the Old Bush, the Swan and of course the former Free Trade at Pelsall Wood. Sadly I never got chance to do any of them and the same goes for the Red Cow at Heath End; situated on Allen's Lane, it always struck me as a basic Banks's boozer that has since been converted for residential use. 

- The Tannery -

Regular readers of this blog will probably know I have a particular affection for estate pubs, especially those with a flat roof or similarly stark architectural merit. The Tannery at Birchills was certainly distinctive with a steep wedge-shaped appearance, overlooked by blocks of flats and a shopping precinct just off Green Lane. Demolition was the ultimate fate for this one.

- Good Intent -

Even an area as renowned for pubs as Gornal hasn't escaped the tide of closures, and here we see the Good Intent as located on Vale Street (under new management at the time but latterly turned into flats). Also in the immediate vicinity, the Leopard has bitten the dust and the Cottage of Content became an Italian restaurant in the late 1990s, although the Jolly Crispin is happily still going strong as the base for the Fownes Brewery.

- Hart & Trumpet -

And finally, an example from further afield. The Hart & Trumpet was a railway pub situated next to the level crossing opposite Gobowen Station, and is pictured here during my Rail Rover outing of October 2008. I don't know what's happened to it since it shut but the Cross Foxes on the other side of the crossing still appears to be trading as a traditional Marston's establishment. 

So there you have it, four archive extractions of bygone boozers - maybe they bring back a few memories? I'm tentatively intending that this post might be the start of an occasional series depending on what else might be lurking in my photo collection - no promises but we'll see how it pans out. Cheers!