Amblecote - Staffordshire

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Brettell-Lane c.1904

Acorn-Inn - Brettell Lane c.1948

A view of the 'bottom' of Brettell Lane around 1904. The White Horse Hotel can be seen on the right of the image. A few yards further on is the Builder's Arms, along with shops on both sides of the road. Whilst it is thought that the road may be named after the Brettell family, some think it is more likely that it's name is derived from the fact that it passed through Silver End which was once known as Brettell which, in turn, may be a corruption of Bredhulle - an ancient name for the hill or ridge on which Silver End stands. Certainly, the name Brettell [and Bredhulle] has existed in the area for many centuries. Indeed, it is recorded that in the reign of Henry V that a certain J.Bredhull was granted land and buildings in a field called Worthull in Swinford Regis [the parish of Oldswinford extended up to Brettell Lane which acted as a parish boundary]. The name Brettell is also thought to be of French origin and can be traced to the Norman family de Bretiuil and Bretteville. The nearby house of the Brettell family was listed in William Camden's 'Britannia' and the glass manufacturer, Thomas Webb, called his Amblecote ironworks the Bretwell Ironworks. 
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TECHNICAL DATA
Date: c.1904
Source: Printed Postcard
Maximum Size: 3845x7019 Pixels
Maximum File Size: 22.00 Mb
Format: JPEG

Although this pub closed years ago, you can still find the building of the Acorn Inn. In 2007 the premises were occupied by Mobberley and Franks' carpet showroom. Mobberley is quite a conspicuous name in these parts. Indeed, some Mobberley's have been publicans. The modifications to the frontage make it difficult to spot a former public house. Located at the bustling end of Brettell Lane, the four bay building projects further onto the pavement than the adjacent old terrace which once included the Roebuck Inn. This photograph was taken when Frank Wheatley was the publican of the Acorn Inn between June 24th 1940 and September 9th 1942. The entry/passageway on the left is perhaps a legacy of the Acorn's days trading as an inn. There was certainly a stable block behind the pub. Edwin Parkes of Stourbridge was the owner of the building when Henry Pagett was the licensee. Amblecote born-and-bred, Henry Pagett was born in 1823. One year older, his wife Mary Ann hailed from Oldswinford. The couple's three children Eliza, Sarah and Thomas lived above the Acorn Inn, as did Mary Ann Davis who was hired as a domestic servant. The Pagett family had moved across the road to the Acorn Inn after living at the Red Lion where Henry had worked as both publican and carpenter. Indeed, Henry and Mary Ann had succeeded parents James and Sarah Pagett as mine hosts at the Red Lion. The Pagett's moved to Angel Inn in Stourbridge where Henry died in 1877. William and Jane Naylor succeeded the Pagett's at the Acorn Inn. William Naylor was born locally in 1820. One year older, his wife Jane hailed from The Lye. Also living at the Acorn Inn was their niece Susannah Bannister and a general servant named Sarah Surrell. Austrian-born Theodore Miller kept the Acorn Inn for a brief spell during the mid-1880's. As a glass engraver, he and his brother Edward had moved to work at the centre of glassmaking in the Black Country. He and his Dudley-born wife Susan later moved to the Royal Oak in Tipton. Henry Sutton took over the licence of the Acorn Inn on August 12th 1889, not long after ownership of the building was transferred to a Mr.Travis of Pedmore. Born in Kingswinford in 1841 Henry Sutton was both licensed victualler and glassmaker. He kept the pub with his Kinver-born wife Mary. She was two years younger than her husband. The couple had four sons and four daughters living above the Acorn Inn. The two eldest sons, William and Benjamin, worked as glassblowers whilst young teenager Harry worked at a chemists. 39 year-old Wordsley-born glassmaker Samuel Pitt took over the licence of the Acorn Inn on May 7th 1900 and lived at the pub with his wife Emma and three children. He employed 22 year-old Selina Hendley as a domestic servant and her younger sister Elsie as a nurse to the children. The busy house had a club room on the first floor above the passageway where a number of events could be staged. Next door to the pub at No.110 was the Post Office which in the early Edwardian days was run by Mary Levi in addition to her drapery business. On the other side of the pub lived Police Sergeant Thomas Starling so Samuel Pitt would have been compelled to keep an orderly house. The first brewery to have an interest in the Acorn Inn was the Netherton-based firm of John Rolinson & Son Ltd. It was when this company, having moved to Lovatt Street in Wolverhampton, fell into difficulties in the mid-1920's that they were acquired by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. and the Acorn Inn became a Banks's house. The brewery continually spent money on repairs to the Acorn Inn but the building's poor condition became quite a problem in the mid-1970's. For more details on the proposed changes to the Acorn Inn see DPI-303 below. 
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TECHNICAL DATA
Date: c.1948
Source: 8" x 6" Photograph
Maximum Size: 6654x4916
Maximum File Size: 10.7 Mb
Format: JPEG

Acorn-Inn-Building-Plans 1977

Audnam-House 2007

A rare set of "before and after" building plans for the Acorn Inn on Brettell Lane. The first brewery to have an interest in the Acorn Inn was the Netherton-based firm of John Rolinson & Son Ltd. It was when this company, having moved to Lovatt Street in Wolverhampton, fell into difficulties in the mid-1920's that they were acquired by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. and the Acorn Inn became a Banks's house. The brewery continually spent money on repairs to the Acorn Inn but the building's poor condition became quite a problem in the mid-1970's. The passageway was on the verge of collapse and the structural engineering firm of Jackson and Peplow of Franche Road, Kidderminster were called in to salvage the decaying building. By this time the Licensing Justices were concerned about the general state of the Acorn Inn and, following an inspection in November 1976, deferred the renewal of the licence. They had observed that the whole interior needed redecorating. Indeed, they described the premises as very dirty and the paintwork very grimy. The Justices also felt that the outdoor toilets were inadequate and disapproved of the total lack of washing facilities. A key criticism was however that the licensee could not exercise any supervision from the bar over the other public rooms. Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries were faced with either closing the pub or spending a considerable sum of money restoring the building. The company appointed a local architect to draw up plans for a restoration project. Based at 14 Hagley Road in Stourbridge, J. Kenneth Dancer estimated that the alterations and repairs to bring the Acorn Inn up to standard would cost around £25,000. Considering that they had few Banks's pubs in the area [many were Hanson's houses], the company approved the cost of the alterations. The plans, available here as a digital download, were approved by the local authorities on May 23rd 1977. Unfortunately for the residents of Amblecote, the cheapest tender for the building work was £44,841 submitted by Homer Construction Ltd of Pensnett. The brewery felt such a cost was too prohibitive and decided to close the pub. These building plans do at least allow us to see what the pub looked like and how it was intended to be after the alterations. Essentially, the old bar, smoke room and sitting room was to be made into one large L-shaped room. A central bar island was to replace the tiny servery in the bar that used to serve all four rooms. The toilets were to be incorporated into the main building by utilising the old kitchen. Women drinking in the Acorn Inn used to have to trudge down to the bottom of the yard to use an outdoor privy. The last licensee of the Acorn Inn was Margaret Lee, a popular publican with the locals. A former bus conductress, she kept the pub with her husband Bill. A local joke was that if you didn't conduct yourself properly in the Acorn she'd "gi' you yer ticket". Margaret met Bill at the Midland Red bus depot where he worked as a mechanic. When Bill was at the Acorn Inn he was the Chairman of the Brierley Hill Dominoes League. Little wonder therefore that the Acorn had a top doms team - they won the Banks's Shield three years on the trot! One of the pub's most loyal regulars was Delph-born Tom Harris who drank in the Acorn for over forty years. He used to nip in for a session after he finished his shifts at the Round Oak steelworks. Former licensee of the Raven Inn at Wordsley, Harry Willetts also drank in here when he worked at Darby's Bakery further up Brettell Lane. Indeed, a number of the workers who helped make and deliver the 'Mother's Pride' loaves piled in here at the end of their shifts. Another former publican who popped into the pub on a regular basis was May Hudson who once kept the Star Hotel in Brierley Hill. In March 1978 the Licensing Justices provisionally renewed the licence of the Acorn Inn on the basis that the pub would be referred for compensation. However, the police objected to the renewal of the licence, along with those for the the Glassmaker's Arms at Coalbournbrook and the Rifleman's Arms in Wood Street, Wollaston. Police Inspector Brian Jones said "the three pubs had several other pubs close by and none of them average more than 17 customers a night." All three pubs were referred for compensation on July 7th 1978. The Acorn Inn ceased trading at 10.30pm on January 15th 1980.
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TECHNICAL DATA
Date: 1977
Source: Original Building Plans
Maximum Size: 2160x1440 Pixels
Maximum File Size: 2.28 Mb
Format: JPEG

Moorings-Tavern 2007

Audnam-Lodge 2007

This public house has traded as the Moorings Tavern since the 1990's. However, for much of its history, it has been known as the Barrel Inn. Located in Lower High Street, the pub was close to the Foster's Arms [see DPI-319 below]. Both pubs served the Stourbridge Canal which was cut in 1776 and completed in 1779. Both watering holes would have satisfied the thirsts of many a boatman in those early days of the industrial revolution. The scene around the Barrel Inn was once one of incredible industry - a continual thunder of noise would sound from John Bradley's Iron Works, the blades of the Old Wharf Saw Mills whined throughout the day, the busy hub of the Stourbridge Canal Company was in full swing, and across the road was the hustle and bustle of the Great Western Railway Goods Sheds. Thomas Wellings was the innkeeper of the Barrel Inn during the early 1850's. Born in Mitton near Stourport in 1796, he kept the canalside pub with his wife Tracy. Four years younger, she hailed from Hampton-in-Arden. Widowed son-in-law Thomas Corbett lived on the premises whilst working as a pattern maker. Thomas Harmshaw had become publican of the Barrel Inn by the early 1870's. He had previously worked as a glass cutter whilst living with the his mother who kept the Eagle Tavern in Wollaston. The census enumerator for 1881 recorded 43 year-old locally-born Thomas Harshaw as the licensed victualler in charge of the Joseph Davies-owned Barrel Inn. Six years younger, his wife Alice Emma hailed from Kidderminster. The couple had two sons and two daughters. Alice, Thomas and Murray were still at school but the eldest, Stephen, worked as a glass warehouse boy. Following his death, Alice Harmshaw succeeded her husband as licensee on June 13th 1881. She re-married in 1887 and three years later handed over the reins of the Barrel Inn to Elizabeth Rohrs, a 55 year-old Brummie. Her two daughters, Florence and Ethel, worked as barmaids and worked alongside Amelia Halford who was employed as a domestic servant. Elizabeth Rohrs moved to Balsall Heath within a few years and was succeeded by Amy Staynes. However, she came and went quickly and it was left to Cornelius Penny to steady the ship. Born in Birmingham 1839, he spent his childhood at the Red Lion in Lancaster Street, a pub kept by his parents John and Esther who had earlier run the Accommodation on Snow Hill, a boozer than evolved into The Wheel. Following the death of Cornelius Penny in 1895, the licence of the Barrel Inn was transferred to Frederick Turley. Another woman to succeed her husband as licensee of the Barrel Inn was Hannah Smith. She married whilst serving as licensee of the pub - her name changed to Perrins. The 1901 census records a Hannah Bird - did she marry for the third time? In 1908 Samuel Cox was caught committing what many would call a heinous crime. On June 15th of that year he was convicted for selling adulterated whisky and fined 40 shillings plus costs. Living at Coalbourne Villa, Elizabeth Sutton was recorded as the owner of the building in 1914 when the pub was occupied by Samuel Cox. She had purchased the building from the executors of Joseph Davies in 1908. Timothy Worrall bought the Barrel Inn and became the licensee on December 1st 1919. He sold homebrewed ales. Born locally in 1869, Timothy Worrall grew up in a large family that resided on Brettell Lane next to the Red Lion. His father Richard Worrall had a small business as a coal dealer. Indeed, following Richard's death, his mother Mary Ann took over the business with help from Timothy's elder brother John. In the early Edwardian era Mary Ann kept the Acorn Inn across the road from the family's home. It was probably this experience that gave Timothy Worrall a taste for the licensed trade. Up until then he had worked as a moulder. He married Esther Skidmore in Stourbridge in 1910. She may have been a childhood sweetheart as she lived only a couple of doors away from the Worrall household when they both attended school. Timothy Worrall enjoyed a successful business career for, following his death on April 27th 1938, he left effects of £2,328.3s.0d. to his wife Esther who continued the pub's homebrewed tradition. She sold the pub to Charles Gardener on May 22nd 1939. Ownership was transferred to William Ewart Gardener of Amblecote Lane on March 10th 1947. The pub once more became the 'end' of the canal in 1967 when the old tunnel beneath the High Street was infilled along with the basin across the road. The Moorings Tavern has been extended into the adjacent terraced building, creating quite a few nooks and crannies, bays, arches, stepped areas, beams and brickwork. In 2007 the building was operated by Punch Taverns.
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TECHNICAL DATA
Date: 30-07-2007
Source: Canon EOS 400D
Maximum Size: 3888x2592
Maximum File Size: 7.13 Mb
Format: JPEG

The Birch-Tree 2007

Birch-Tree-Interior 2007

The extensive Withymoor estate has almost swallowed up this old cottage. However, it once stood amid a small cluster of dwellings on Amblecote Bank. The building stands close to the junction of Amblecote Road, Stamford Road and Vicarage Road. The latter is now a cul de sac but, as a dirt track, it used to meander down the hill past Amblecote Hall to the junction where the Royal Oak stands. The resident of Amblecote Hall was William King, owner of the Withymoor Works which produced Fireclay and Brick. The bricks for Holy Trinity were supplied at cost by William King. The workers of the Amblecote Works were the principal customers of the Birch Tree Cottage in the 19th century. The pub was on the way home to those who lived in the small hamlets of Ravensitch and Aston's Fold. In addition to the brickworks, the area around the Birch Tree Cottage was littered with shallow mined collieries. Indeed, the pub's first licensee was himself a miner. It was in 1850 that he moved into a small terraced cottage close to Amblecote Colliery. Today's pub is two of the old terraced cottages combined. Taking advantage of the Beer House Act of 1830, he opened part of his cottage to the public and started to sell his homebrewed ales. Born in 1825, Elijah Wilcox was recorded in the 1851 census living in Birch Tree Cottage with his wife Ann. One year older, she was born in Brierley Hill. The couple had two sons, 2 year-old John and 6 month-old Thomas. The living accommodation was fairly cramped because Elijah Wilcox's brother John and three sisters, Zepporah, Hannah and Ann, had all moved in with the family. It is thought that Elijah Wilcox chose the sign of the Birch Tree because a fair number of the plants were growing on the many pit and shale mounds on the hill around the cottage. Ann Wilcox was both widow and landlady by 1860 when, in addition to the demands of a licence, she looked after her expanded family: Elijah, 7, Sarah, 4, Joseph, 3, and Ann, 1. For good measure she boarded her two brothers-in-law, Richard and John Wilcox. On reaching the age of 70 Ann Wilcox retired in 1894. Number four son John was appointed tenant. He had previously kept the Raven Inn at Wordsley. Stourbridge magistrates granted a full alehouse licence on August 23rd 1898, allowing the sale of wines and spirits in addition to ale, porter and cider. The Birch Tree Cottage was rated at £30.0s.0d. per annum in 1900, indicating a relatively small house. The respected publican John Wilcox died at the Birch Tree Cottage on June 18th 1902 following a few days illness. John Wilcox had been for over 20 years a member of the Stourbridge and District Licensed Victuallers Association. The arrival of John Jeavons in 1907 marked the end of 57 years consecutive licences for the Wilcox family. More information on this pub below [see DPI-309].
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TECHNICAL DATA
Date: 30-07-2007
Source: Canon EOS 400D
Maximum Size: 3888x2592
Maximum File Size: 7.58 Mb
Format: JPEG

An interior shot of the Birch Tree public house [see DPI-308 left]. The reason for the name of Stamford Road is because the Earl of Stamford and Warrington owned much of the land here, including Birch Tree Cottage. It was from the trustees of the estate that the Simpkiss Brewery acquired the pub in 1930. The brewery were already supplying their legendary ales to the free house so there was no major change at the counter. Managing the pub for Simpkiss was Percy Jewison Greensmith who took over the licence on July 24th 1933. He had served in the Royal Navy for more than twenty years. He later became the President of Amblecote Cricket Club. Following his death in August 1968, he was succeeded by his son Peter who kept the pub for many years with his partner Margery. The old photograph above was taken towards the end of their period at the Birch Tree Cottage. Simpkiss spent £30,000 refurbishing the pub in 1981. The premises were closed for a period and re-opened on Thursday October 1st 1981. It was only then that customers didn't have to tramp outside to use the loos; indoor toilets were added to the pub which also had the lounge extended. A lot of people missed the old lounge which, with a capacity of around 45 people, was very cosy. The extra space was created when an interior wall was removed and the old children's room integrated into the lounge. There was a large assembly room upstairs; this was also refurbished and the brewery announced that it was to be used as a wine bar. We're not sure if this ever happened? The biggest change at the pub was not in the fabric of the building but the introduction of a new management team, replacing the Greensmith's who, as a family, had kept the Birch Tree Cottage for just over forty years. Graham and Joyce Boyes had previously kept the Dudley Arms at Himley for ten years. They moved to Amblecote Bank with daughters Jayne and Lisa. In 1985 the pub, as part of the Simpkiss estate, was acquired by Greenall Whitley resulting in the legendary Black Country beers being removed from the counter. In September 2003 the name above the door was Ahmed Ben Mohammed Akel who had previously kept the Old Bush Inn at Hinksford.
© Digital Photographic Images

TECHNICAL DATA
Date: 21-09-2003
Source: Kodak DC4800
Maximum Size: 2160x1440 Pixels
Maximum File Size: 2.20 Mb
Format: JPEG

Canal-Cottages - Stourbridge Canal 2003

Builder's-Arms - Brettell Lane 2003

The premises of the Builder's Arms have survived. The retail unit has in recent years been used as a fireworks shop. We suspect that the property to the left was also part of the beer house because we noticed that the hood moulding line above the first floor windows used to extend across the entire frontage in an old photograph taken from the top of Platt's Lane. Located close to the White Horse Inn at the bottom of Brettell Lane, this pub opened in the mid-19th century and was originally called the Swan Inn - a ploy to place it in direct competition with the original Swan Inn public house further up the hill close to the Dudley Arms. The confusion ended in 1897 when this beer house was re-named the Builder's Arms. The property was owned by a Miss Hill of Wolverhampton when William Hale was the licensee of the Swan Inn. A 1845 Post Office Trade Directory lists a John Hill running a beershop in Brettell Lane and this could be here at this location. The licensee in the early 1850's was Job Coley who also worked as a letter messenger. The post office has always been at the bottom end of Brettell Lane; Job Coley was one of the earliest posties to serve the area. Born in the Worcestershire village of Hartlebury in 1798, the former chainmaker kept the beer house with his wife Mary. The couple's four children lived on the premises. The Coley's also employed a servant. The family later moved to Oldswinford when Job and Mary Coley took over the Lion Inn on the Hagley Road, a pub more recently known as the Bird in Hand. Moving from the Bull's Head at Silver End, Joseph and Elizabeth Sutton were mine hosts in the early 1860's. Joseph was a local man but Elizabeth hailed from the Worcestershire village of Belbroughton. Next to the pub during this period was the pawnbroker Henry Mould, provision dealer John Crump and the butcher William Hobson. William Hale was the licensee by 1871. In the census of that year he was documented as a 49 year-old the beer house keeper from St.George's area in Bristol. His wife Mary Ann hailed from Chesterfield. Her Nottingham-born mother, Mary Ann Horobin, lived on the premises and probably looked after her five grandchildren. The Hale's employed 19 year-old Sarah Read as a general servant. I suspect that William and Ann moved down Brettell Lane to this beer house because their children were born in Brettell Lane as early as 1860. The family moved to the White Hart in Wordsley in 1877 and later took over the Angel Inn at Kidderminster. When the census enumerator recorded the residents of Brettell Lane in 1881 the Swan Inn [as it was still known] was being run by 59 year-old William Durbin who was previously working as an engine driver when living further along Brettell Lane. The former mining engineer was born in Tickenham around 1822. Eight years younger, his wife May also hailed from Somerset; she was born in Nailsea. Their sons William and Fred worked as a glassmaker and a labourer in an iron works respectively. William Durbin landed himself in hot water when he was found guilty of permitting drunkenness on the premises in July 1880. Although his licence was not endorsed he was fined 40 shillings plus costs. Miss Hill sold the beer house to Bucknall's Brewery of Kidderminster in 1889. Founded in 1807 and based in the carpet town's Blackwell Street, this brewery was registered in 1896 as the Worcestershire Brewing and Malting Co.Ltd. This was the year that they amalgamated with the Delph Brewery in Brierley Hill. The whole enterprise, including an estate of 126 public houses, was acquired by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries in 1914. However, this did not include the Swan Inn which was renamed the Builder's Arms by Benjamin Sedgley after he bought the freehold of the pub. The owner-publican may have formed part of the same clan as that of William Sedgley who kept the Royal Oak Inn next to Holy Trinity church in the 1850's. Benjamin Sedgley was born-and-bred in Brettell Lane though the family did live in John Street in Audnam for a period. He gained his first experience of the licensed trade when running the Greyhound Inn a short distance away in King William Street. Benjamin's brothers also lived and worked at the Builder's Arms; 28 year-old Thomas worked as a barman whilst 20 year-old Joseph was the brewer of the homebrewed ales sold over the counter. Leonard Short also worked here as a barman and was a boarder. The 22 year-old was a Brummie. At the start of the Edwardian era the building next door was still the old pawn shop - but now operated by 75 year-old John Rider. Next to this was Lydia Moody, herself only three years younger; she owned the butcher's shop. A very rough clue to the size of the Builder's Arms is indicated by the fact that Benjamin Sedgley obtained a billiards licence on September 26th 1898. After being run by the same family for many years, the Builder's Arms was acquired by Albert Hill in March 1936. However, the building's use changed shortly afterwards and the Builder's Arms finally closed its doors to the public in 1937.
© Digital Photographic Images

TECHNICAL DATA
Date: 27-09-2003
Source: Kodak DC4800
Maximum Size: 2160x1440 Pixels
Maximum File Size: 1.61 Mb
Format: JPEG

Holy-Trinity-Church 2007

Former Cross-Keys Public House 2003

The clouds looming overhead create an enigmatic image of Holy Trinity Church in Holloway End. Previously called Hollows End, this is the part of Amblecote surrounding the church as far north as Corbett Hospital and south to the River Stour, though the latter locale was simply known as The Bridge. The name of Holloway emerged in documents from the 16th century and extended down the hill to the River Stour where 'end' was added. It was in Holloway End that the first of Amblecote's glasshouses was constructed in the early 17th century. Holy Trinity Church was erected on a site donated by the Earl of Stamford and Warrington. Indeed, the Earl offered two acres of land and £300 towards the erection of  the church, along with an annual endowment of £100. William King, the claymaster and resident of Amblecote Hall, supplied the bricks at cost for the construction of the church between 1841-2. Designed by Samuel Heming, it was built in the Early English style. Holy Trinity Church consists of chancel, nave and an embattled western tower with pinnacles. The east window is a memorial to James Foster. 
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TECHNICAL DATA
Date: 30-07-2007
Source: Canon EOS 400D
Maximum Size: 3888x2592
Maximum File Size: 4.78 Mb
Format: JPEG

This pair of dwellings is the former Cross Keys Inn on Brettell Lane. When Mary Ann Beck held the licence of this beer house, the building was owned by John Lowe of Longlands, Stourbridge. Born in Sandford-on-Thames in 1805, Mary Ann Beck kept the Cross Keys with her widowed sister-in-law Sarah Matthews who also hailed from Oxfordshire. When married to her husband William, Mary Ann Beck worked as a laundress when the couple lived at Belle Vue Cottage on Mucklow Hill. In 1881 the pub was kept by 32 year-old Wednesbury-born James Asbury. He lived at the premises with his wife Lucy. One year older, she hailed from nearby Wollaston. Their four sons George, John, Frederick and Samuel were all born in Kingswinford. Daughter Alice was however born over the county border in Wollaston. James Asbury employed local girl Eliza Payne as a Domestic Servant. Just along the road from the pub was Oakfield House. This was the home of John Hall, a firebrick manufacturer and coalmaster who employed over 200 people. The 1881 census also listed John Hall as the owner of a 180 acre farm - presumably Hawbush Farm. In 1891 James Asbury moved to the Pheasant Inn on the opposite side of Brettell Lane. By this time electric trams passed in front of the pubs. Connecting Stourbridge and Dudley, they were introduced in 1899, replacing steam trams that had operated since 1884. The tram operated until 1930 when it was succeeded by buses. James Asbury was succeeded by Elizabeth Conquest in the year that the beer house was acquired by the Wrexham-based brewery of F.W.Soames & Co.Ltd. This company sold the Cross Keys to the Stourbridge-based North Worcestershire Breweries Ltd. in 1897. The renewal of the licence was refused in 1906 by the compensation authorities on the grounds that it was not required in the area. The North Worcestershire Breweries were paid the sum of £650.0s.0d. in compensation and the licence of the Cross Keys was extinguished on September 19th 1906.
© Digital Photographic Images

TECHNICAL DATA
Date: 27-09-2003
Source: Kodak DC4800
Maximum Size: 2160x1440 Pixels
Maximum File Size: 1.57 Mb
Format: JPEG

Pendennis - High Street 2007

Dudley-Arms [Starving Rascal] 2004

Named North End and Pendennis, this pair of substantial houses form part of the eastern side of Amblecote's High Street that have survived into the 21st century. They are located between the Fish Junction and the Dial area at the bottom of Brettell Lane. In 1901 the head of the household in the property called North End was 58 year-old widow Margaret Bowater. Her husband Henry had worked as a grinder and iron roller and the couple lived in Cradley Heath's Station Street. They had eight children - Matilda, Henrietta, Walter, Ernest, John, William, Sarah and George. In the early 1870's the Bowater's were living in Dudley's St.John's Road where Henry was the licensed victualler in charge of the Fir Tree public house. Living in Pendennis in 1901 was 39 year-old Thomas Hingley and his wife Alice who, like her husband, was born in Amblecote. The couple had two young children and employed Annie Corfield as a servant. Thomas worked as a commercial traveller for one of the local glass factories. 
© Digital Photographic Images

TECHNICAL DATA
Date: 11-07-2007
Source: Canon EOS 400D
Maximum Size: 3888x2592
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Trading for many years at the Starving Rascal [the colloquial name for generations] this pub was originally called the Dudley Arms. A 1914 ratebook shows that the Burton-on-Trent based firm of Truman, Hanbury and Buxton & Co.Ltd. owned the Dudley Arms. They were later taken over by Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd. The Dudley Arms is located at the junction of Brettell Lane and Collis Street. The pub was only yards from the old Toll House. Brettell Lane was originally a busy turnpike and was designated as such in 1727. The Toll House survived for more than 100 years after Brettell Lane was made a 'free' public highway in 1871. Sadly, the building was demolished in the 1970's. It would have made a good addition to the Black Country Museum. The name of the Dudley Arms was also changed in the early 1970's to that of its colloquial term - The Starving Rascal. Apparently, locals all knew the corner pub as The Rascal. Legend has it that on one cold winters night a bygone licensee turned away a poor starving beggar from his door and his body was found dead in the road next morning. Thereafter, the house became known colloquially as The Starving Rascal or The Starver. The inn sign had two different illustrations - one showing the starving beggar being banished to his death in the snow by the Dickensian landlord of the Dudley Arms, and on the other, the ghost enjoying a pint in the pub. The original design however showed the ghost being welcomed back to the glowing portals of the pub named in his honour. The sign was dedicated by Ray Barlow a former West Bromwich Albion star who had a newsagent's shop just down the road. His wife, incidentally, was the lead singer of the Brian Pearsall Band. There was once a railway line close to the Dudley Arms. Connecting the Brettell Lane and Nagersfield Fire Brick Works, it meandered around the back of Brettell Lane House and past Hawbush Farm. One of the early references to the Dudley Arms appears in Jones's Mercantile Directory published in 1865 which lists John Hampton as a foreign wine and beer retailer. In the census conducted four years earlier he was recorded as a 35 year-old Sedgley-born lime merchant. Although he was still living on the premises, his sister Hannah Hampton was the licensee by the early 1870's. They were the children of Isaac Hampton who, although originating from Coseley, made his reputation in Amblecote as a master lime burner with a modest workforce. John Hampton had initially entered the business as a clerk before branching into the licensed trade. In 1880 John Harriman took over the licence of the Dudley Arms. Born in Wolverhampton 1842, he had previously worked as a locksmith when living with his wife Lucy in Bilston Street. Three years older than her husband, Lucy Harriman was born in Ackleton, Shropshire. The couple had four children - John, Albert, Florence and Lillian. The Harriman's employed 18 year-old locally born Clara Jones as a servant. At this time the Dudley Arms was owned by Henry Hall of Dennis Park but he sold to Truman's when James Barber became the licensee. He was born in Kidderminster in 1853. He kept the pub with his wife Elizabeth, also from the Worcestershire carpet town. One of the last things Benjamin Levi managed to do before leaving the Dudley Arms was to get himself fined forty shillings plus costs for selling liquor during prohibited hours. In 1901 the licensee was Walter Hudson. The licensed victualler was born in Holt, Norfolk in 1858. Hailing from Woodville in Derbyshire, his wife Annie was six years younger. The couple had three children - Douglas, Ethel and Norman. Walter Hudson employed Maria Turner as a barmaid. The 23 year-old was also born in Holt. The Starving Rascal returned to free house status in the 1980's when Peter and Denise Lodge purchased the Courage-operated pub. Annette and Alistair Cochrane later bought the premises with the intention of creating a pub-restaurant. They installed Bob Anderson as bar manager. The restaurant section was called The Cellars. I did visit a few times in the mid-late 1990's because the pub started selling guest ales and was included in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide. Raymond Williams bought the freehold of the pub on February 2nd 1995 and sold it on to Enterprise Inns on March 19th 1999. Brian Temple was the licensee after this - he had something to do with The Crown Inn at Iverley.
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Date: 04-11-2004
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Former Fish-Inn - Coalbournbrook 2007

Raybourne - High Street 2007

The Ruby Cantonese restaurant was formerly the Fish Inn at Coalbournbrook. George Maund was the publican of the Fish Inn during the early 1840's. Also trading as a butcher, he kept the pub with his wife Elizabeth. The Sutton family kept the Fish Inn for a generation. Daniel Sutton was the licensee by the middle of the century. Born in Kingswinford in 1811 he kept the pub with his wife Mary Ann. Two years younger than Daniel, she hailed from Bridgnorth. Their daughter Catherine would later help to serve the homebrewed ales in the Fish Inn. Daniel Sutton tended to hire help from a travelling brewer. For example, in 1871 59 year-old Kidderminster-born brewer Thomas Hillman was living on the premises. Daniel Sutton did not accumulate a fortune in his time at the Fish Inn because his estate was valued at less than £100 when he died on February 10th 1881. His will was proved at Lichfield by John Guest of Brettell Lane, nephew of the publican. Daniel Sutton's wife Mary Ann took over the licence of the Fish Inn. At the time of the 1881 census two of the sons lived on the premises. Part of the building fronts Wollaston Road. This historic route passing through Wolleston [as it was then known] joining the old Roman road heading out to Iverley was turnpiked in 1789. The prominent clock on the corner of the building was provided by public subscription to commemorate the Festival of Britain in 1951. It was from 'The Fish' that the Kinver tram departed in years gone by. The journey was notable because it crossed the meandering River Stour at several points on wooden bridges. Such a pleasant journey meant that, on Bank Holidays, Black Country workers would head for Kinver in huge numbers. In fact, on Whit Monday in 1905 it was recorded that 16,699 passengers were transported to Kinver. Sadly, the line was closed in 1930 - ironically, it would be a huge tourist attraction today! The depot is still much in evidence at The Fish. Used in the early 21st century by Laser Quest, it first opened on July 3rd 1905 but closed during the General Strike. George Maund was the publican of the Fish Inn during the early 1840's. Also trading as a butcher, he kept the pub with his wife Elizabeth. The Sutton family kept the Fish Inn for a generation. Daniel Sutton was the licensee by the middle of the century. Born in Kingswinford in 1811 he kept the pub with his wife Mary Ann. Two years younger than Daniel, she hailed from Bridgnorth. Their daughter Catherine would later help to serve the homebrewed ales in the Fish Inn. Daniel Sutton tended to hire help from a travelling brewer. For example, in 1871 59 year-old Kidderminster-born brewer Thomas Hillman was living on the premises. Daniel Sutton did not accumulate a fortune in his time at the Fish Inn because his estate was valued at less than £100 when he died on February 10th 1881. His will was proved at Lichfield by John Guest of Brettell Lane, nephew of the publican. Daniel Sutton's wife Mary Ann took over the licence of the Fish Inn. At the time of the 1881 census two of the sons lived on the premises. 31 year-old Benjamin probably helped to run the pub but James, one year older, worked as a glasscutter. Two grand-daughters worked in the pub and were listed as general servants. 17 year-old Mary Sutton was born in Dronfield, Derbyshire; 10 year-old Catherine Nash hailed from Netherton. A separate listing was made for another part of the Fish Inn. This was occupied by Birmingham-born glassmaker George Onions and his wife Caroline who originated from Hythe in Kent. They lived with Stourbridge-born dressmaker Ellen Edwards. George Gough was detailed as a 49 year-old locally-born publican in the 1901 census. Two years younger, his wife hailed from Kingswinford. Based in the sheds across the road, their 20 year-old son William worked as an electric tram driver. 18 year-old George was employed as a wheelwright. The Gough's had six other children; of these only Richard was employed - he worked as a tailor. The Burton-on-Trent-based firm of Truman, Hanbury and Buxton & Co.Ltd. acquired the Fish Inn from the Sutton family on June 27th 1887. The company installed George Robinson as manager and he took on the licence the following month on July 11th. The Burton brewery were probably responsible for the rebuilding of the Fish Inn. Clara Dixon took over as licensee when her husband William died in May 1903. She was charged on two counts of permitting gaming on the premises. On September 26th 1904 she was fined £5 for each offence. Clara Dixon was succeeded by George Duncombe as licensee. He remained at the pub until his death on May 22nd 1916. His effects were left to George Duncombe, a railway signalman and Albert Moreton, a schoolmaster. In later years, the Fish Inn was owned by Courage and then a succession of freeholders - Cornelius Twomey, Dennis Hayes, Richard Turner and Sajid Hussain. The pub's licence was surrendered on August 16th 1995.
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Date: 09-01-2006
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Former Foster's-Arms 2007

Trevanna and Woodcote 2007