Lye,Wollescote,Quarry Bank plus one in Birmingham Crawl 21st February 1991

This was a crawl round some proper Black Country pubs that i was doing on a regular basis in the late 80s and early 90s,i was always after independent brewery tied houses that were common at the time.
There would be no Holdens or Bathams tied houses done on this crawl,though lots of Banks's and Hansons tied houses.
I took a bus to Derby then the train to Birmingham where i always got a West Midlands day travel ticket which covered both trains and buses,so there would be no problems in hopping on and off buses or trains in the area.
I got a train to Lye and i was a new area to me,so all pubs seen would be new to me.
After a short walk from the train station i was outside the first pub of the day and found it open at 10.45am a good early start and the pub had opened at 10.30am.

Lye

1: The Windmill

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 
A typical looking town pub situated on a very busy road.
The pub had a separate bar and lounge with the bar being quite basic and the lounge more comfortable.
The pub was an Hansons tied house which was part of the Banks's brewery empire,but the people in these area were very proud of Hansons brewery and there was not much of a cross over on each other beers,so if in an Hansons tied house it was Hansons bitter and mild on the bar.
I had a drink of Hansons mild which went down a treat and only 88p a pint.

A short walk along High Street and i found my next pub.

2: The Old Bell

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A large and modern looking pub that most would not like the look of,but i do not mind going in any pub i come across.
Another Hansons tied house with a large bar and more than likely a lounge which i did not see.
There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Hansons Bitter which was a very nice drink.
Now sadly closed down.

After a short walk i i was in my next pub of the day.

3: The Castle

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A pretty standard looking pub that was a Wem tied house when i did it,i always had my doubts about Wem tied houses in the Black Country as they took over Simpkiss brewery and closed it down straight away,so not sure if this was ever one of their tied estate or not.
Once inside the pub was decent enough and the Wem Bitter was not too bad.
I do no know what as happened to this pub.

A very short walk and i was in my next pub.

4: The Fox

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

This was a Banks's tied house that i quite liked the look of from the outside.
There were a couple of basic rooms inside and there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Bitter which went down well,the other beer was Banks's Mild.

I retraced my steps and back onto Cemetery Road to get to my next pub.

5:The Holly Bush

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking pub with a couple of decent rooms inside,this was a Banks's tied house with the usual two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Mild which was a decent drink,there was also Banks's bitter on.

I took a short walk along Cemetery road which lead onto Belmont road to get to my next pub.
I think i was now in Wollescote.

Wollescote

6: Red Lion

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A stern looking 30s built pub that i think was situated on the corner of Belmont Road and Careless Green.
The pub was an Hansons tied house,so i was pleased as i prefered Hansons beers to Banks's and there was only about 100 Hansons tied houses to do.
I had a drink in a decent sized bar which was very basic,the Hansons Mild went down well,the other real ale was Hansons Bitter.
I do not know what as happened to this pub.

It was a short walk to my next pub which was situated on the corner of Brook Holloway and Wynall Lane.

7: Hare and Hounds

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking pub with open countryside behind it in the distance.
The pub was quite smart inside and also comfortable,it was a Banks's tied house with two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Bitter which was a nice drink.

I had to retrace my steps again and walk past the Red Lion to get to my next couple of pubs which were on Balds Lane.

8: Balds Lane Tavern

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

 

A fairly large estate type pub that i really like doing,though not in a rough area.
Once inside the pub had the usual two room layout with a large bar and a smart lounge.
The pub was a Banks's tied house with two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Bitter which was a decent drink.
This pub has now sadly been pulled down.

A short walk up Balds Lane and i found my next pub.

9: Swan with Two Necks

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A nice looking pub that was a Banks's tied house with two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Bitter which was a nice drink.
I thought this was a decent and comfortable pub to have a drink in.
I am not sure what has happened to this pub.

I now had to walk back towards the middle of Lye to do my next pub that was not open when i first passed it.

Lye

10: The Railway

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking bare brick built pub.
There were two rooms inside with a smart lounge and a smaller bar,the pub was an M&B tied house when i did it,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of M&B Mild which went down very well.

I now had to catch a bus to get to Quarry Bank where i had already done some pubs,and then pub crawl it down to Cradley Heath for the train back to Birmingham.

Quarry Bank

11: Brickmakers Arms 

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking pub that used to be close to the Round Oak steel works,which is now sadly the merryhill centre.
The pub was a Banks's tied house and had a few different small rooms inside.
There were two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Bitter which was a decent drink.

It was now down hill going through Quarry Bank towards Cradley Heath,but not pub wise.

12: The Sun Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking pub situated on a busy road.
There were two separate rooms inside,i had a drink in the lounge which was nice and comfortable.
The pub was a Banks's tied house with two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Bitter which was a decent drink.
I do not know what has happened to this pub.

After a short walk along the main road i found a side street being New Street which had a pub on it.

13: White Horse

 

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

An old bay fronted pub set at the end of a terrace of houses.
The pub had two separate rooms inside,i had a drink in the bar,which was a decent enough room.
The pub was an Hansons tied house when i did it,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Hansons Mild,which went down very well.

Back onto the main road and a short walk and i was in my next pub.

14: Three Horse Shoes

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A basic looking pub that was a Banks's tied house.
There were two separate rooms inside,with a basic bar and a smarter lounge.
There were two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Bitter which was a decent drink.
I do not know the fate of this pub.

A short walk and another pub just off the main road on Cradley Forge.

15: Waggon and Horses

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking stand alone pub that was an Hansons tied house when i did it.
The pub had a few rooms inside,i had a drink in the lounge which was comfortable.
There were two real ales on,i had a drink of Hansons Mild which went down well.

It was a short walk to Cradley train station and a train back to Birmingham.

Birmingham

16: Hudson Bay

The only keg pub of the day and by far the worst.
It was an Ansells tied house with only keg beers on,i had a drink of keg Ansells Bitter which was fizzy.
  A great day out despite the rain and all pubs done in the Black Country had real ales on.
All pubs seemed to be open all day and had 11am opening or earlier and done on a Thursday.
It is a great shame that Hansons beers are no longer brewed as i thought they were better than Banks's beers,though i may be a bit biased on that.