D9 does Brownhills (again) and Stonnall

Four full-on days of Rail Rover action are clearly not enough to satisfy my exploration cravings so let's sling in a Hub Marketing outing for the sheer fun of it eh? Mr D9 and I have been wanting to get back to Brownhills again as a sequel to last year's visit, and a stop in Stonnall always sounds like a good idea...

- A Cuppa for the Chairman -

Trip Log: Friday 19th May 2023 and the delights of Leicester, Oswestry and Macclesfield give way to the more mundane fare to be found in Walsall's northern outposts. The Chairman asks for a 10:40 Bradford Place rendezvous in advance of breakfast commitments at Jack & Ada's, the greasy spoon café opposite St Paul's Bus Station. Mr D9 remembers this being a drivers' canteen back in the day so it's only right that we should avail ourselves of a cuppa and a Full English each, provided we drop lucky for a spare table. Judging by the sheer popularity of the place and the way the staff interact with their regulars, Jack & Ada's is a much-loved Walsall institution that serves up a cracking brekkie.

- Plug pulled at The Waterside -

Getting down to the serious business of the day, the number 10 bus has us heading towards Brownhills West via a deluge-dodging pit stop in Walsall Wood. We're the only customers at the Royal Exchange near Streets Corner but we put their dartboard to good use, or rather D9 Destroyer does because WME Whirlwind is struggling to land his outshots again. Within no time at all, the Secretary faces a 5-0 deficit and probably wishes he'd stayed outside in the rain. The downpours continue on Wilkin Road where we're sad to see that the Waterside is due to be dispatched to flat-roofed heaven after plans were approved to turn it into a shop. 

- Railway Clues at Smithy's Forge -

Elsewhere among Brownhills's extremities, the Crown is a Marston's two-for-one dining affair on the main A5 Watling Street while the Rising Sun opposite has ever less of its roof intact having been a crumbling wreck for several years. At Mr D9's request we nip into the Hussey Arms Hungry Horse on the premise of sampling some Greene King IPA - it wasn't worth it!! - while the Smithy's Forge Sizzling specimen provides one of those very rare occasions when having a half of John Smith's was actually an improvement on the beer that came before it. Still on the topic of Smithy's Forge, we note that the former Walsall - Lichfield railway line passes behind the pub and has been rebadged as the McLean Way leisure footpath. We speculate that some of the earthworks here might mark the site of Brownhills Station; Dr Beeching still has a lot to answer for where Brownhills folk are concerned!

- From one expired Royal Oak... -

There's plenty of pub history in the Brownhills area although the number of closures has been accelerating rapidly in recent years. The Anchor lies dormant beside the Wyrley & Essington Canal while the Royal Oak further along Chester Road now cuts a very sorry figure, encased by grim mesh fencing with a burnt out caravan on the car park. The presence of a certain D9 bald spot serves only to add to the indignity, but better prospects are in store up ahead at the Shire Oak. A well-known local landmark, this one stands on the Chester Road (A452)/Lichfield Road (A461) crossroads and manages to still feel traditional despite being updated over time. Timothy Taylor's Landlord is an ale that the Secretary can finally appreciate, helping WME Whirlwind to an improved darting performance in the process.

- ... to a Royal Oak that's very much alive -

At the risk of things developing into an oak fixation, we take Main Street into the Staffordshire settlement of Stonnall where a brace of boozers await virtually opposite the village hall. We try the Royal Oak first, lured in by the cottagey appearance and a promise of traditional ales; cue Holden's Golden Glow and a spider dangling from the beams seemingly intent on dunking itself into Mr D9's pint. The Swan is then close at hand for more quality quaffing, Wye Valley HPA being our preference in an establishment which has Desi-style leanings whilst retaining some heavy old wooden doors and hints of 1960s glass blocks by the side entrance.

- Backyard Blonde at the Lazy Hill -

Stonnall certainly has some charm about it, especially when the sun belatedly bakes down on us, although we doubt whether silly songs such as the Jim Bowen Rap or 'Papa Pingouin' (the 1980 Eurovision entry from Luxembourg) would qualify as being charming. Lazy Hill Road is the most direct means of getting back into Walsall territory although you need to keep your wits about you given the absence of a footpath. Country lane scenery gradually gives way to West Midlands suburbia by the time we reach the Lazy Hill Tavern, a hostelry that has almost reinvented itself through the addition of a Desi restaurant. Backyard Blonde is proof that you can still get a more than decent drop of cask contentment here.

- Home D9 and don't spare the horses! -

We've made excellent progress and are actually on schedule for a change as we intercept an incoming 937 for a quick ride into Aldridge. Our onward journey back to Walsall is intentionally interrupted courtesy of the Dilke, a Table Table chain eaterie close to Longwood Junction and the Calderfields Golf Club. We can't get overly excited about Doom Bar at the best of times albeit it does serve its purpose while the Chairman speculates about what Bert and Deirdre might have got up to here back in the 1980s. Mellish Road is subjected to some D9-patented steering manoeuvres in bringing another classic Hub adventure to a close. Cheers!