17/09/25 - Historic Pub Tour of Birmingham

Magical Mystery Tour

A recent Ramblers walk alerted me to Birmingham Heritage Week. Most of the building open days were already booked up, but there were a couple of slots left on the third running of the "Heritage Pubs of Birmingham" tour. 

£15 to join a guided walk around 4 pubs that I had almost certainly been to before - but it offered the opportunity to learn something new and meet new people.

It turned out to be a fine day out.

I knew I was in good hands when we started at the Bull. A short distance but a completely different world from the bustle of the city centre. We were told about the gun manufacturing industry, the payment of workers in actual beer tokens, and fights that were broken up by the priest from the nearby Catholic church.

Two buildings knocked through

So what if most of the information was written on the wall

My fourth visit and being part of a group tour, it meant that this was the busiest I have ever seen the place. My last two pre-baggies visits, it was just me and an old boy in a brown three-piece suit, complete with a gold watch chain. And the resident cat, Ellie.

Onwards to the recently revived (last 12 months) Woodman, Fantastic, a group tour with added Bass. The smoking room was reserved for our use, so we got the leather banquette seating and access to the toilets all to ourselves.

If/when HS2 is finished, this will be a gold mine. Prizes for guessing what they'll use the Doric columned gatehouse for when the station reopens.

I admit, I was here for midday opening before the tour.

No alternative

A lengthy walk coming up and things get interesting...... where could he be taking us? My guess of the Craven Arms is dismissed in my head as being too far away.

We stop at the Crown to see the makeover that was completed in time for the recent Black Sabbath gig, rather than the sadder two week later demise of Ozzy. There was general agreement that someone needs to show a bit of imagination. Surely the pub could be supported by the worldwide interest in heavy metal music. It would be a mecca. Have you seen the flowers on the Sabbath Bridge?

The answer to stop 3 is a little left-field. The Victoria has a long history as a theatre-pub. Rumours of a tunnel linking the pub to the theatre next door. Charlie Chaplin is said to have been a famous former patron.

Probably best not to dwell on the rather dull deep green external paint job and head straight in for a glamorous interior. The beer is not much to shout about - with Ubu or Black Sheep the only two choices, but apparently they do the best pisco outside of Peru.

The Wednesday Afternoon Drinking Club

Of course, the Craven Arms was next. A survivor and now lovingly looked after by the Black Country Ales. Holders Brewery remodelled the Craven Arms in 1906–10, adding its bold tiled façade. More than decoration, the tiles projected respectability — a look designed to impress magistrates as much as customers.

Abandon all hope...

Alas, they were having a bad day. We all know that Black Country Ales stock too many cask ales. With a group party, I could get a fair representation of quality. Two hand pulls failed to produce any beer - just foam. This led to an argument between the staff - a severe lady berating the server for not pulling it correctly and him fighting back. Several alternative options were selected and from what I saw, there seemed to be an awful lot of murky beers being served. And many short measures.

Still, we enjoyed the chat and once the tour was declared over, we got to see the hardcore who stayed for just one more. 

And we found inspiration for the next day out.

I could walk that.

08/09/25 - West Midlands Way - Stage 9 - Penkridge to Rugeley

The Prince of Poisoners

Stage 9 of the West Midlands Way. I wouldn't be surprised if this is classed as "the best section", once complete. A nice bit of symmetry at the start and end. The ancient towns of Penkridge and Rugeley. Canals, divided by a long section of the Staffordshire Way through Cannock Chase and into the Shugborough Estate. The Staffordshire and Worcester Canal to begin, the Trent and Mersey to end.

Let's show the walk through photographs;

Penkridge Church - with an inscription of 1578 carved into the sandstone wall

Autumn begins on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal

Deer in Teddesley Park

Hadrian's Arch - one of the many follys in Shugborough

Shugborough House

Having completed my research, I was keen to discover the mystery of The Shepherd's Monument, another of the Shugborough follies.

Shugborough Hall, near Stafford, is an 18th-century stately home built for the Anson family, whose naval hero Admiral George Anson brought back great wealth from his circumnavigation of the globe. The estate is famed not only for its elegant Palladian mansion and landscaped grounds but also for the enigmatic Shepherd’s Monument, erected in the mid-18th century. Beneath a carved relief of Nicolas Poussin’s painting The Shepherds of Arcadia, an inscription of seemingly random letters—“OUOSVAVV” framed by “D M”—has baffled historians, cryptographers, and codebreakers for over 250 years. Theories range from Masonic secrets and religious messages to hidden references to the Holy Grail, but despite numerous attempts, including by wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park, the true meaning remains unresolved.

The National Trust gatehouse was unguarded and the blog needs more dodgy photos to bring the mystery to life.

Risk Taking in Shugborough

Must mean something to someone

Onwards with the (lengthy) walk;

Over Essex Birdge, a C16th Pack Horse Bridge with 14 arches...

... to pick up the Trent and Mersey Canal all the way to Rugeley

Another story awaits in Rugeley. A place detailed in the Domesday Book and most notable as an Industrial Revolution mining town. Its most infamous resident - William Palmer, the Prince of Poisoners.

William Palmer, known as the “Prince of Poisoners” was a Victorian doctor infamous for one of the most notorious criminal cases of the 19th century. Born in 1824 in Rugeley, Staffordshire, he qualified as a physician but quickly gained a reputation for greed, gambling, and mounting debts. Between the early 1850s and his arrest in 1855, a series of mysterious deaths surrounded him, including his wife, brother, and several associates, though he was only ever tried for the murder of his friend John Parsons Cook. Cook died after falling ill at the Talbot Inn (now the Shrew) in Rugeley, where Palmer was suspected of administering strychnine. His trial at the Old Bailey in 1856 drew national attention, and after being found guilty, he was hanged outside Stafford Prison that same year, cementing his reputation as one of England’s most infamous poisoners.

I spent a little time plotting the locations of his dastardly deeds before finding out that an Adventure Lab Cache had done all the work for me;

The Palmer Family Home

Grave of John Parsons Cook - Gambler, bon vivant, Palmer victim

Formerly the Talbot, where Palmer administered poison to Cook

Palmer's final home - where he may or may not have poisoned his own children

A first - the blog turns "true crime". Let's get back to its original purpose. Pubs.

I had every intention of investigating the Talbot/Shrew but thankfully I was saved from myself.... this, a subset of an online review.

At the rear is a dance floor, karaoke with loud music and disco lights...

Best to stick with the Good Beer Guide recommendations, of which there are two and only the Vine open on a Monday. Although, I have never seen a pub look less open. Nearest door to the street closed and barely a light on inside to show proof of life. 

A mobility scooter further down the street gave hope

There is am eponymous brewery attached. If they sell any of their beers elsewhere, I haven't stumbled across them. A choice of at least 4, with the grapefruit IPA turned down in favour of the stout.

The pressure on with the Untappd checkin.... once I start my typing, I am told the head brewer is sat next to me. At least he is on the stout as well.

It was that good, I stayed for two.

Mobility, Hi-Viz, the pub is alive with life.

Walk Details

Distance - 15 Miles

Geocaches - 23

Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6 (Part 1), Stage 6 (Part 2), Stage 7, Stage 8

06/09/25 - West Midlands Metro Pub Crawl, Stage 3

I hit the city

An afternoon on an organised walking tour of Birmingham - The Crown, Black Sabbath, Digbeth, River Rea - all that sort of stuff. Unsure the guide was right when he said that Budweiser is brewed in Aston. We all agreed that Birmingham would be lovely when it's finally finished. It's frankly all a bit of a mess. Especially Digbeth.

Before this, I have a few hours to complete the next stages on the tram pub crawl. I asked AI to identify the nearest pub to each stop and when on the ground, fire up Google Maps to see if they have it correct. Stopping every three stops, I've made it to the end of the first run.

Number	Station	AI Recommendation	Actual Nearest
8	St Pauls	The Rectory	The Hen and Chickens

At least the Rectory exists.... but there is a pub closer. If I had been able to easily alight the tram stop to the left, it might have been the new Indian Brewery Tap Room. However, on Constitution Hill is a desi pub of greater vintage.

 

Curry for lunch

A Victorian corner pub from 1875. Inside, it's largely unchanged and labyrinthine, with a little snug behind the bar and another separate dining area. Advertised as "Cask and Curry", they do indeed have Theakston Lightfoot on. Once I make my mind up that £29.50 is too expensive for a small grill, it has to be a Cobra to wash down my Madras. The first mistake of the day was eating the rather large green chili balanced atop.

Famously expensive

Midday at the Hen

Number	Station	AI Recommendation	Actual Nearest
9	Library	The Shakespeare	The Windsor

When in doubt, AI recommends the Shakespeare. There is one near New Street, but the Windsor is much closer. As long as you can navigate the abandoned rental scooters and are prepared to venture into a dodgy looking alley.

Canon Street

This is a modern (1990) rebuild of a Victorian pub, maintaining the style by using the original spruced up facade. If it looks a little rough, its more the street than the actual pub but it does carry a long-term reputation. A 1970s Pubman describing the place as;

“a bit rough looking… a dodgy bar… if you wanted something cheap, nudge, nudge, wink, wink,” but also noted it was “not trouble-wise”

It's now inhabited by pre-match football lads and old boys. The former in a uniform of shorts, even the one with a false leg. The latter drinking John Smiths smooth pour.

No cask ale and possibly the only thing of interest is that a decent looking cooked Irish breakfast is 80p cheaper than a pint of Japanese lout. A rather fine collection of whisky and if I had been a true adventurer, I would have asked if the "double up for £1.70" included Lagavulin 16.

Number	Station	AI Recommendation	Actual Nearest
10	Library	The Shakespeare	The Gentlemen and Scholar

Move onto the Library - so no end of drinking establishments along Broad Street. Google Maps shows the Gentlemen and Scholar as directly next to the tram stop. Here comes mistake number 2 of the day. It looks like a pub - behind a glass wall, with some comfy looking sofas and pubby furniture. Getting in proved near impossible. No door on the main street opens. The bouncer next door couldn't tell me how to gain access. At one point, I gave up and tried the Wetherspoons. Yet this was three deep at the bar and would have been a betrayal of the mission.

When is a pub not a pub

All became clear when heading around the corner. This is a hotel bar for the Hyatt hotel. Still, in for many a penny, I decided to investigate. After paying for another Japanese lout, I instantly get a message from the keeper of the joint bank account. Mrs M wanted to know why I was drinking in expensive hotels instead of being back at home listening to my brother.

£8.20. 

But I do tell her to be grateful that I don't smoke cigars.

Snipage a snip at £15.

That's me staying in for the rest of the week

Really, should have taken the short trip to the end of the line at Edgbaston Village. However, my brother cannot be left unattended, so I call it a day.

Stage 4 starts back at Wolverhampton for some more wallet-friendly drinking.

Walk Details

Previous Metro Pub Walks - Part 1, Part 2

Pubs - 3

Total Number of Metro Station Pubs - 10

04/09/25 - The Bell at Pensax

The Lost Snug

Another book to work my way through. Worcestershire's Historic Pubs. No index and rather haphazard organisation - chapters on Mug Houses, Canal and Railway Pubs, Road Side Pubs and Locals. 

The Bell at Pensax is filed under "Road Side Pubs".

Proper Pub Queuing

Book published in 2007

The walk is from the Ramblers. Pensax and Menith Wood don't offer much for discovery. Half-hearted coal mining, but no evidence on the ground. I have to make do with hop fields, woodland and some fine views of the Worcestershire countryside.

At least I think they are hops. The Seek App identified them as "common weeds"

This is the third time I have walked past Burnt House. There's a hermit that lives in splendid isolation with an ever-increasing collection of junk. Last time I passed, a radio was playing but all was in silence today. The next field has a farmer chopping down a tree who confirms that the eccentric is still alive. Maybe he has run out of battery.

A similar photo from 2018

Pub Archaeology at Menith Wood. The OS Map shows the big blue cup of joy, but identifying the Cross Keys proves impossible. The internet provides only one nondescript external photo but a Facebook page hints at the joy within.  A closed pub is more than bricks and mortar; it is the fading of countless conversations, celebrations, and friendships.

The former landlady and slightly menacing landlord

We made our own entertainment. It was shite.

A return to the Bell at Pensax. It was a permanent feature in the Good Beer Guide and was probably my first serious attempt at blogging pubs. It was closed for a few years and reopened in 2023. But not to universal acclaim. CAMRA removed it from its "Inventory of Historic Interiors" when the snug was lost during the renovation.

Bell forged in 1886 - about the same time as the pub

The central serving hatch has also gone, but they leave the sign where Miss E Wallop has sold out her female sisters by insisting they know their place.

A pub is no place for discretion

A dining room to the left and the main bar to the right. Log Burner, flagged floors and a frankly unnecessary selection of 6 cask ales. No need, there are only two other punters on a Thursday lunch.

I'm counting four pales and two bitters.  Is there any need?

To be fair, the Ludlow Gold was pulled through with a full 100% "wastage". One pint for the sink, one pint for me.

Monumental sausage rolls and scotch eggs available under a glass dome. Alas, the Mappiman retirement budget only runs to a liquid lunch, despite the temptation of a wonderful smelling fish finger sandwiches delivered to the two other punters.

Hard, when the storms meant you didn't bother taking sandwiches on the ramble.

Walk Details

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 1

Walk Inspiration - The Ramblers