The Old Leopard, Sandhills, as photographed by John M and posted on Geograph.
I’m liking this a lot: sent to me yesterday by Andy Dennis, this is a Google Documents/Excel spreadsheet of derived information on local pub landlords from census and other data. You can view it in the window, or download a copy by clicking the link below.
If the sheet doesn’t load, please refresh the page; the plug in seems a bit unreliable.
Download a copy of Andy’s great spreadsheet by clicking here.
I think this is very much a work in progress, and Andy invites comment, debate and clarification – which after all is what this blog is all about. The history of pubs, their landlords and tenants is a subject searched a lot, and often hotly debated.
I’m thinking here particularly of the controversy over The Old Leopard in Sandhills, and the young David Evans’ great exploration of the history of the Royal Oak at Bullings Heath, Walsall Wood.
My heartfelt thanks to Andy, who does so much great research for the blog.
Comments and any other matters arising, please add here or to BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers.
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I thought you would enjoy this one. The bulk is from Kelly’s Directories and really a by-product of trying to work out which pubs my ancestors’ family ran – it has been said that the Dennises where either teetotallers or publicans! The 1891 column derives from the recent search for Horobin’s Row.
I guess there is scope for a team effort that could complete a list from various other sources as and when we stumble upon them. Various other information lurks in my family history research; it’s just a case of finding the time to bring it together, but you know what it’s like; you get side-tracked by other stuff (I’ve been finding out about someone who was transported to Tasmania having been convicted of stealing two geese). I am more than happy to collate, but please make life easy by providing full references.
I’m intrigued to know just how long there has been a Triangle Tavern! This was the scene of my very first underaged pint purchase (in fairness to the – now long gone – landlord, he did question my age but I produced a borrowed – and memorized – birth certificate with the glib lie that I carried it because I looked young for my age…) I’d always thought of the pub as being a 60s/70s construction and had never really given much thought to its history. Particularly after a few pints! So I was quite surprised to see that a Triangle Tavern has existed since at least 1904. Anybody have any more info or old pics?
Demolition started yesterday on the old ‘Royal Oak’ at Bullings Heath.Sad to see such an old building disappear and being replaced by new houses.
Taking a quick look in the Newspaper Archives there are only a few mentions of the Triangle Tavern, it being in Chasetown, and taking part in the air gun league in 1905. One mention in the Petty Sessions of 1930.
There is a Triangle Terrace in Hammerwich
From the 1901 census, at least, there were a lot of households in Triangle Terrace, running towards the hospital. I suspect the old pub may have been part of the terrace and the whole lot knocked down to make way for the houses that are there today. And a new pub.
The landlord in 1896, John Chandler, is recorded as miner and publican at the Triangle Tavern in 1881. In 1871 Henry Wall was a publican at Triangle. In 1861 Triangle Tavern, John Whittaker, coal miner. In Hammerwich 1851 no mention of Triangle as a place or anyone with occupation publican or similar.
I suspect the pub you and I recall was not the same building.
Was there ever another pub in Hammerwich? (Apart from those in the parish on Watling Street, such as the Chase Inn).
There is the the Miners Rest just up the road, but not sure how long that’s been there. I was drinking the odd half pint in there as a 15 year old [tut tut] and like Gabrielle in the Triangle Tavern, but i always thought the Triangle Tavern was a newish pub..
Many thanks Andy for gathering together all this info into one place. I am sure it will be useful for several people, and we can add and fill in a few gaps from the archives. I will check in White’s Directory of 1834 which could date some of the hostelries.
I too have several Birmingham Publicans as ancestors, including 1860-1900, The Britannia in Lichfield Road, the Greyhound in Court Lane, the Hare and Hounds in Marsh Hill and the Golden Cross in Short Heath Road. Later generations had a few in the Black Country.
All the best Pedro
Thanks, Pedro. White’s would be a useful addition. I’ve realised my computer has a problem with Excel – I use Oxygen Office – so something like csv or pdf would be better.
That’s one of the things – trivial in the grand scheme of things, i know – that saddens me most about ‘progress’: all the pubs I once knew that are no more! Although I have spent most of my life in the south of England, I was born in the Manor and went ‘home’ to Brownhills. My grandparents also lived in Brownhills and the ‘Wood, too, and I spent more than a few hours sat outside various watering holes with a Vimto and a bag of crisps or a gobstopper. I had that childish anticipation that one day… one day… I’d be big enough to go inside those pubs. Except now they’ve all disappeared! I did manage to grab a few jars in the old Sportsman while visiting rellies, but there were so many I missed. The old Anchor, for example – as a nipper, I used to walk along the towpath from Anglesey Basin to my grandparents house in the Wood, and the pungent and strangely inviting odour of fags and stale beer from The Anchor was like a little voice saying “Soon… soon… ”
And then they knocked the bugger down.
Or The Swan (I think) at Clayhanger. I remember going in the off sales there, aged about 10, with a jug to get it filled with beer for my uncle. Everyone knew everyone and nobody batted an eyelid.
I visit the area maybe once a year now. I’m starting to wonder if the reason I don’t visit more often is that it simply isn’t Brownhills anymore =(
Nice one Andy, Thanks for taking the time to make up the list of pubs. Cheers.
From White’s Directory 1834, of the inns on the list, I found the following…
Anchor Inn…………..John Hodgkins
Boot…………………….John Rock
Four Crosses…………Robert Ball
Horse and Jockey…..Sarah Stokes
Leopard………………..William Atkin
Red Lion………………Thomas Stokes
Rising Sun……………James Thacker
At first glance some info…
The landlord for the Prince of Wales, Watling Street, for 1893 was James Norris, who seems to have also been there in 1904.
There was a transfer of Licence for the Spring Cottage Inn at Shelfield in 1890. From W Whitehouse to Ambrose Lees. In 1909 the landlord was FW Richardson.
The Crown Hotel 1885 and 1891 has Thomas Sebastian Morris as Landlord.
Thanks, Pedro
I’ll see if I can find the 1834 people in the 1841 census and the others in later censuses.
The common denominator in the White’s list looks to be turnpike roads. Four Crosses, Horse & Jockey, Boot and Red Lion seems quite a concentration given the scale of development at that time.
The Station Hotel has featured on the Blog, with “The death of a big, big man”
‘Mr. Roberts immediately came over, and satisfactory arrangements being made with the late Mr. Harrison, of Aldershaw (Capt. W. B. Harrison’s father), he first became the tenant of the house (Station Hotel) and eventually bought it…… It is a curious coincidence that the deceased gentleman first entered as a tenant of the Station Hotel on February 4th, 1860, and died on February 5th, 1906 – Forty-six years almost to the very day.’
http://brownhillsbob.com/2012/07/10/the-death-of-a-big-big-man/
Trawl re 1841 census
John Hodgkins – not found
John Rock – Boot – found
Robert Ball – not found
Sarah Stokes – 1841 Benjamin Stokes
William Atkin – not found
Thomas Stokes – not found
James Thacker – not found
Doesn’t mean they were not there, but they do no seem to be in the 1841 census.
Hello Andy, dont know if you are still looking for Horobin row.
I had a look at the 1871 Census. The list goes as follows. Coppice Lane, Horobin Building, Canal Side, Blackcock.
if Horobin Buildings is the same as Horobin row. then they were in what is now Camden st, Walsall Wood. Hope this is of use to you.
Thanks, Clive.
But why would the addresses by Nos 1 – 14 Shire Oak?
Sorry Andy, i had forgot the one your looking for is up Shire Oak.
I`m on mornings this week, i dont know if i`m coming or going.
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