D9's Darlaston Doorstep: The Evening Edition

A matter of four days after their Wet Wombourne Workout, the Hub Marketing Board reassemble for an extraordinary evening meeting during which they will dutifully delve into Darlaston. Thankfully the weather is drier - if saddled with autumnal greyness - and there is an all-time classic sleeve surprise in the offing...

- Pop Art Patterns -

A Tuesday tour of one of the Black Country's most unheralded towns is on the agenda, but not before Mr WME has paid one of his periodic visits to Wolverhampton Art Gallery. The Pop Art is always worth a look, especially with a memorable model of King Kong taking pride of place, while the pieces on display are rotated so as to showcase the breadth of the collection over time. Andy Warhol is represented alongside the likes of Richard Hamilton and Pauline Boty, with prints, sculptures and collages to really capture the impact of the Pop Art movement. 

- A Threat of Something Foxy -

Culturally replenished, the Secretary can then count down to a Loxdale rendezvous at circa half past four. A grinning Chairman is waiting on the Midland Metro platform and is clearly up to something, although there is momentary alarm when Mr D9's apparent intentions have us approaching the Foxy Lady Adult Cinema on Oxford Street. Hub Marketing is a wholesome pursuit first and foremost so the bald one is only teasing, and his real target is the Midlands Sports Bar tucked away deeper into the Bilston Key Industrial Estate. Even so, it is very unnerving passing mounds of rubble, abandoned skips and discarded tyres to get there.

- Stunned Secretary in the Midlands Sports Bar -

Previously the Midland Snooker Club but latterly expanding into more general Bar & Grill-type operations, the Midlands Sports Bar is quite a revelation (particularly as it had totally escaped the otherwise-extensive WME radar for such things). A blackened frontage gives way to an interior that seems to be partway through refurbishment, with pool tables stretching back as far as the eye can see. A couple of Carlings get the day's drinking underway, watching the Women's World Cup cricket as England hold their nerve in a run chase against Bangladesh. Several cue-wielding gentlemen are taking their potting most seriously while it's the darts section which seems to be the focus of much of the upgrading redecorating activity.

- More Carling? Why Not! -

After that startling starter, we turn-up-and-go with both the 79 (driven by 'The Wig') and the 37 (where one of the Chairman's Walsall Garage associates is behind the wheel). Darlaston now demands our concentration whereby it's nice to actually set foot inside the Why Not for the first time ever. We'd done it before, but that was during that weird period immediately after Covid when all drinking had to be done in the open air to continue combatting the risk of infection. Things are more relaxed on this occasion so we can happily park ourselves on one of the booth tables, partaking of Happy Hour £2.80 lager discounts and watching resident pooch Rufus trying gamely to get into a bag of Pork Crunch. A salt of the earth local this one!

- Dusky Darlaston Baldness -

In fairness, the salt of the earth desciption could apply to any of Darlaston's boozers as we receive the best of Black Country welcomes in every one we sample. The Green Dragon on Church Street is a properly old-fashioned M&B affair where the weekly karaoke slot is quite an attraction. Sue's rendition of 'Build Me Up Buttercup' is the stuff of nightmares quite frankly but it's a lot of fun to pop in for a Butty Bach, noting that warm soup is dispensed to one snoozing old gent. Relieved that the Chairman hasn't treated all and sundry to his best crooning attempt at 'Spanish Eyes', we proceed into Victoria Road as the bald spot eyes up the local precinct.

- The Spice Hub Photoshoot -

There's a lot to admire architecturally in the vicinity of Victoria Road - the old Council House, the Post Office, and (further round on Crescent Road), the disused Police Station too. Also worthy of appreciation is the Swan, nestled in amongst these reminders of Darlaston's civic past, so we make sure to call in there for a cracking pint of Ludlow Gold. We can well imagine the days of Rubery Owen workers piling into these places at the end of their shifts, and a few remnants of those times still seem to survive. Our final port of call - via two Hub photoshoots - is the Horse & Jockey on Walsall Road which is serving Wye Valley HPA rather than Banks's these days, once we've snuck in through the side gate. So there you have it, a Darlaston dash on a dusky October evening, and what a fine time we had. Cheers!

Wet Weather Wombourne

Beware the wicked letter 'W', it has magical powers when it comes to Hub Marketing escapades. Over the years, a pattern has emerged that the worst weather conditions have been reserved for trips that begin with that very symbol of sogginess... think of Wellington, Warley, West Bromwich and now Wombourne!

- Double Golds in The Cross -

Storm Amy is wreaking her wateriness across the West Midlands with high winds and heavy rain forecast for much of the day. Nevertheless, there's a task in hand and that is to pick back up where our Greensforge Gallop left off, so the heavy duty anoraks are unleashed and out into the deluge we go. At the Chairman's insistence, members should meet at Kingswinford's Cross Inn Wetherspoons where we won't be the only folk sheltering from the squall. Spare tables are hard to come by here and it takes all of Mr D9's powers of negotiation to stop two grannies from stealing his chosen perch. A slight communication mishap means that we end up with more drinks than anticipated but the duplicated pints of Autumn Gold are soon gulped down, Secretary WME sticking to his preferred tarmac care of Hook Norton's Pick Me Up Mild.

- Himley House Hotel -

It isn't a day for lingering long outside so news that we've missed one potential 15 connection prompts a speedy revisit to the Bridge Inn. Black Country Ales have worked wonders with this place, stocking it with great beer, tempting cobs and patterned fabric upholstery to the extent that it has made the 2026 edition of the Good Beer Guide. Mr WME's eyes light up at the sight of large cheese and onion rolls to go with his half of Weetwood Eastgate, sitting by a freshly stoked fire. It's almost a shame to go but we daren't dodge another bus, and sure enough we can squelch up to the Himley House Hotel for new heights in refinement. The Chairman does the gallant thing and cops for the round in here, £6.50 a pint for Greene King's Level Head craft beer means the D9 wallet is rapidly emptied in the pursuit of a hoppy zing.

- Depicting the Dudley Arms -

Once we'd gotten over the trauma of the pricetag, there's a lot to like about the Himley House Hotel. Low sofas, lacy lampshades, flamingo wallpaper and several outhouse bedrooms for on site accommodation spring to mind - you just have to limbo under the car park barriers to get inside. No special gymnastics are required for the Dudley Arms over the road, although as a Marston's carvery affair it does feel like something of a comedown after such luxuries. We like the way different zones are named after Black Country towns (Brierley Hill and Tipton among them), and the Courage Bitter is decent enough. Apparently King Edward VIII spent some of his last days as monarch in the Himley vicinity, and I doubt there are too many pubs in the country which are adorned with a large mural of Ms Wallis Simpson. 

- Drenched Driving on the 15 -

Determined not to abdicate from our own tour of duty, we board the next 15 along so that Mr D9 can grimace his way through another steering masterclass - you have to be extra careful in the wet don't you know! Having hoovered Himley we pitch straight into a Wombourne workout, alighting by St Benedict Biscop Church and dripping into the Vine. Although not quite as posh as the Himley House earlier, this is still very fancy and a half each of Timothy Taylor Boltmaker doesn't come cheap. Green pouffe stools and wooden shelving compartments are noteworthy pieces of furniture but we concentrate more on nattering about timetable scheduling matters, tendered council services and general bus-related stuff.

- Old Bush Baldness -

This particular corner of South Staffordshire must have had a thing for shrubbery historically because three of its watering holes had been christened the Old Bush. We did the Swindon one last time out along with the latterly-renamed Hinksford equivalent so now it's the turn of the Wombourne variety, which happens to give us our second slice of Black Country Ales hospitality today. Like the aforementioned Bridge Inn it has gained GBG recognition and if there were a guidebook for cracking cobs I'd vote it in without hesitation. A hunger-slaying wedge of cheese, onion and black pudding goodness soaks up the Secretary's slurping of Stancill Summer Breeze whereas the Chairman makes the acquaintance of Fixed Wheel's Gorilla, a potent 5.2% Extra Special Bitter with a very moody great ape pumpclip. I doubt a disgruntled gorilla would take kindly to our silly songs, 'Susan's Tuba' versus 'Demon Driver' whereby Freddie and the Dreamers do battle against Russ Abbot.

- Soggy Secretary in the Fox & Goose -

The precipitation shows little sign of abating as we proceed into Penn, stopping off at Miller & Carter (previously known as the Penn Cottage) for steakhouse sensibilities on the side of the A449. Despite being set up for dining, we're very welcome to drop in for a drink - in our case of Aspall's Cider - whilst working up to our big finale. Yes, after a near miss with the Fox & Goose in September we are happily able to celebrate its resurrection over gorgeous dimpled pints of Stout Brummie. The new owners have done a remarkable job of bringing the pub back to life after years of either outright closure or restaurant operations; half of the building has been styled like a traditional alehouse, the other side is a community cafe and the overall effect is highly impressive (as indeed is the beer quality). We will be back for sure - cheers!

Lost Pubs from the WME Archives #41

This somewhat sombre series of bygone boozers just keeps on growing and growing, for every time I dip back into my archives I seem to come across another pub or two which are no longer operating. This time around I reflect on two Worcester casualties preceded by a trio of Warwickshire watering holes...

- The Dolphin -

Our starting point this time around is the hat-making town of Atherstone where Nick and I very much enjoyed visiting the New Dolphin back in September 2012. Back then it was renowned for the quality of its real ales, making it an essential Long Street calling point (the Old Swan and Black Horse were nearby, making for a nice little cluster in this corner of town). It closed down not long after we dropped in and has since been converted for general residential use.

- The Oak Inn -

Sticking with Warwickshire but moving across to the elegant streets of Royal Leamington Spa, we now encounter the Oak Inn in the days when it retained some Ansells branding. A grand-looking property, it stands on the fork where Willes Road meets Radford Road south-east of the main town centre, and had hints of salmon pink paintwork at the time of my picture. The building is still there having been taken over by Sainsbury's for one of their 'Local' stores.

- The Kingsholme -

Next up is Nuneaton and the sad sight of the Kingsholme, historically known as the Coach and Horses. It really grieves me when pubs are allowed to rot to such an extent that they become utter eyesores, and in this case the fabric of the place has been gradually decaying for the best part of twenty years. In its pomp this would have been an Ansells boozer with hints of Brewers Tudor which was a constituent component of the Abbey Run pubcrawl. Whether things can be salvaged from their current precarious state remains to be seen...

- Crown & Anchor -

To Worcester then for a mention of the Crown & Anchor on Hylton Road, a Marston's cottage-type affair which was not far from the River Severn and would also have been handy for the University of Worcester's St John's Campus. Boasting a conservatory, traditional skittle alley and a function room, it sounds like my kind of place but fell into disrepair after a prolonged period of closure. The last I heard there were plans to create flats here although I'm unsure what the latest situation might be - could it yet reopen as a pub? That seems unlikely.

- The Fox -

Finally for this particular post, we'll head to the other end of St John's to remember the Fox, a backstreet Banks's specimen which was located halfway along Pitmaston Road. Nestled in a run of tight terraced houses, I always liked its simply striped frontage tile effect and the sense it probably hadn't changed for several years. The vintage Banks's signs have been removed leaving the facade mostly as it was, and the site is now purely residential. 

WME Flickr Focus - September 2025

So it's September, the month when the summer starts to fade and autumn's golden hues take hold, kids go back to school and the evenings gradually get darker earlier. The West Midlands Exploration photostream has dealt with anything but the West Midlands in recent times, and I have to say there's been no change to that pattern despite the shift in the seasons...

Nope folks, Exploration Extra is showing no intention of relinquishing the vicelike hold it has maintained on my updates these past four months but the end of its domination is coming into sight I believe. My latest batch of arrivals can be loosely summarised as hailing from Scotland, Wales, the West Country and the East Midlands, so let's catch up on pictorial progress.

The Scottish contingent can solely thank Southerness for its headline-grabbing antics this month, with the rugged village on the Solway Firth giving us plentiful glimpses of Galloway. I'm on record as being a big fan of the local lighthouse - so much so I took several pictures of it over the course of my 2022 holiday - hence it naturally leads the way, supplemented by rocky foreshore scenery and painted pebbles, some of which have a distinct pet-related inspiration. Wales meanwhile settles for Rhos-on-Sea seafront snippets plus an Everard Road street sign, augmented by a peek at Wrexham's Rock Suite Cafe.

Two different trips have woven in some West Country content, with Minehead's endearing metalhead sculptures proving impossible to ignore during my Brean break (especially when they're recreating the dance moves to 'YMCA'); a sprinkling of Weston-super-Mare gives you Badgerline bus branding and the somewhat stark frontage of Smiths Hotel. Bristol is the other chief contributor here, adding in a Redland Fish Supply ghost sign from Clifton and a pair of Private Gromit fun sculptures from one of those public art trails I love so much.

This leaves us with an East Midlands ensemble comprising Nottingham three-eyed fishes (courtesy of the Angel pub near the Lace Market), a Northampton train treat - if you get excited about Class 350 units between workings - and another of Sneinton Market's alphabetical avenues. Not to be outdone, Narborough nudges us with platform pieces, Catholic contemplations and a foxy flourish by the railway station. There's just enough wriggling room for a South Coast swansong from Swanage (the heritage railway station complemented by the White Swan pub) and that's your lot. Enjoy the photos!