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.