Lost Pubs from the WME Archives - Part Four

Having had my nerves shredded by the drama of England's eventual victory in the Cricket World Cup Final yesterday, I'm bringing myself back down to earth gently by rummaging once more in my photographic vaults looking for past pubs to ponder...

- The Commercial -

Let's begin this time around in the Bromley portion of Pensnett where the Commercial must have stood derelict for ten years or more - in fact I can't personally remember it being open, and the building suffered a gradual decay to become a longstanding eyesore. The Hansons signage holds a certain fascination for me as a reminder of a famous Dudley brewing name that became part of the Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries group (latterly Marston's). 

- The Marksman -

The June instalment of this mini-series featured the former Oddfellows at Carters Green so here's the establishment which was located just over the road. The Marksman never really appealed to me much although I suspect Mr D9 might have been tempted by the banner mentioning pints for £2! This place was more of a sports bar and could be found on the corner with John Street; it has since been turned into an Eastern European supermarket. 

- The Mill -

Sticking with Sandwell and here's a sad sight from the Charlemont Farm estate as photographed in August 2012. The Mill looked in a bad way back then, burnt out with most of the roof missing, so it came as no surprise to find out it had subsequently been demolished. In happier times this was an M&B box boozer that could be found on Beaconview Road, guarding one end of Wyndmill Crescent with the local shops for close company. 

- Coopers Arms -

Last but not least comes the Coopers Arms as a Birmingham discovery from 2006. I'd walked across Woodgate Valley Country Park to Sommerfield Road not expecting to find much so this came as a useful surprise, even though the drab brown appearance wasn't the most enticing (it did however match the surrounding housing stock quite well). After a spell as the Woodgate Valley Sports & Residents Club, this place too has bitten the dust with the site cleared to make way for housing.