WME Flickr Focus - October 2023

Whisper it quietly, but I'm approaching my 1,000th posting here on the West Midlands Exploration blog and I'm wondering whether the milestone will be reached with a grand day out report or a more mundane monthly photostream summary. It's the latter type of entry that edges us one post closer so let's see what has landed on Flickr over the course of October 2023...

We don't often start with WME Sandwell (mainly because it's had a very quiet year) but some Ocker Hill and Oldbury occurrences mean it gets first mention this time around. Credenda Road, the Railway Inn and the Weatherite air conditioning works take pride of place alongside Ocker Hill Road while the Village Inn on Wednesbury's Mesty Croft estate brings us a Banks's badge for good measure.

WME Wolverhampton is never backward in coming forward, and if it were hosting a Sesame Street episode the letters of the month would have been M and N. M in this instance stands for Merry Hill (Orchard Crescent, the Overdrive Garage, S.C. Edwards's Butchers) and the Mermaid canal moorings base in Wightwick, whereas N is represented by Newbridge (railway bridge street art) and Northwood Park (the local school acting as a polling station). 

N for Newtown is the main focus over on WME Staffordshire, where the likes of Hobble End Lane and the Masons pub now furnish my album covering the small A34 hamlet just north of Bloxwich. There is a Moatbrook Lane moment from Codsall too, and then we come to WME Telford which trades Newtown for Newport. Moorfield Lane hedgerow blossoms and Keller Drive offerings are the new arrivals here. 

Among October's also-rans are WME Walsall, with a trio of Moxley morsels covering curry pubs and pukka pies; WME Birmingham, with the One Trick Pony Club mural in Moseley getting another airing; WME Dudley, with a surprisingly scenic view of Moden Hill (between Sedgley and Upper Gornal); WME Warwickshire, with Nuneaton's art deco former Co-op frontage; and finally WME Solihull, with a no parking sign from Meriden Green. Enjoy the photos and see you in November for more photostream progress!

A D9 Double Header

The Hub Marketing Board always aims to meet up with a degree of regularity but two trips within a few days of each other is unusual even for us. The first of these was a Priestfield soiree whereas the second involved braving the elements over in Brum...

- Ward Street Drinks Hub -

A Monday evening spent in the back end of Bilston doesn't sound like the most enticing of prospects but Chairman D9 and Secretary WME are made of stern stuff. Our original plan had been to meet in Coseley but Mr D9's intended 229 connection went AWOL, meaning a Bilston Bus Station rendezvous was hastily arranged instead. Priestfield is but a short tram ride away and on Ward Street we confirmed that the former Old Bush pub has been turned into a Drinks Hub off licence store. Two doors further down, the Orange Tree is still going as a local boozer and has recently been renovated in high-end Desi style - the owners are presumably trying to cash in on the surrounding new estates of Northolt Drive and Tangmere Road. 

- Boddingtons in the Gate -

Our Orange Tree sojourn was notable for Carling, The Chase tv quiz show and bright floral wallpaper backed with neon tube lighting. A family party arrived to take over one half of the place so we left them to their celebrations and headed to the other end of Ward Street, calling into the Angel on Stowheath traffic lights. More Carling there helped us to digest our silly song offerings ('Who Stole The Keeshka' - a Frankie Yankovic polka tune - and 'Monster Gonzales', Tommy Bruce's spooky take on a Pat Boone classic) before the Gate on Bilston Road yielded a very smooth Boddingtons by way of a nightcap. A few pints and a good chat, who could ask for anything more? But our tale isn't over yet...

- A Cafe Neo Cuppa -

Indeed, we'll skip merrily forward into Friday 20th October 2023 when Storm Babet is lashing the entire country with very unpleasant weather conditions. The ensuing railway disruption at Birmingham New Street is no surprise in the circumstances, leaving our hopes of Redditch reconnaissance thwarted by widespread cancellations on the Cross City line. Worcestershire in the wet would not have been much fun anyway so a Birmingham contingency makes better sense. A breakfast interlude will give us time to plot out another plan so we convene at Cafe Neo down in the Bull Ring's market halls; an £8 Full English is suitable fuel for taking on the downpours, and the cafe patrons are a motley cast of characters complete with Stavros Flatley and Chris de Burgh lookalikes (albeit minus any sign of a 'Lady in Red'). 

- D9 drives the 16 to Hamstead Hill -

The number 16 bus terminates nearby on Upper Dean Street alongside the outdoor market pitches, hence we hop aboard that for a damp ride towards Great Barr. Always happy to show off his expert steering skills whatever the weather, Chairman D9 takes a front seat perch when powering along Hockley Hill and Hamstead Road. Landmarks spotted along the way include Handsworth Park and St Mary's Parish Church, as well as the leafy environs of Hamstead Hill. We alight by the swollen River Tame just where the metropolitan boundary would have us about to cross into Sandwell, and it's time to pick up where Monday night left off pub-wise.

- Curry Clock in the Hen & Chickens -

First up for our attention is the New Garden Gate, a gabled roadhouse on the junction with Cherry Orchard Road. Part of the premises is in use as a hand car wash - there isn't much call for their services in these conditions - while the remainder is a bar and restaurant with Desi leanings. It looks like they're still clearing up after the night before but we swerve broomstick obstacles to obtain the necessary glasses of Sharp's Atlantic and position ourselves watching Hip Hop Evolution on MTV. One quick drink later, we take the return 16 back towards town and get soaked trying for a no avail at the Observatory in Lozells. Thankfully we can dry out again at the Hen & Chickens, a fine purveyor of cask ale and curry on Constitution Hill. All of the tables here seem reserved, so either its extremely popular or they strategically keep them free for walk-in foodies. The Purity UBU is on good form regardless.

- 'Spotted' at the Yew Tree -

With no sign of the rain relenting, we intercept a Perry Common-bound number 7 bus on Summer Lane for our onward link into Witton. The route burrows its way through Newtown and Aston although we can't see too much along Witton Road because the windows are all misted up. Our prompt to alight is the Yew Tree on Brookvale Road, an establishment that would also qualify for any Outer Circle pubcrawl itineraries. A certain bald spot ponders the building's charms in anticipation of sampling Carling and World Cup cricket once we're safely inside. This place seems popular with the Caribbean community as well as Aston Villa fans, and there are plenty of screens for watching the Pakistan vs Australia match.

- Wolf Whereabouts -

From the Yew Tree, we dodge some seriously large puddles in progressing back past Witton railway station to the Witton Arms, a large tavern just off the local square (diagonally opposite the former Aston Hotel). Another warm welcome awaits here as a Desmond Dekker playlist accompanies respective pints of Carling and John Smiths. The main bar is nicely furnished with chevronned brown fabric and there's a pool table room to the left; outside, the Friday afternoon traffic is really starting to snarl up with motorists looking exceedingly miserable. Windy wild Witton has served us well but now it's time to harvest more of Hockley, hence a visit to the Wolf craft bar is required. They pride themselves on an eclectic range of 16 beers and ciders here so we're somewhat spoiled for choice, even if the Secretary predictably eyes up the Anspach & Hobday London Black nitro stout (and very nice it is too!)

- Sheltering in the Barrel -

Hockley is a curious mix of the old and the new, part gentrified (especially when you get closer to the Jewellery Quarter) and part industrial wasteland that feels stuck in 1975. Our closing circuit aims to keep us relatively dry while ticking off more places from our combined wishlists; cue the Barrel with its rounded frontage, a one-time Banks's house which nowadays acts as yet another curry-led emporium. Bundesliga highlights supplement our Carling supping here, then we splash our way over to Burning Soul's microbrewery outlet in a rollershuttered lockup unit on Mott Street. The Dark Necessities Stout is utterly delectable - made even better when we're told one of the regulars has already paid for our beer as part of his birthday celebrations - and we finish off memorably at the Hockley Social Club making sense of their gourmet food concessions and DJ decks. This is a very modern take on the notion of a social club so you don't get musty dusty furniture or stewards called Stan, at least not to our knowledge. Cheers!

Wightwick Manor

It's one of life's strange little oddities that you can ignore attractions on your own doorstep and yet happily go to places that are miles and miles away. Wightwick Manor comes firmly under that category for me - I'd never visited despite it being one of Wolverhampton's finest historic houses, so with a National Trust day pass at my disposal it was time to put that right...

- The Big Mend Underway -

Set within 17 acres of woodland and gardens, Wightwick Manor is a magnificent Victorian property built by the Mander family of prominent Wolverhampton industrialists. The house is noted for its Arts and Crafts sensibilities and 'Old English' style of architecture, having been designed by Edward Ould and constructed between 1887 and 1893. Owned by the National Trust since 1937, the building is currently undergoing careful external conservation (The Big Mend Project) hence the presence of lots of scaffolding across the main elevation. 

- Autumnal Aspects -

Despite the exterior being partially hidden from view, some fine details can still be detected in the form of barley-twist chimneystacks, oriel windows and decorative bays, not to mention examples of stained glass, elaborate stonework and bargeboards. The distinctive timber frame is cosmetic rather than structural but nevertheless needs repair to ensure it survives intact for future generations to enjoy. 

- Ripening Pumpkins -

Again aspiring to Arts and Crafts ideals, Wightwick's gardens were designed by Thomas Mawson and feature formal landscaping aspects along with ornamental pools, orchards and an intriguing mathematical footbridge; said to be a replica of a similar structure in Cambridge, it crosses Wightwick Bank in connecting the main grounds with a patch of woodland. The kitchen garden is used to grow seasonal produce, hence there being pumpkins aplenty.

- Security Scarecrow by the Peach House -

Also part of the kitchen garden are rhubarb and cabbage beds, all presided over by a friendly-looking scarecrow with a pair of binoculars. Dating from 1891, the Peach House is a heated glass conservatory used for growing stone fruits although the prime specimens in there at the moment seem to be of the knitted variety, part of a trail for excitable youngsters to investigate.

- Reflections on Wightwick's Interior -

As for the manor house itself, it is rightly renowned for its displays of William Morris wallpaper, oriental ceramics and refined furnishings. Of particular note is the Pre-Raphaelite collection of paintings and artworks by the likes of Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Edward Burne-Jones, Elizabeth Siddal and Evelyn de Morgan. The paintings weren't originally part of the Mander family home but have been amassed under National Trust stewardship from the 1930s onwards.

- The Billiard Room -

The living quarters importantly capture a sense of domesticity rather than just acting as a museum piece or an art gallery, and I like the homely nature with which things presented. From the drawing room to the grand parlour to the bedrooms upstairs, you really get a feel for late Victorian high class society, and I rather fancy the idea of being an Edwardian gentleman socialising in the Billiard Room! 

- Pegging out the Laundry -

For all the opulence on show, the other side of the coin isn't forgotten and there is insight into the lives of Wightwick's servants too. A series of kitchens and pantries feature maid costumes and mock food dishes (plastic fruit, pretend pies and even a prize-winning handstitched leek) while the laundry room has heavy duty mangles and pegged-up washing to peruse. 

- A Final Look -

Also part of the wider site are a shop (with plants for sale), a stable yard tea room and the Malthouse Gallery (showcasing further works from the De Morgan Foundation). My own explorations conclude with a woodland stroll, discovering the adventure play area, and a closing glance at the main elevation again. With the weather as good as it ever gets for October, Wightwick was a wonderful way to pass a sleepy Sunday morning. Cheers!

Lost Pubs from the WME Archives #31

Seeing the distressing sights of the York and the Horseshoe in Hall Green last week reminded me to get grappling with my archives again, cobbling together another Lost Pubs episode for your perusal. This set of five should give us something to ponder...

- The British Oak -

Sometimes a small area can be so heavily stacked with pubs that it comes as no surprise when one or more of them shuts. Take John Street in Walsall for example - situated just off Stafford Street, it's hardly the prettiest of locations for a start and yet you've got Rock Steady Eddie's and the Pretty Bricks virtually next door to each other. Slightly further along the same road is the British Oak, a Banks's number that's been boarded up for several years (in fact, I struggle to remember ever seeing it open). Additional competition from the likes of the Desi Star and AJ's Ales Brewery mean this is unlikely to start trading again. 

- The Roebuck -

To Cannock we go where the Roebuck used to be positioned on the A34 Stafford Road just outside the town centre. Reasonably handy for the local District Hospital (which it effectively backed onto) and not far from the bus station, it is seen here during its Thwaites days circa 2011. After a prolonged period of closure, the building has been converted into residential apartments; from memory, the White Lion on Cemetery Road corner is the next pub you'll come across when heading out of Cannock in this direction now.

- The Horse & Jockey -

Let's breeze back to the Black Country - Coseley to be precise - for this third selection as we pause to recall the ex-Horse & Jockey on Ivyhouse Lane. Perched high above Coseley canal tunnel's north portal, the building we see in my picture replaced an earlier pub in the 1940s and was set back from the roadside slightly whereas the adjacent shop (now a hairdressers) is much closer to the pavement. After lying empty for the best part of a decade, the place has finally been put out of its misery by being demolished. 

- The Five Ways -

From Coseley to Cradley Heath now and a local landmark which is thankfully still standing, albeit having somewhat ignominiously been turned into a carpet and furniture showroom. As you might be able to deduce, the Five Ways takes its name from a prominent road junction where High Street, Cradley Road, Graingers Lane and St Anne's Road all converge. It was a long-time Banks's establishment during its heyday, colloquially known as Charlie Wright's. 

- The Fox & Grapes -

We'll finish this quintet with an offering from Birmingham and - being as HS2 has been in the news a lot lately - a boozer which was apparently flattened as part of clearing the path for the railway's creation. The Fox & Grapes on Park Street was already a crumbling mess by that stage, despite having listed status, and its demolition due to safety concerns preceded much of the subsequent works which have transformed the Eastside and Curzon Street areas. 

Two October Outings (the 2023 edition)

October 2023 has begun with back-to-back outings, one being an interesting incursion with the Beardsmores into Telford territory, the other a classic slice of Birmingham's southern suburbs. Here are a handful of selected highlights for you...

- Middle Pool, Trench -

Friday 6th October offered a trip down memory lane for Stephen and John in that we revisited one of their old fishing haunts over near Oakengates. Middle Pool and the larger Trench Pool were originally constructed as feeder reservoirs for the local canal network, and still make for popular leisure amenities and beauty spots all these years later. Stephen remembers coming here for nighttime angling activities with his uncle back when you had to hurdle disused lock remains to reach the waters edge; there even used to be an inclined plane mechanism in the vicinity which terminated near the Blue Pig pub. Our circuit made partial use of the Silkin Way leisure footpath and included brief glimpses of Wombridge Parish Church.

- The Blue Pig -

Talking of the Blue Pig, it made perfect sense to pop in there for a pint. Alternatively known as the Shropshire Arms, its colloquial name is not a reference to porcine animals but instead is a nod to the pig iron ingots that would historically have been transported on the canal outside. A welcoming committee of lively springer spaniels greeted us in the bar, as indeed did a 'Super Smashing Great' depiction of comedy legend Jim Bowen next to the dartboard. Ringwood's Razor Back was the cask ale option at time of visit and proved a decent drink as we chatted away about lesser-known Nolans hits and more fishing reminiscences. We all really rather liked this one, an unspoiled Marston's boozer right beside the main pool.

- Theakstons Tarmac in Oakengates -

The remainder of Friday was given over to Oakengates imbibing followed by quiz night action in Tettenhall. The Coalport Tavern was a place I hadn't sampled previously so that needed to be done, resulting in us encountering more boisterous canine company and spotting a framed tribute to locally-born Wolves footballer Johnny Hancocks. I'm already on record as being a firm admirer of Market Street's pub prowess with four hostelries virtually on top of each other, so we picked out old friends the Station Hotel and the Crown for another whirl. Goose Eye's Golden Goose was peachily glorious in the first of those whereas the Crown Inn delivered a delectable drop of Rudgate's York Chocolate Stout. As for the quiz, Team Bears came 2nd.

- The Stadium Site -

I was still processing that runners up placing when Saturday 7th October heralded a helping of Hall Green, a sizeable district of Birmingham which straddles the A34 Stratford Road between Springfield and Shirley. I'm very much a fan of the local railway station and its Edwardian-era GWR architecture complete with lovely covered footbridge. My morning mission was to see what had become of the Hall Green Stadium site, a sporting facility which hosted greyhound racing for nearly ninety years from 1927 to 2017; housing now occupies much of the land although the road names do reference its previous use, hence the presence of Prestige Avenue and Kildare Close after an annual stakes competition and a celebrated hound. 

- A Not Very Lucky Horseshoe? -

Hall Green was an area once blessed with several fine examples of the suburban roadhouse boozer but some of these have fallen by the wayside in recent years. The York is boarded up and surrounded with hoardings although you can still see some carved M&B details such as a heraldic crest above the doorways; there is talk of the building being repurposed as a religious temple, whereas its counterpart the Horseshoe looks set to disappear and be replaced by a Costa Coffee drive-thru takeaway with associated Farmfoods supermarket. Whether either of those schemes comes to pass remains to be seen but the current eyesores are depressingly sad, and the Horseshoe already has much of its rear elevation missing.

- Dragon Seat, Hall Green Library -

Happier photographs can be plundered elsewhere so I paused awhile at Hall Green Library, admiring a dragon bench created by the sculptor Graham Jones in 2002 in recognition of the branch's 40th anniversary - I wonder if it is at least partially inspired by The Lord of the Rings book trilogy being as author JRR Tolkien has links to the area. A Quaker Meeting House and the Hall Green Junior School (originally provided by the Yardley School Board) also added hints of heritage for me to capture on camera, not forgetting the Scotts Cycles shopfront bringing to mind an independent family business that was founded in 1905.

- The Robin Hood -

Naturally I was keen to frequent some of Hall Green's surviving watering holes, hence I made sure to call into both the Bulls Head (an Ember establishment where the late Pete Allen was the resident quizmaster) and the Robin Hood. The latter is a Toby Carvery affair I'd never tried before but it caters for the casual drinker as well as roast-seeking diners, meaning I watched the Luton vs Spurs Premier League football whilst partaking of a Pale Brummie cask ale - not bad at all! A Shirley sojourn to reacquaint myself with the Shaking Hand microbar (yielding a very nice pint of Infinity's Perspective Mild) rounded off two days of quality exploring. Cheers!

Seeking Beer Festival Salvation in Shrewsbury

Attending beer festivals seems to have become a quarterly occupation for Nick and myself in 2023, in that we haven't done very many and those we did sample have been well spaced out across the year. To Burton in February and Stratford in June we can now add Shrewsbury in September - here's what we got up to...

- St Mary's Church -

It's Friday 29th September 2023 as His Majesty and I join forces once more aboard the 10:15 train from Wolverhampton, all bound for lovely Shropshire. Our initial conversation covers the concluding of another cricket season (we were in Balsall Heath a couple of days earlier after watching some of Warwickshire versus Somerset), and there is discussion about Porthcawl Elvis gatherings too. Shrewsbury seems as delightful as ever bathed in welcome autumnal sunshine, the Tudor-inspired frontage of the railway station looking especially spectacular when facing out along Castle Foregate. Ascending the hill via Castle Gates, we soon target another impressive building in the form of St Mary's Church, today's beer festival venue. 

- Braced for Beer Festival Action -

The largest church in Shrewsbury, St Mary the Virgin was declared redundant in 1987 and is no longer used for active worship although it has been retained as a visitor attraction under the stewardship of the Churches Conservation Trust. As beer festival settings go, this has to be one of the most memorable we've ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and we eagerly hand over the £9 admission money to obtain our programmes, tokens and commemorative glassware. Some of those tokens are immediately spent in obtaining Kent Extra Stout and Magic Dragon's Blackberry Porter, both of us predictably starting on the darker stuff.

- The Jesse Window -

St Mary's is particularly highly regarded for its stained glass, including the 14th century Jesse Window which depicts a whole host of Old Testament saints and prophets. We pull up a pew in the chancel and admire other stunning architectural details, such as the carved oak ceiling in the nave and a multitude of monuments. The beer isn't bad either, enticing us into samples of North Riding's Choc Fudge Porter, Beowulf's Dark Raven Mild and Big Hand's Lost Abbey Coffee Stout. Not all of our picks are stouts and porters though, hence I'm rather taken with the fruity mellowness of Beowulf's Mango Sypian Pale Ale. 

- An Intellectual Irish Stout? -

Chickpea curries with pakora and samosa sides resolve a bout of peckishness as we top up our tokens and continue to proceed through the tempting menu of brews. Clun's Dark Horse is billed as a red ale and proves very tasty whereas Nick declares a liking for Atom's Lighthouse Effect Irish Stout - this beer demanded close examination, hence the rare sighting of HRH wearing his reading glasses! An informative panel lists the church's incumbent deans and ministers from the 12th century onwards, featuring illustrious and noble names such as William le Strange, Horatio Henry Follis and Horace Edward Samuel Sneede Lambart - one can only speculate as to what Walter de Wetwang would make of all the festival happenings!

- View from Porthill Bridge -

With our tokens spent out, we take our leave from St Mary's making sure to thank the CAMRA volunteers for all their organising efforts. A swift half somewhere close to the church would be nice and we could hardly get any nearer than the Yorkshire House, a heavy rock-themed pub which soon declares its fondness for Led Zeppelin, Kiss and the like - even the barmaid bears a resemblance to Morticia Adamms! A gentle wander should then make the most of the blue skies so we stroll along Shoplatch and St John's Hill to reach Quarry Park by the distinctively-rounded St Chad's Church. Passing a swimming and fitness centre, we can cross the River Severn courtesy of the elegant Porthill Bridge, a pedestrian suspension link which was built in 1922. The bridge has a certain vibration to it, making you feel like you are bouncing along when walking across it, but this all adds to its undoubted charm. 

- The Bricklayers Arms -

Over on the Frankwell side of the river, Pengwern Road can lead us to an intriguing Joules hostelry on Copthorne Road. The Bricklayers Arms is the pub in question, refurbished to the brewery's usual impeccable standards with lots of woodwork and mock-vintage enamel signs (not perhaps wholly authentic but it works for me). A slurp of Slumbering Monk ensures Nick stays awake to learn about brick courses, one of the walls helping us to tell our English Bond from our Rat Trap - every day is an education! Frankwell's wider mix of bicycle showrooms and timber-framed frontages then escorts us along to Welsh Bridge, one of Shrewsbury's two major river crossings (the other being English Bridge on the Abbey Foregate side of town).

- Draught Bass in the Kings Head -

Keeping the 18:30 train in mind for our critical homeward connection, we finish off with a couple of somewhat contrasting halves in the vicinity of Victoria Quay and Mardol. First up is The Armoury, a riverside restaurant-bar which concentrates primarily on refined dining but nevertheless has a six-strong cask lineup from which we partake of the Ludlow Black Knight Stout (always a firm favourite of ours). Draught Bass brings the curtain down in the double- jettied embrace of the Kings Head, watched over by a portrait of Henry VII; the interior here doesn't quite match the medieval charm of the bulging facade but there is a section of C15th wall painting which is well worth seeing so history fans won't be disappointed. Nor are we for that matter, Shrewsbury having delivered a top day out as expected. Cheers!