Wednesbury.
We liked this a lot last time, but this time things weren’t so good. No ale, no drinkable lager either, staff that didn’t listen to the order, and a bunch of gobby blokes in the beer garden. The first time in years we’ve left a drink (Cider!), in order to escape to The Old Blue Ball. Maybe we caught it at a bad time.
When we last visited, this was feeling a bit run down and and tired, and a little creceh-like too. In the almost five years that have passed, it’s seem some refurb work. The magnificent tiled counter is still there, the staff are still friendly, and sadly, tthere was still no ale, but it’s good to see this impressive pub looking a bit smarter and being used.
Wednesbury:
Close to all the delights of the border between Walsall and Wednesbury: M6 Junction 9, Ikea, a surplus of nice old houses that have become care homes.
That’s sounding quite negative. In actual fact, where the pub is situated is a surprisingly quiet resdential street that wraps around Brunswick Park, with a mix of old and new housing. We sat outside, next to the street, in the sun, and it was nice. I’d not been here before, and my better half hadn’t been here since college days over 20 years ago, when Sandwell College was just the other side of the A461. The pub itself is a traditional one, almost certainly Victorian given the name and the history of the park. It’s had a fairly typical makeover, but it hasn’t removed the character (and it looks fresh and tidy), and while food is a big part of the business, that hasn’t destroyed that this is a pub.
Very friendly staff, decent beer, good food.
Wodensbury Wednesbury:
Just off the main road, this was filling up for football veiwers, but still OK. Ale on offer, but it was Doom Bore, so I opted for Stella (proper Stella, not the 4% rubbish). Nothing outstandng, just a typical pub, but certainly OK.
Wednesbury:
What a fine pub. It’s been mentioned by local CAMRA for a while, and is on the historic pub interior register, and it’s great. Traditional, multi-roomed, great beer at a good price, and a nice beer garden. Pleasant staff too, and a nice, backstreet location just off the 310/313 bus route. A great place for a few beers on a Saturday afternoon.
Wednesbury:
A ‘spoons in Wednesbury? What could go wrong?
Well, nothing. We gave the Pig and Trumpet (which I recall as the Golden Cross) nearby a miss, as it looked a bit grim, and dropped in here. It was fine: a spoons, for sure, but the beer was good, it was passably clean, and the outside space was nice in late-summer sunshine, and the staff were fine.
Wednesbury:
I was travelling through Wednesbury from a delicate evening of culture the piss up with Andy, and was in dire need of a slash. Against local custom, I passed by shop doorways, and elected for the first pub I came to: The George Inn. It’s a 60s-looking building, and from the outside looked closed at first, but closer inspection showed that only one side of the considerable space was lit. It looks to be up for sale.
The barman was friendly, and my pint of Carling was cheap (but then it was Carling, so like making love in a boat), and he let me charge my phone for a few minutes. I’d suspect this pub was crowded at one time, but Wednesbury has fallen on hard(er) times: there were only 3 other customers at 9pm ish on a Saturday. By no means dreadful but no ale or decent lager, so I continued my journey quickly.
Wednesbury:
Big, imposing Victorian pub on the A461. I loved this place, even though it was evidently a tiny bit run down and there was no real ale. The staff were friendly, the lager was bearable, and the building fantastic: it was clearly once very grand, (and a hotel at one time), and some features remain, notably the impressive tiling.
Wednesbury:
Tucked in a Wednesbury side street, this is a real surprise: a proper, olde-world pub- the sort of thing you find in country villages, not smack in the middle of the urban West Midlands- it claims to originate from 1510. Inside, it’s very traditional- I’ve not seen beaten copper table tops in a Midlands pub for years. Pleasant staff (the landlord in a shirt and tie, too), decent beer as well.
Wednesbury:
Randomly encountered this pub we didn’t even know existed while walking to Ye Olde Leathern Bottel from Park Lane/Manor House Rd. Tucked in a backstreet, it’s a pleasant community pub- open plan now but probably multi-room once. There’s some nice original glass and other features, and pleasant staff and decent beer too- a choice of real ale. TVs were on, but not too loud, which was nice.