There's always an element of sadness whenever I file one of my Lost Pubs postings, thinking about what might have been if a pub had been retained instead of getting consigned to the history books. Every bygone boozer must presumably be missed by somebody - even the rank dives - so let's see if any of these five stir the sorrows of someone's memory bank...
- The Victoria -
Our starter for ten this time around is the Victoria, a former Banks's tied house which could be found on Malt Mill Lane between Shell Corner and Coombeswood. I remember playing darts (very badly) here on one of the Hub Marketing trips in early 2014, and it would have closed down permanently not long after that. Marston's disposed of the building by selling it for residential conversion and it is now occupied by several flats.
- The Waterloo -
Sticking with a Dudley remit, let's bustle over to Brierley Hill to remember the Waterloo which stood on the Mill Street/Venture Way traffic lights. I must admit I had a soft spot for this one as stepping inside was something of a timewarp experience, transporting you back to the 1980s if not earlier - even the Banks's signs outside hadn't changed in years. The building is still there, another one given over to residential use.
- The Cross Guns -
The South Staffordshire village of Codsall Wood (not to be confused with its larger neighbour Codsall) was home to two good boozers but alas one of those has fallen by the wayside. The Cross Guns was a handsome Wood Road mainstay for many years and had a flat-topped side extension to augment its restaurant provision, but it sat on a sizeable patch of land which was prime real estate for building houses. The Crown - latterly known as the Pendrell Arms - has thus far survived further along the same street.
- The Crusader -
Birmingham used to be a real hunting ground for proper precinct pubs, the kind that always looked very dodgy regardless of their reputation. They're a dying breed nowadays sadly with a notable casualty being the Crusader which was based in one of the Auchinleck Square units at the Five Ways Shopping Centre off Islington Row. In this case the entire block has been overhauled as part of the Park Regis development.
- The Red, White & Blue -
I'll finish off in Featherstone, a village which straddles the A460 midway between Cannock and Wolverhampton. Given the amount of rooftops in the vicinity, you'd think there would be more than enough demand to sustain a local pub but the Red, White & Blue has seemingly fallen on hard times of late. First opened in 1928, it has been up for sale for the past couple of years so there's a chance it could yet resurrect itself, although the overall condition of the building has been deteriorating after suffering fire damage a few months ago. I fear the worst!
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