Lost Pubs from the WME Archives - Part Three

Wet weather and work commitments have combined to curtail any exploration ambitions I might have had in mind for the last few days - drat! All is not lost though as I can dip back into the WME photographic vaults and pluck out another quartet of bygone boozers...

- The Oddfellows Arms -

Every so often when trawling through my archives I come across something I'd completely forgotten about. The Oddfellows Arms here is a case in point, and a bit of detective work was required to confirm its West Bromwich whereabouts. I've since reminded myself that it stood on the High Street, not far from the Farley Clock at Carters Green. This shot shows the pub in February 2009, before the building got taken over by the neighbouring decorating store. 

- The Brewer & Baker -

Next up, a Birmingham offering adjacent to Camp Hill Circus where the Brewer & Baker was a Banks's number, refurbished towards the end of the 1980s. The pub was actually located on Ravenhurst Street prior to a road realignment scheme, but by the time of this 2009 photo it was well on the way to becoming an eyesore. I believe the building is still just about standing albeit in a very sorry state.

- The Swan -

How I wish this place was still trading as a pub! Bridgnorth is a town almost awash with architectural treats, among which the former Swan Inn holds its own as a 17th century timber-framed gem. Situated part-way along the town's High Street, I wonder what tales might have been told within those old walls over the years. Alas I never had the pleasure of sampling a drink there myself, the building having since become a Prezzo Italian restaurant (thankfully with much external character maintained).

Update: following its time as a Prezzo outlet, the Swan did actually revert back to being a pub again but is latterly in the process of being turned into a cocktail bar. 

- Bulls Head -

I'm always partial to a waterways boozer so I might well have liked the Bulls Head at Brockmoor. The pub could be found on Pensnett Road next to an access point for the Fens Branch of the Stourbridge Canal. It has the look of a standard Black Country boozer and was in the process of being converted last time I saw it, presumably for general residential use. The stretch of road between Pensnett and Brierley Hill has also seen the loss of the Fish and the Queens Head in recent times, so perhaps I'll dig my pictures of those out for a future posting in this series.