22/10/15 - Two CAMRA Heritage Pubs in Worcester

What did you say the Cardinal Did?

So, I found my old CAMRA Book - Heritage Pubs of the Midlands. I plotted the West Midlands and Worcestershire sections into Google Maps. Do you want to be heartbroken? I estimate 25% are permanently closed.

I need to work fast in ticking them off.

A day in Worcester - finishing the Wild About Worcester Way at 11:30am, left me 3 hours to kill before the next bus home. I admired architecture. I waited until midday for the Eagle Vaults to slide the bolt. Contrary to google maps, I could have entered any time after 9am. The apologetic bar staff explained how hard it is to get Google to update business information.

From the side

From the front

The guidebook rattles on about the fine tiling, the dates (1740; tiling added 1890), the Victorian bar, and knocked out walls. Further information is available elsewhere.  Previously known as Young's Mug House and then the Volunteer in 1815, it was the first pub in Worcester to serve women. Right on!

It's not a pub I chose to use - ordinary Marstons belying its beauty. And the Guinness is well over £5. That documentary on NetFlix is not going to pay for itself. 

Certainly worthy of a visit.

Can just make out the Victorian clock backed bar.

More to investigate down the Tudor-building-lined Friar Street. The Cardinal's Hat is my quarry—once a ahead-of-its-time German Bier Keller and now the sister pub to one of my all-time favourites, Nigel's Fleece Inn in Bretforton.

Where Court meets Street

This is a multi-roomer dating from 1760. A narrow corridor leads to a front bar, a sparsely decorated snug room and the destination rear room. Complete with a log burner and wood paneling. 

Best seat in the House

My local is a Wye Valley house, and I can declare that the Butty Bach here is up there with the best.

I thought about announcing it and tagging them on their socials, but I couldn't stop laughing at what the Cardinal had been up to.

Does he want a prize?

22/10/25 - Wild About Worcester, Part 2

The Tallest Building in Worcester

I'm here to finish off the Wild About Worcester Way. A 12 mile walk through the green spaces that surround the City.

The bus fare demands more. I have reviewed my CAMRA Heritage Pubs book and also come up with the brainwave of investigating a single building in the City. How do you get through the week?

The walk is as expected, with woodlands left surrounding the endless Warndon housing estates. Through Nunnery Woods for even more trees. Through Red Hill and along Duck Brook to the River, where the walk gets a little more interesting.

My Day mainly chasing these green discs in Worcester

Crossing Diglis Footbridge - the Malverns in the Distance

Lunch Opposite the Cathedral

I declare the Wild About Worcester Way complete at the bridge. Well signposted in the main, although things get a little sketchy around the hospital. Lives up to the Wild in its name. I'm not sure I passed a pub. There was a dodgy-looking Chinese restaurant, where the windows looked like they were about to fall out. If I wanted to unleash my true anorak, I could have downloaded and printed out a tick-list of 75 wooden carvings on route. On review, I may well repeat the exercise. When I get a new printer.

Onto my building to investigate - St Andrews Church or the Glovers' Needle. The tallest building in the City.

After feeding the swans, I'm heading over there. St Andrew’s Church...

St Andrew’s Church in Worcester, once a modest medieval parish church on Deansway, now stands only as a solitary spired tower known locally as the Glover’s Needle. The nickname comes from Worcester’s historic glove-making industry and the spire’s remarkably slender shape and sharp taper, resembling a needle. The church itself dated back to before the Norman Conquest and originally served a small, impoverished parish. Over time, industrialisation and the clearance of nearby housing in the early 20th century led to a steep decline in local congregation numbers. By the 1940s, the church had fallen into disrepair; the city council accepted the Bishop of Worcester’s offer to demolish the dilapidated structure. In 1949, the church was pulled down, leaving only its 245‑foot tower and spire intact, preserved as a landmark and now standing within St Andrew’s Gardens as a poignant reminder of Worcester’s past.

The park hosts the original (or possibly a facsimile) spire top. The gardens make a nice space for tramps to enjoy their jazz cigarettes. I particularly admired the single hiking boot hanging from the window frame.

More deets

Spire Top

Under the Spire

Enough architecture—the pubs could be open.

Walk Details

Distance - 6 Miles

Walk Inspiration 

Geocaches - 2

Part 1

21/10/25 - West Midlands Way - Stage 10 - Rugeley to Lichfield

Borrow, Cope and Hill

This walk will not be troubling the 2026 "Best of" awards ceremony. Let me count the things that are missing: Geocaches. Pubs. Open Churches. Places of interest.

Even getting out of Rugeley station is a ball-ache. New-build estates, with no means of escape, force double-backs and rerouting. The countryside, when picked up at Chetwynd's coppice, is reasonable, as it winds its way through Upper Longford (pub opens in 6 hours), Farewell (church all locked up) and Elmhurst (no visible evidence of the manor house).

I swear, the entire route was uphill

Dark Lane, closed to traffic around 2010 and reclaimed by nature

Coming into Farewell

Farewell Church - Doors Locked

The guide book, rather foolishly, suggests ending the walk at Whittington, bypassing Lichfield completely. This is stupid. Public transport is needed to return home. And grim mysteries are hiding in plain sight.

City Shield on the Railway Bridge, showing the 3 Slain Kings, Borrow, Cope and Hill

According to local legend, Lichfield takes its name from a grisly episode in early Mercian history — the slaying of three Christian kings named Borrow, Cope, and Hill. The story tells that they were martyred near the site of the present city during the conversion of Mercia, their blood consecrating the ground that became known as Lyccidfelth — the “field of the dead.”

Ooooh... mystery and death! I use YouTube for inspiration on which sites to visit during my couple of hours. They hooked me with "haunted pub".

A walk through the Market—scene of the last burning at the stake in England—on the way to Bird Street and its ghouls.

Dodgy photo, dodging market stalls

The King's Head is the oldest coaching house in Lichfield, dating back to 1408. It is proud of its military history, having acted as a recruiting post during the English Civil War and later as the home of the Staffordshire Regiment. Military memorials and paraphernalia adorn the walls.

The Kings Head, Bird Street

 

My YouTube video discusses three ghosts - George, who lives in the cellar. A young girl killed in a fire, seen at the window, along with flickering flames and the laughing Cavalier. Hacked to bits by Roundheads outside the pub. I was too scared to go in. It is a Marstons house and only sells Hobgoblin.

Instead, I celebrated the end of another stage of the West Midlands way in the ever reliable Horse and Jockey. A Good Beer Guide Regular. I could have lost my Bathams Mild virginity, but had no complaints. The Holdens Golden Glow was in exceptional condition.

Lets not mention the Elephant on the room

Liquid Bliss

There’s a whole world left to explore in Lichfield—not least Borrowcop Hill to the south, supposedly the burial place of the slain kings: Borrow, Cope, and Hill.

I think the locals are playing us.

Walk Details

Distance - 11 Miles

Geocaches - 5

Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6 (Part 1), Stage 6 (Part 2), Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9

16/10/25 - Wild about Worcester, Part 1

Doors Closed in the Royal City 

It was whilst completing the Rail Walk between Worcester and Droitwich that I noticed new way-marker posts.

Well Signed

The Wild About Worcester Way is a 12-mile circular walking route created by the Worcester Environmental Group (WEG) in partnership with Worcester City Council and local conservation volunteers. Officially launched in May 2023, the path links together many of the city’s green and wild spaces – from Worcester Woods Country Park and Gheluvelt Park to Laugherne Brook Nature Reserve – creating a continuous wildlife corridor around the city. Designed to encourage people to explore local nature, boost wellbeing, and promote biodiversity, the trail is fully way-marked and highlights the best of Worcester’s riverside, parkland, and community conservation projects.

Of course I was going to walk it. But twelve miles? I can easily squeeze two day trips out of that and maybe investigate a few other things on my ever-growing list.

I start at the river bridge, finding the first marker at Pitchcroft - through parkland, canals and nature reserves.

Looking out across Pitchcroft to Worcester spires

Worcester - Birmingham Canal

The unspoiled, unchanged St Nicholas Church at Warndon is more or less half way and seems a fitting place to stop – austere inside and out, with an oak-timbered tower containing bells cast in the 1400s. The heptagonal font is rumoured to be fashioned from a hollowed-out Roman pillar.

A rare, unmodified original

Sectioned Pews that wouldn't disgrace Belfast's Crown Liquor Stores

The walking done, the 34 back to town.

My first port of call is the Guild Hall. A recent walk told the story of the only Worcestershire Policeman to be killed on active duty. His assailant, was hanged at Worcester Jail. Which resides in the basement of this building. I attempted to determine when the public could gain access. The Tourist Information Centre told me to go to opposite reception. The opposite reception told me to go to the TIC. Eventually, I was told about organised walks. One for another day.

Guildhall, low on information

Pub time. The Cocky Anchor is a new micro pub, optimistically housed directly opposite the city's last remaining Wetherspoons. I've been before and it's OK - hard for me to justify the double price per pint. Plus, if I am in 'Spoons, I am looking at the lovely building, a former artists residence. If I am the cocky anchor, I am looking at thrifty daytime boozers and the ghost of Mappiman present and future.

The Sliver that is the Cocky Anchor

So why attempt a return? Right at the top, there is a rooftop terrace, promising unparalleled views over the City. It comes with a list of caveats. Only open Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. You cannot take the cask from the downstairs bar. Five flights of stairs, health and safety fans.

So this - I'll go to Worcester's best Traditional. Always a wonderful selection of LocALE bitters in the Plough. Today, this includes a wonderful Cotswold Lion Top Tup. 

Nowhere better in Worcester for the traditionalist

I'll be back next week to see what other places I cannot get into.

Walk Details

Distance - 6 Miles

Walk Inspiration 

Geocaches - 2

14/10/25 - Two Historic Pubs in Northfield, Birmingham

Fewer but Better

Always interesting to walk with the Ramblers. The conversations jumped between topics; I have determined where the best place to watch free live Blues music in town is (Snobs). And as if they knew where I was heading post walk, the conversation turned to the rather magnificent Black Horse in Northfield.

One Rambler discussed playing in a band in the upstairs function room. Another recounted  the history of the Temperance movement in Victorian Birmingham. They campaigned for the closure of vice-addled drinking dens for "more family friendly pubs".  Fewer but better.

The absolute gits.

In the late Victorian era, when Joseph Chamberlain was transforming Birmingham from an industrial sprawl into a model of civic pride, reform extended even to its pubs. As Mayor from 1873 to 1876, Chamberlain championed the idea that a city could uplift its citizens through cleaner streets, better housing, and moral improvement — an ethos known as the “Civic Gospel.” That same spirit inspired a drive to reform Birmingham’s drinking culture. The Voluntary Compensation Scheme of 1897 allowed brewers to give up licences for overcrowded or disreputable pubs in exchange for trade-funded payments. The effect was dramatic: over 600 pubs were closed in Birmingham, clearing the way for a new generation of “improved public houses” — bright, spacious, and respectable — designed to encourage conversation, dining, and family life over hard drinking.

The Black Horse isa prime example of this blueprint. An enormous, mock Tudor roadhouse, that looks more like a manor house than a pub.

Too big for a photograph

Built in 1929 for Davenports, its now - and no prizes for guessing - a Wetherspoons. Let me count the ways that I loved it.

1. Ornate woodwork, inside and out
2. Real fires
3. Multi-roomed - but the CAMRA Heritage Pub Book includes a map
4. Interesting cask - all at £1.89 a pint
5. A bowling green
6. Downstairs Toilets

I settled in the Gent's Smoke Room

A incredible, affordable theme park palace of a pub.

Make a pint last an hour and this is cheaper than having the heating on at home

5.6% Cairngorm Bothy

The Bowling Green

The more you look, the more you see

I also wanted to discover "Historic Northfield" - so I headed down to the equally interesting Great Stone Inn. Away from the busy dual carriageway, opposite the church and clustered around a collection of cottages dating from the 18th-century.

Historic Birmingham

The item that gives the pub its name is a glacial boulder, once used as a mounting block for riders at the corner of Church Road and Church Hill. In the 1950s it was moved to the village pound, a sandstone enclosure once used to hold stray animals—where it still rests, next to the pub.

A Glacial Erratic in a Pound

Low ceilings, multiple rooms, promotion offers and one-armed bandits, I was faced with a choice of two disappointments. The supplied glass was a too crafty for Wye Valley HPA. And in this part of the world, when a man orders scratchings, he does not expect crunch.

Crispy Crackled Pork Bites are not scratchings

14/10/25 - The Barnt Green Inn

Ghostly Tunnels

Barnt Green - just inside the Worcestershire border and a posh commuter village. Home at one time or the other to Big Ron, Jamelia, Private Pike and Jack Grealish.

I am here with the Ramblers for a magical mystery tour. All I know is where to meet - opposite the butchers with award-winning pork pies - and the distance of the walk, 5 miles.

It's all rather pleasant - south over the M42, new to me paths to Withybed Green and then the familiar along the canal and past the Bittell reservoirs.

Autumn views over North Worcestershire

Communal living on the Worcester-Birmingham Canal

Bittell Reservoir

Walk over and an Adventure Lab Cache guides me around the village. This of course, includes the wonderful Barnt Green Inn. A 16th-century house, converted to a pub, where their Facebook Page announces when Grealish comes in to talk about Cockapoos.

Surprisingly, for a pub that has so much history and in prime walking location, it appears in only one of my Worcesteshire pub guide books. The frankly ridiculous "Haunted Pubs of Worcestershire". From the book's size, it appears that every pub in Worcestershire is haunted.

The Barnt Green Inn

A poor scan of its horrible history

For those time-constrained, a man and his son - at different times - saw a ghostly woman disappearing into a hedge opposite the pub. The reason for blog inclusion? It collaborates WhatPub's rumour that there is a tunnel that runs from the pub to Cofton. Or Coughton (much further away), if you believe the Ghost Book.

An enjoyable visit to the gastro-pub to work out the ALC bonus calculations.... use of their facilities ran to the loos, a warm in front of the roaring fire but I couldn't quite bring myself to spend money on a Doom Bar of unknown quality.

I have a date with a Wetherspoons!

My maths - their fire - someone else's wine

Walk Details

Distance - 5.25 Miles

Geocaches - An Adventure Lab Cache

13/10/25 - London Spiral Stage 21 - Hayes to Hampton Court

That's Very Nearly an Armful

After a fairly dismal Stage 20, the London Spiral needs to convince me on this stage that it is worth continuing with. 

The map suggests it has its moments. A long stretch following the London Loop through Cranford Park. At least it's countryside and off residential streets. That comes later, although there is much to admire in the architecture, as I move into the Hamptons.

Although it's wild, remote walking along the River Crane, it's not particularly pleasant. — littered to the point of fly-tipping, with burnt-out motorcycles and paths that don’t favour the rambler, especially when crossing the Bath Road. And then there is this.

Does Stig of the Dump live in London?

St Dunstan's Church in Cranford is distinctive to look at. A half-rebuilt in brick tower, plonked on top of the original flint structure, stands out. It's "doors locked", which is unsurprising. A less architecturally gifted tramp is asleep in the churchyard. 

Building regeneration, 1710 style

Investigations need to be completed outside - where Birmingham's finest comedic son is laid to rest.

Just 44

In terms of interest, that's it for the walk until reaching Hampton. Two Good Beer Guide Pubs, one already ticked.

The Jolly Coopers is new to me - and despite a sign painter with an odd sense of humour, providing an authentic, pubby experience.

Only just worked out what he is trying to achieve.

From the moment I spot the Watney's Red Barrel lamp in the window, I can tell this is going to be old school. Grade II listed, with the same owners since 1986. A central bar, plentiful nick-nacks, most sports related.

Monday Lunchtime

The sense of continuity and timelessness is enhanced by the conversation that I couldn't help but overhear. A recent, well attended funeral of a 61 year old. All other punters reminding each other of who he was by mentioning which school year he'd been in. The year above the landlord, the same year as others. And a player, according to the mother of a daughter in his year.

The beer - Taking Courage seemed wholly in keeping with the day.

Undeniably Handsome 

My final crossing of the River Thames on this particular LDP is meant to be the Hampton Ferry. October is the last month it runs until next Spring, but only during morning and evening commuting hours.

It road walking on the North shore, past the Garrick Temple to the Bridge at Hampton Court.

Garrick Temple

Hampton Court Palace

Directly opposite the palace is the Mute Swan. A Bruning and Price Freehouse, which if I am honest with you, I don't quite understand how that works. Regardless - its a beautiful building, with a car park full of private plated Range Rovers, their owners lunching.

But that said, the beer range is very good - five cask ales, well kept and for this part of the world, a not outrageously priced. 

£5.70, as you are asking

Across the bridge for transport back to the Smoke. Should I continue? South London is always surprising, so I'll at least have a look at where it wants to take me.

Walk Information

Distance -  11 Miles

Start - Hayes and Harlington Station

Finish - Hampton Court Station

Areas Walked - Heathrow, Cranford, The Hamptons

Geocaches - 8

Pubs - 2

Previous Walks - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9, Stage 10, Stage 11, Stage 12, Stage 13, Stage 14, Stage 15, Stage 16, Stage 17, Stage 18, Stage 19, Stage 20