Bromsgrove Pubs

Back in 1840 Bromsgrove was famous for the fact there were 59 pubs. You could have had quite a pub crawl in those days... Unfortunately we've lost most of the old drinking holes over the years but there are still plenty of good pubs to visit in the town. These are my personal feelings about those that I choose to frequent. Many of these pubs have seen big changes since I created this website. Please click here if you want to go back in time.

Queens Head	Red Lion	Golden Cross
Black Cross	Wishing Well	Hop Pole
Crabmill	Hundred House	Slug and Lettuce
Rousler

Queens Head

Where	The Strand
Who	Banks's
Cider
Beer Garden	More of a yard really! Sunny in the afternoon.

The Queens Head is a Victorian pub of great charm and character and is a lovely site to see when approaching the town via Stratford Road. Closed for a while a few years ago it was then restored and refitted and has since been one of the better pubs in the town. Inside it has an interesting layout which results in what is quite a small pub feeling bigger. Only serves food at lunchtime. Probably the closest thing you'll find to a 'traditional' pub in the town centre and it should be supported for that reason!

Red Lion

Where	High Street
Who	Banks's
Cider
Beer Garden	Slabbed and covered by a tent. The old lawned garden is missed on a sunny day...

The Red Lion has been a feature of the High Street for many a year. Approach the pub from the rear and you'll get a feeling for the age of the site. Inside there is just one, long room tapering off to the rear. In April 2007 it had a refit that saw it lose some of its character as laminate floors and beige and brown decor took over - shame...

Over the last few years the landlord, Richard, has really brought this pub to the fore with respect to real ale. If you're a real ale fan you must pay a visit. Redditch and Bromsgrove Camra Pub of the Year 2004 says it all really!

Serves cracking home made food that is very good value too.

Golden Cross Hotel

Where	High Street
Who	JD Wetherspoon
Cider	+ bottled Westons and more!
Beer Garden	Concreted area that is shaded in the afternoon.

There has been a Golden Cross Hotel on the current site for a long time but the current one only dates back to the 1930's. It's a handsome building and much of it's exterior charm was preserved when it became one of the first JD Wetherspoon's pubs to open in the Midlands back in 1994. However, it was at this point the Hotel part of the name ceased to apply ending its historical role as a place to stay for good.

If you've been to a Wetherspoon's pub you'll know what to expect in terms of food and drink available. And the prices! No wonder it's so popular. Where it does win over many other Wetherspoon's hostelries is that it was a pub to start with. This gives it far more character and charm internally. What I like most about it is the excellent range of real ales that are almost always available. Marvellous.

Food is served all day, every day.

The Black Cross

Where	Worcester Road
Who	Banks's
Cider
Beer Garden	Concrete slabs surrounded by car park. But a real sun trap!

Now here's an historical pub for you. Dating back to 1640 it looks every bit the old coaching house that it once was. Inside you'll find three distinct areas. At the front is the bar, down the side is the pool room and at the back is the lounge. In the lounge you'll find a glass panel in the floor exposing an old well discovered when the pub was extended.

A few years ago this was my favourite pub in the town by a mile! The landlord and landlady - Bill & Pat - had run the place for a fair few years and had it well sorted. There were also some long term bar staff who really knew what they were doing. One of them - Ronnie - was the nicest and most streetwise old lady you are ever likely to meet in a pub. Friday nights were fantastic. Familiar faces, good music and good service. And it was during one of those Friday nights that I met Claire so this pub really does have a special place in my heart.

Several changes of landlord, ever changing bar staff and an invasion by the younger generation saw the pub go downhill. In fact, I haven't been there since December 2002 - very sad... I can no longer confirm that it's the only pub in town where you can get accomodation but B&B was available at quite reasonable rates (single and double rooms) last time I was there.

The Wishing Well

(Formerly The Shoulder Of Mutton)

Where	St.John Street
Who	Punch Taverns
Cider
Beer Garden	Small but very pleasant. Amazing multi-level deck! Gets the sun in the afternoon.

The thing I wish most about The Wishing Well was that it was not called The Wishing Well! There has been a Shoulder of Mutton on the site for several hundred years and to change the name now is a great disappointment. This is what the local rag had to say.

Enough carping though. The good news is that the reason the name has been changed is to reflect that the pub itself has changed - and how! The only thing the same as the Shoulder of Mutton is the position of the door and the windows. Inside, the pub has been extended greatly, refitted to a very high standard and given as interesting layout with a central bar. Several real ales are available.

May 2005 saw the grand opening of the beer garden. An amazing multi level deck makes the best use of the limited space and the illuminated caves and waterfall are a nice feature too.

The pub has proved to be very popular and now has its own website. Food is served lunchtimes only. Keep away if you don't like sport and there's a big game on - the back room is dedicated to a large screen on such days.

Give it a go is what I say!

The Hop Pole

Where	Birmingham Road (junction with Blackmore Lane)
Who	Punch Taverns
Cider
Beer Garden	Large grassy area with decking. Sunny in the afternoon.

For several years The Hop Pole was a favourite of mine as it was one pub that felt like a 'real' pub. Claire and I felt so comfortable there that we arranged to hold our wedding party in the beer garden! We were surprised to find out that Julie and Pradip, the very friendly owners, were to move on before our big day...

Since then the new owners have changed the place dramatically. They did us proud on our wedding day as the addition of a decked area in the garden really made things more comfortable. At the end of 2003 the pub was closed for several weeks for refurbishment. When it re-opened I have to say I was impressed. It still has character - something I was worried it would lose. There's always a couple of real ales available and fans of O.B.J. will be happy that it's often one of them. It's a popular brew but is far too bitter for me to drink. A good selection of draught cider keeps me happy!

The Hop Pole is one of Bromgrove's premier music venues. Check out it's website for latest news.

The Crabmill

Where	Birmingham Road (junction with Burcot Lane)
Who	Freehouse (?)
Cider
Beer Garden	Slabbed and shady. Not the best...

I'm not too sure of the age of The Crabmill but looking at it's attractive exterior I would have to place my bet on 18th century. It really is a nice looking building and is in a very nice position opposite All Saints Church.

Inside there is quite alot of open space. This imparts a less than cosy feel to the place when there are few people in. Throughout 2006 and 2007 it was modernised on the cheap and not totally successfully. They even covered over the massive fireplace with pine cladding! Still, it's a nice place to have a drink and I regularly knock back a couple in there on my way to the nearby Ideal Fish and Chip Bar (the best chip shop in town!).

The Hundred House

(Formerly The Merlin)

Where	Stourbridge Road (junction with Broad Street)
Who	Punch Taverns
Cider
Beer Garden	Slabbed and decked terrace and proper grassed garden. Sunny all day!

The Hundred House is my local so it has a special importance. I can get from my front door to the bar in less than 5 mins! It's a huge place dating back to the 30's. In those days the licensing authorities thought it better that all the drunken people were in one place so only granted licenses to large premises. This is why there is a proliferation of huge pubs dating from this time (locally, The Marlbrook, The King George V at Longbridge [now a Cantonese restaurant!] and The Black Horse at Northfield are good examples).

Known as The Merlin for many years, the pub had opened as The New Hundred House. The old Hundred House Hotel was even closer to where I live but was converted into housing some years ago. After going through a period of having a nightclub and a dodgy reputation it settled down to be a model of continuity with Clive the landlord doing a superb job. In January 2002, much to our disappointment, Clive left. Several changes of landlord followed before Keith and Linda took over in August 2004.

In the spring of 2005 a much needed refurb took place. Major works saw the layout of the pub change dramatically and its original name restored. The result of the refurb was a much improved interior and an emphasis on food.

Unfortunately, the pub never managed to reach its potential. In January 2006, it closed briefly and was boarded up for several weeks.

It finally re-opened on Friday 17 Feb and I popped in for a chat with the new tenant. His plans? "Food, food and food". This has been the key to its new found success - super meals for just £5 is a big hit. Not only that but Stowford Press is available on draught! I feel chuffed to have such a nice pub so close to home!

Slug and Lettuce

Where	High Street
Who	Laurel Pub Co
Cider
Beer Garden	Excellent! Despite being the wrong side of the High Street the position of the neighouring building means it gets sun in the afternoon.

This pub is a conversion of three shop units that had been empty for several years. The building itself was originally a Victorian house known as The Gables but, despite being a listed building, it had fallen into a state of disrepair (see for yourself...). The quality of refurbishment of the building is good and many original features have been preserved within - the windows at the back, the fireplaces and some decorative coving have all been kept.

Originally opening as a Hogshead in April 2001, it was later renamed hogs head and was very popular for several years. However, the arrival of The Rousler (below) saw it fall out of favour with the town's younger crowd. In September/October 2007 it underwent conversion to a Slug and Lettuce, another chain owned by the Laurel Pub Company.

The pub is now more of an eating venue on the emphasis is on quality food with prices to match. I've heard that all the food is freshly cooked - no boil in the bags tricks here. The drinks menu shouts 'sophisticated' and the place has the feel of of city centre bar. It may not be my thing but it makes a nice change from the other pubs in town. I have to say that I actually quite like it and I'm not the only one - trade has picked up noticably.

The Rousler

Where	High Street
Who	Smith & Jones (Barracuda Group)
Cider
Beer Garden	None

My first impression of The Rousler was not a good one! It was opening night, June 28 2006, and I'd dragged the wife down to see what the new pub was like. A bouncer said my T-shirt wasn't suitable. How was I supposed to know there were dress restrictions - it was the first time I'd been!

I was allowed entry and, frankly, I was disappointed. The front of the pub near the windows is nice but the rest suffers from the fact that it is basically a converted and extended shop unit. The central part has a high bar to the left, high tables in the middle and booths to the right. It's far too structured and orderly to create a relaxed feel. Apart from a small skylight in the middle, most of the pub relies on artificial lighting and the rear section is dark and unwelcoming.

There's an extensive menu that I've yet to try but have heard good things about.

The pub has certainly been a big hit with the younger generation but I think the occasional visit is as much as I'll manage.