Birmingham - City of - visiting

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, pete.i said:

if they want money from me they will speak English.

 

 

I think that was the philosophy of those Brits being kicked out of Spain.

 

(You will need a Welsh driving licence as well, had to hand mine back in when we came into England)

[GUMPY]

Anyone old enough to remember when they had gigs at the Free Trade Hall that was  on Paradise Street and if you do who did you see there?

Edited April 12, 2021 by Loddon

[doratheexplorer]

9 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

That looks good, will investigate next time we are in Brum. I wonder if they will let us in with the dog? Dogs and city pubs are difficult. If we phone first and they say no then that's it, but sometimes we find that if we just turn up then its ok. The PoW was always tricky, the landlord was dog friendly but the main barmaid was not. I was always surprised that the Flapper was ok with the dog, dog liked it, she got a lot of attention and loud rock is fine. Folk stuff is the problem, the tin whistle is what she really hates.

 

...............Dave

What kind of dog?

[Victor Vectis]

20 minutes ago, pete.i said:

< snip > Oh yeah and I don't speak Welsh, but that's okay, if they want money from me they will speak English.

 

Typical bloody saesneg attitude.

 

[dmr]

3 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

What kind of dog?

 

We have a large lurcher, though quite old and placid these days, thats why turning up is often best, I suspect its the increase in badly trained staffies that contributes to the no dog rule in many pubs.

We had an interesting "20 questions" when trying to get into the Black Country Arms in Walsall including "whats the dogs name?" and "will the landlady be allowed to fuss the dog?"

 

..............Dave

[doratheexplorer]

Just now, dmr said:

 

We have a large lurcher, though quite old and placid these days, thats why turning up is often best, I suspect its the increase in badly trained staffies that contributes to the no dog rule in many pubs.

We had an interesting "20 questions" when trying to get into the Black Country Arms in Walsall including "whats the dogs name?" and "will the landlady be allowed to fuss the dog?"

 

..............Dave

The old brewhouse site might have been a problem since it was really cramped, like a maze of little rooms and nooks.  The new site is a bit bigger so could be ok, they've also got a little outside area at the back.

[Tim Lewis]

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

The Prince of Wales is ok, nothing special and there are better Brum pubs.  I suspect its popularity with boaters is more to do with laziness, and then a need to conform to the 'done thing'.

Then I say even more, you really should try the Rock'n'Roll Brewery.  Have a look through the google pics if you need convincing. https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x4870bced0e4f1aa3%3A0x4ced104d6751522c!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMqwY78ZxbAwiSboJ3s2TIsIacWEpEj3KYasFl_%3Dw120-h160-k-no!5srock %26 roll brewhouse birmingham - Google Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipMqwY78ZxbAwiSboJ3s2TIsIacWEpEj3KYasFl_&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju3LWXofjvAhWo_7sIHY_PD10QoiowD3oECBkQAw

 

I was talking about visiting the Prince Of Wales some 40 years ago!  Central Brum pubs were fairly dire then.  Went in it a couple of years ago and the experience was not good, I believe that it closed for a while.

 

[frahkn]

17 hours ago, StephenA said:

 

 

What? What about The Old Joint Stock, The Wellington or The Craven Arms?

Apart from being adjacent, I can see no similarity whatever between the OJS and the Wellington.

Edited April 12, 2021 by frahkn

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Loddon said:

Anyone old enough to remember when they had gigs at the Free Trade Hall that was  on Paradise Street and if you do who did you see there?

The Free Trade Hall is in Manchester.

Do you mean Bingley Hall on Broad Street? Never went to a gig there, but I visited the Birmingham Boat Show there a few times and helped out on the BCNS stand in the mid 70s. The Boat Show moved to the National Exhibition Centre when that opened (1976?), and Bingley Hall was demolished soon afterwards.

[dmr]

56 minutes ago, Tim Lewis said:

 

I was talking about visiting the Prince Of Wales some 40 years ago!  Central Brum pubs were fairly dire then.  Went in it a couple of years ago and the experience was not good, I believe that it closed for a while.

 

 

I think PoW is owned by Punch or something similar so I expect they force the landlords out every few years to up the rent and get a new hopeful to invest a lump of money.

It was closed about three (four?) years ago and the boaty locals moved to the Flapper. When I was last in Brum it was open again but was just a mere shadow of its former self.

Very sad as we have had some good nights in the PoW. Like the Flapper It must be a prime site for a bit of inappropriate property development.

 

................Dave

[GUMPY]

8 minutes ago, David Mack said:

The Free Trade Hall is in Manchester.

There was one in Birmingham as well on Paradise Street.

https://www.alamy.com/free-trade-hall-paradise-street-birmingham-1886-robert-f-matthews-topographical-views-shop-architecture-marketplace-birmingham-history-image387011692.html

 

You are right I was thinking of Bingley Hall 

 

 

 

[doratheexplorer]

1 hour ago, frahkn said:

Apart from being adjacent, I can see no similarity whatever between the OJC and the Wellington.

They're both pubs.

[Tim Lewis]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

The Free Trade Hall is in Manchester.

Do you mean Bingley Hall on Broad Street? Never went to a gig there, but I visited the Birmingham Boat Show there a few times and helped out on the BCNS stand in the mid 70s. The Boat Show moved to the National Exhibition Centre when that opened (1976?), and Bingley Hall was demolished soon afterwards.

 

I remember going on a school trip to an exhibition at the Bingley Hall sometime in the 1970's and ISTR that it was pretty run down then. From a a detailed bit of research (I looked at Wikipedia) I was surprised to see that it lasted until 1984 when there was a fire there.  Bingley Hall - Wikipedia

 

Many years later I was confused when a friend said that he went to a Pink Floyd concert at Bingley Hall, I then found out that there was also a Bingley Hall in Stafford that hosted major concerts.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Tim Lewis

[frahkn]

55 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

They're both pubs.

In the case of the OJS, only just!

 

As an example, try taking your own food into the OJS (I promise their response will not be to offer you a plate and cutlery). Or ask about their range of perrys - this will give you the opportunity to examine the bar-tender's dentition in some detail.

[JamesWoolcock]

Try The Craven Arms in Upper Gough Street at the back of the Mail Box, and the Jewellers Arms in the JQ. Both easily walkable and dog friendly and part of the Black Country Breweries group so loads of choice of great beers in really nice surroundings. 

We use CAMRA's What Pub app as our main navigation tool wherever we go, and always a great starting place.

Its available to non-members.

 

[doratheexplorer]

13 minutes ago, frahkn said:

In the case of the OJS, only just!

 

As an example, try taking your own food into the OJS (I promise their response will not be to offer you a plate and cutlery). Or ask about their range of perrys - this will give you the opportunity to examine the bar-tender's dentition in some detail.

1.  Taking your own food in is hardly a defining feature of a pub.  Even many wet pubs don't allow this.

2.  Perry is vile.  I'd happily go in any pub which served none of it.

 

The two pubs are different but both excellent in their own ways.

1 minute ago, JamesWoolcock said:

Try The Craven Arms in Upper Gough Street at the back of the Mail Box, and the Jewellers Arms in the JQ. Both easily walkable and dog friendly and part of the Black Country Breweries group so loads of choice of great beers in really nice surroundings. 

We use CAMRA's What Pub app as our main navigation tool wherever we go, and always a great starting place.

Its available to non-members.

 

They're both decent enough but the problem with the BCA pubs is just how identikit they've become.  Not as bad as Wetherspoons in that respect, but not far off. 

[Tim Lewis]

9 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

1.  Taking your own food in is hardly a defining feature of a pub.  Even many wet pubs don't allow this.

2.  Perry is vile.  I'd happily go in any pub which served none of it.

 

The two pubs are different but both excellent in their own ways.

They're both decent enough but the problem with the BCA pubs is just how identikit they've become.  Not as bad as Wetherspoons in that respect, but not far off. 

 

Only been to a few BCA pubs but the Pretty Bricks in Walsall is a good one and not identikit!

 

[doratheexplorer]

Just now, Tim Lewis said:

 

Only been to a few BCA pubs but the Pretty Bricks in Walsall is a good one and not identikit!

 

I think it's particularly noticeable on their newer additions.  The Jewellers Arms is a good example.  Nothing wrong with it, but it seems like the company are rather unimaginative.  Which is probably what customers want.  See McDonalds for more evidence.

[frahkn]

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

1.  Taking your own food in is hardly a defining feature of a pub.  Even many wet pubs don't allow this.

2.  Perry is vile.  I'd happily go in any pub which served none of it.

 

The two pubs are different but both excellent in their own ways.

 

Strangely enough I have never brought my own food into a pub nor indeed drank perry. I just chose those as examples of how the two pubs differed.

 

I imagine we differ in many respects, age, gender, life experience as well as pub appreciation. I can only give my opinion (and only I think that is always correct!). The OJS may be excellent in its own way (as a banking-hall conversion?) but not as a pub.

[Victor Vectis]

It comes down to the beer.

 

The OJS is a Fullers house. It might be a bit more interesting now that Fullers, or their new Japanese (?) owners, have bought Dark Star.

 

But it can't compete with the range of beers sold across the back at the Wellington.

[StephenA]

5 hours ago, frahkn said:

In the case of the OJS, only just!

 

As an example, try taking your own food into the OJS (I promise their response will not be to offer you a plate and cutlery). Or ask about their range of perrys - this will give you the opportunity to examine the bar-tender's dentition in some detail.

 

Taking your own food into most pubs will get you that sort of reaction, and a lot of pubs would have the same sort of reaction to you asking about their range of perrys.

 

 

[frahkn]

17 hours ago, StephenA said:

 

Taking your own food into most pubs will get you that sort of reaction, and a lot of pubs would have the same sort of reaction to you asking about their range of perrys.

 

 

There is a canal-side pub in Stourport (can't immediately remember the name) where they supply plates and cutlery on their one 'non food' day each week. So the Wellington is not alone, its just 7/7.

 

Considering the extra work (washing up etc) involved, I think it is a nice gesture on the part of a busy city centre bar. Especially one which would be attractive for its beer alone.

[David Mack]

A few years back in the Anglers Retreat at Marsworth, when we asked about food they said they weren't doing food that day, but they handed us a selection of menus from local takeaways and offered to phone our order through. When the food came they brought out plates, cutlery and condiments for us, and cleared away afterwards. Good service that enabled them to sell an evening's worth of beer to half a dozen of us.