- The Angel -
We'd best crack on before the WME blog descends too much into a Blockbusters or Sesame Street parody. I've cheated ever so slightly in that our first 'B' place actually provides three of this post's quintet, meaning that Bewdley must have lost a significant chunk of its pub stock in relatively recent times. The Angel stood on Load Street, next door to Merchants chip shop and just up from the landmark three-arch bridge over the River Severn. Hints of Brewers Tudor couldn't save this one and it became a Tesco Express store, albeit the writing had been on the wall when Woody, Andy and I visited in January 2010 only to discover they'd got no beer at all!
- The Woodcolliers -
I might not lament the loss of the Angel all that much but the Woodcolliers is a different matter entirely, being an establishment which was highly regarded for the quality of its ale. Perched on Welch Gate at the base of Sandy Bank, the building is Grade II listed and gives a sense that three adjoining properties had been combined together over the years. Alas such a fine reputation was not enough to prevent closure in late 2015/early 2016, and subsequent conversion for residential usage was its ultimate fate..
- The Red Lion -
The last of our Bewdley trilogy takes us over to the other side of town where the Red Lion keeps a close watch on the Kidderminster Road railway bridge. I can't actually remember this one ever being open, such is the long-term nature of its demise, but it would have been handy for the Severn Valley Railway station with a Rope Walk alleyway on hand by way of a shortcut. The frontage retains its nameboards (admittedly looking ever more worse for wear) and a West Country Ales 'Best in the West' ceramic plaque.
- The Royal Oak -
After B for Bewdley we now have B for Brownhills and a fondly remembered ex-Ansells affair in the form of the Royal Oak. Otherwise known as the 'Middle Oak', this Chester Road boozer boasted a gem of a 1930s-styled Art Deco interior and certainly charmed the Chip Foundation when we visited in February 2013 - I especially recall an antique phonograph cabinet that was said to be in full working order. Knowing what the place used to be like only makes me even more despairing of its current condition, boarded up and disused for several years.
- The Dock & Iron -
Our final B for this particular post is Brierley Hill where it's hard to get more Black Country than the famous Delph run. Bathams' Vine (a.k.a. the Bull & Bladder) is the star of the show whenever I'm in the area but I must declare a soft spot for the Dock & Iron, a cottagey Banks's tied house further down the hill towards the canal locks. My main memories of this one involve playing pool with Rog way back in 2007; fast forward a few years and many of the pub's walls had been unceremoniously stripped away leaving just a bereft facade. A sad ending indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment