BROWNHILLS AREA
THE STATION HOTEL
THE RAILWAY TAVERN
THE JOLLY COLLIER
THE HUSSEY ARMS

WALSALL WOOD
THE BOOT INN
THE BLACK COCK
THE TRAVELLERS REST
THE HORSE AND JOCKEY

FAMOUS PEOPLE

THE SHIRE OAK INN Sireoaks, Brownhills. This photo was taken around the early part of the1900's . It shows what a large building it was sitting on the top of Shire Oaks Hill at the junction of the Lichfield Rd and the Chester Road. Some of the regulars are seen wearing a wide range of headgear as most men would not leave the house without a hat of some sort on their heads. The Inn dates back from before 1845 and has changed very little over the years.

There has been an Anchor Inn on the present site for over 200 years, It is thought to have been a Inn built for the canal workers and traffic around the late 1790's, it was mentioned in a book of the minutes of a meeting of the Wyrley and Essington Canal Co who held a meeting at the Anchor Inn, Catshill, Lower Stonnall. The Landlord at the time was Thomas Woodhouse. The Woodhouse family carried on as landlords for nearly 100 years. They were a family of wealth and owned land opposite the Anchor and around the Catshill area. In 1881 Mrs Rebecca Woodhouse was the Head of the household and along with her son, the fourth Thomas Woodhouse they ran the Anchor and 200 acres of Farmland, employing 6 men, 2 boys and 2 domestic servants. FOR MORE ON THE ANCHOR CLICK HERE.

The Anchor bridge was built in 1797 to carry the Old Chester Turnpike Road over the newly built canal. There was a Toll House built on the opposite side of the bridge to the Anchor around 1854 when the original Toll House by Old Warren House Farm was no longer used as the old Chester road was diverted to make way for the Canal.

There are many stories surrounding The Anchor and the Toll house with regards to Dick Turpin (The Highwayman), the saying goes he stopped at the Anchor Inn and jumped the gate of the Toll house, It would have been quite a feat as there was no Toll house, even on the Old Chester Road until 1759 and no Anchor until 1797 and Dick Turpin was Hanged in York on 7th April 1739 (20 years before the Toll house was built and 60 years before the Anchor). If you know different i would like to know.

In more recent times my Great Grandfather Horace Steward was Landlord in 1926 and my Father Trevor Webster during the late 1960's.

The Old Anchor Inn was demolished in 1986 and was replaced with the New modern Anchor Inn.

THE WARRENERS ARMS

Positioned at the corner of Ogley Road and the High Street it is thought that The Warreners acquired it's name from the fact that Richard Gilbert who was Lord over the Manor of Norton in 1765 stocked the area between High St, Lichfield Rd and Ogley Road with rabbits. These were put there to provide food for the locals, especially during the winter. A Public House was opened at around the year 1850, a farm house called Warren House had been on this site since the 17th Century and part of the farm building was converted into a Pub. William Woodhouse (Farmer) was the first Licence at the age of   77 years he died three years later and was buried in St James's Churchyard. The farming side of the business carried on until 1877 when the property was purchased by, William Roberts and Levi Seedhouse was installed as Manager and the Seedhouse family kept the Pub for over 50 Years, Levi was followed by Earnest who is shown in the above photo in 1900. The Warreners closed as a Public House in 1999 when it was converted into a McDonalds Restaurant.
The Warreners Arms 1999 (McDonalds)

THE STATION HOTEL

The Station Hotel in Brownhills High Street C. 1986,  three years after it had finally closed it's doors to the public. This was the Hotel that was the love, Life and centre of the empire of the late WILLIAM ROBERTS

THE JOLLY COLLIER

The Jolly Collier c. 1970

The Collier c. 1920

The Jolly Collier started its life in the early 1800's as a Off Sales Beer Licence selling Beer to the local Coal miners who worked the pits on COPPICE LANE (Coppice Side). It was eventually extended to include a Bar and Sitting Rooms and Lounge areas.
Just below the Jolly Collier was a big black stable block owned by the Canal Company. When the Barges tied up for the night at the Collier Bridge they would bed their horses down in the stables and then the boat people would go to the Jolly Collier for a drink. During the early 1900's  a homeless man slept in the stables and during the day would play his violin in the Collier, he was known as,"Sweetie".
The Jolly Collier became a victim of the mining subsidence in the 1970's and parts of the pub had to be sealed off as they had become unsafe and in 1982 the building became so bad structurally that it was pulled down before it fell down.

THE HUSSEY ARMS 2001

The Hussey Arms has been a Public House since 1850. Named after the Hussey Family who were Landowners who have lived at the local 'Wyrley Hall' from at least the 1600's.
The Pub sits on the Chester Road just outside the main town of Brownhills. An old pub called The Turks Head stood on the site during earlier times, it was shown in 1800 on maps of that time and in 1830 it was used as a miners benefit club meeting place, where miners would collect their wages.it  had to be demolished due to mining subsidence damage in the mid 1800's
There was also a large farm close by owned by the Caddick Family.

THE ANGLESEY ARMS. Watling Street

The Anglesey Arms Public House was an old pub which was situated in the middle of a row of houses known as,"Foxes Row". It stood on the A5 Watling Street opposite Howdles Lane. The Brownhills Comprehensive School know stands on the ground behind where the Anglesey was and a Block of maisonette's sits where Foxes Row was.

THE RAILWAY TAVERN

The Railway Tavern was previously known as The Railway Inn and started out as a beer-house in the mid 1850's. The first landlord was Edward Seedhouse who was a local coal miner from Norton Canes. Edward like most of the landlords in Brownhills was taken to court in 1858 for having Jugs and Cups that gave short measure, he was found guilty and fined 5 shillings. He shortly left The Tavern and went to live on the Watling Street and became a leading mine bailiff. The Inn was taken over in 1859 by a John Marklew also a coal miner, he came from Whittington. The first full time landlord was John Jones who took over in 1871.

After serving the locals for more than 140 years, sadly The Railway Tavern became a victim of the degree of abstinence that fell over Brownhills in the early 1900's. Even though the licensing laws had been relaxed to allow 'all day drinking', like so many pubs The Tavern found it difficult to make a profit. Property developers looking for land to build new houses on, seized upon the chance to acquire inexpensive public houses with their large car parks very cheaply and were able to build many small houses on the sites. The Tavern was demolished in October 1993 and was replaced with houses.

THE WOODMAN

THE WOODMAN c.1920

The WOODMAN was a pub which stood in the oldest part of Ogley Hay. It stood on the corner of Ogley Road and Mill Road. It was a part of the old Ogley Square block of houses and was demolished along with the square in 1935. It was replaced with, "The Wheatsheaf", which was itself demolished and replaced with modern houses in the late 1990's.

THE TRAVELLERS REST

The Travellers Rest, Walsall Wood dates back to at least 1855, it was situated on the Walsall Road between the canal bridge and Boatman's Lane, it was one of 4 large Inn's / Hotels within a 100 yards stretch of road. the other 3 being, The Horse and Jockey, The Boot Inn and The Coach and Horses.

THE BLACK COCK

The Black Cock is situated in an area of Walsall Wood known as Bullings Heath, in 1881 the landlord was a Joseph Wright , who was also a shoe maker.

THE BOOT INN, Walsall Wood. C 1930. This Inn was on the corner of Walsall Road and Brickyard Road, very near to where Barons Court Hotel is now situated.

THE HORSE AND JOCKEY

THE HORSE & JOCKEY, Walsall Wood. C 1920 when the licensee was Jockey Joe Blakemore