Oldswinford Pub Scene
www.midlandspubs.co.uk
report but didn't get around to finishing it off. However, I did make
a reference to this trip on my post regarding the Fountain at
Stourbridge so rather than dump it I'll post what I did write.......
After a hard week’s slog at work, me and Emma chose to unwind a little
on Saturday with a meander around the pubs of Oldswinford. Jumping on
a bus to take us to the area proved problematic as the National
Express website was listing routes they no longer operate; these less
profitable routes no doubt being dumped on Diamond Buses, a company
whose slogan could be a rearrangement of the words “brewery, organise,
couldn’t, a, in, a piss-up.”
Ironically, I had to endure a trip on one of Diamond's filthy
contraptions the previous night. When another customer complained that
the bus was late, the driver responded that it “was very late”, a
result of him having to try three buses before he could find one in
which he could start the engine. At least he could communicate in
English, unlike the East European driver who simply stared at us when
asked “if the bus went to Pedmore?” Unlike the BNP and hard-right
Tories, I’m all for people being able to travel and migrate in order
to find work and a better life. However, I do think that being able to
speak English is a prerequisite for a bus driver who also acts as a
front line employee for the company. It would help if the bus
operators continued to offer decent wages and conditions - it would
appear ipso facto that the reduced status and remuneration package of
the modern bus driver is only attractive to new migrants.
Diamond also seem to think that they can get away with a quick revamp
of a decrepit jalopy by spraying it in black paint and calling it a
Black Diamond Bus. Our conveyance may have looked sleek on the outside
but, once aboard, you are hit by the stench of diesel, chewing gum on
the seats, chip wrappers dumped in the baggage rack and the ubiquitous
cans and bottles rolling around the floor. Lord Adonis or any recent
incumbent of the office of Secretary of State for Transport should be
forced to ride a Diamond bus for a day and maybe, just maybe, they’d
realise that their rhetoric on public transport is not aligned to any
kind of reality. Jump on a Diamond bus and you enter either a] the
real world or b] the twilight zone. OK, rant over it’s time for a
drink.....
We jumped off the bus at Stourbridge Junction Station so this is
perhaps the more sensible approach for those wanting to venture around
Oldswinford. The Seven Stars is close to the railway station but this
once magnificent building was looking in a very sorry state. The
windows were whitewashed and a handwritten note stuck up proclaiming
that the pub was “Temporey Closed.” I mean, really, you have to worry
about the standards within the licensed trade when such spelling
howlers are posted on pub frontages for all to read and fall about
laughing.
The front door of the pub was open so I stuck my head inside where it
appeared that some sort of staff meeting was taking place. However,
when this pub opens again is a mystery. And when it does, what a task
it will be to restore its fortunes. It was the Dickinson family who
made this pub the place to be during the 1990’s when it was hard to
find a vacant seat. Moving from the Fountain Inn at Clent, Michael
Dickinson acquired this Edwardian boozer in 1987. Together with his
partner June and son Andrew, he made the Seven Stars a tremendously
successful business. With the pub enjoying a booming turnover, they
sold the Seven Stars in 2001 to brothers Graham and Terry Robertson.
The sale was at a time when there was a shift of trade from
Oldswinford to Stourbridge town centre, a vogue that continues today.
The younger crowd converge on the trendy bars in the town where once
the Seven Stars and Labour in Vain mopped up everyone’s disposable
income with gusto. Despite appointing Dominic Gill as manager [he had
previously worked at The Dog in Harvington] the fortunes of the Seven
Stars waned and customers slowly drifted away. The Seven Stars was
purchased by Ian Bullocks in 2004 but it would appear that those
halcyon days of the Dickinson family are an ever-distant memory.
We ventured inside the aforementioned Labour in Vain, the interior of
which has been refurbished for the Ikea generation so, consequently,
it looks like, well, most large chain-operated outlets. I guess
something had to be done to the Banks’s Tap House interior which was
starting to look terribly battered, though some would argue that that
was the whole point of the W&D contrived taphouse interiors of the
1980’s and 1990’s. Back then, the Labour in Vain, an historic building
formerly known as the Malt Shovel, was packed to the rafters with the
target market of 18-35 year-old drinkers and the place had quite a
student campus vibe. We wandered into the bar just as the Ukraine vs
England game was about to be screened, the first game that was
exclusively broadcast via the Internet. A bloke, whom I assume was the
gaffer, had wired up a laptop to the large screen but he had clearly
left it all a bit last minute dot com because, with seconds to go
before kick-off, he was struggling to get any sound out of the
loudspeakers which looked a tad small for the job. We didn’t hang
around to see if the punters were getting restless with the publican’s
IT situation. Besides, the all-male crowd in the bar isn’t the most
conducive environment to enjoy a quiet conversation with your nearest-
and-dearest. I did notice that Wychwood Hobgoblin and Jennings Little
Gem were on sale so a return visit is on the cards.
We headed for The Crabmill by walking along the picturesque Church
Road. Immediately on the right are No's 6-16, a charming row of old
cottages which all feature late Georgian lancet-pointed windows. On
the left is The Castle, an early 19th century partly-castellated
structure which was originally built in the Tudor style but has
received several hotch-potch rebuilds. A much older building stood on
the site and is marked on a map dated 1699. This is thought to be a
timber-framed building which came into the ownership of the Hickman
family who were closely associated with Stourbridge's cloth trade.
Edward Hickman began adding the castellations to the building after he
gained the freehold in 1782. The rectory is a fine five-bay red brick
house dating from around 1700. The Church of Saint Mary has a history
dating back to the 13th century. The present Robert Ebbles-designed
19th century red sandstone building still features a tower dating back
to the 14th century. The nave of the church was rebuilt in 1842 and a
chancel added in 1898. A thorough restoration was led in 1938 by Sir
Charles Scott who also designed the gateway and church walls. The
building enjoyed a spire for almost two centuries - it was erected in
1809/10 but, after being deemed 'unsafe', it was dismantled in 1985.
Until recent times, The Crabmill used to be known as The Oldswinford.
The building was bought by Hardy’s and Hanson’s in January 2001 and
this brought the welcome sight of Nottinghamshire beers in North
Worcestershire. However, the takeover of this brewery by Greene King
has resulted in the more familiar beers from Bury St Edmunds. The
Crabmill may not be an historic pub but is located in an imposing
building of Georgian design that was once the home of the local
doctor. The original Crabmill stood on what is now the car park on the
corner of the road junction. The former Smith’s brewery pub was
demolished in 1970 and the licence transferred to this house.
The pub's name was changed to The Old Swinford Lodge in the early
1990's before it was was renamed The Oldswinford in 1997, a time when
it was operated as a Yate’s Wine Lodge. The pub has no traditional bar
or lounge but is divided into five sections in which the ambience is
rather genteel. The house speciality is sausages but, as we hadn’t yet
had a beer in Oldswinford we headed for the counter. We ordered the
Greene King IPA but were told it was off. The barman gave the handpull
a draw to confirm the well was indeed dry. A pub with no beer -
incredible. He didn’t seem too fussed about the fact that it was
Saturday evening and the cellar was empty. We headed for the door.
Three pubs down and we had yet to have a beer!
And that was as far as I got on my report. However, things got better
after this. Briefly.... we walked to Pedmore for an enjoyable guest
ale and a bit of nosh. Not bad, despite the place having hardly any
staff. Even the cabbage mechanic had jacked. But the Ember Inns fodder
can be heated up by just about anyone who has grown up with a
microwave. We actually went there to see if they, like the Birmingham
M&B Ember chain, were stocking Purity Ales - sadly, this seems
confined to the Brum area outlets.
The Crown had the usual five or six beers amid a convivial setting - I
have reviewed this pub recently and it remains a nice little boozer.
The big surprise of the evening was The Retreat wine bar and
restaurant - they were selling Wye Valley beer and it was wonderful.
Nice vibe and a decent-looking veggie menu so we're planning to go
back.
The Cross Sports Bar wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be and they
were selling Jennings beer which was in good condition. We finished
with some Holden's beer in the Shrubbery Cottage. We had the monthly
guest thing, the name of which I cannot remember. However, I do recall
it was pretty good so we stayed for another.
If you really want to keep going you can walk down to the Plough and
Harrow at Norton before calling in at the Enville tap house of the
Waggon and Horses close to the Stourbridge ring road. However, we'd
had enough and walked back into town along the Hagley Road witnessing
the remarkable queue outside the Swan.
Overall, we didn't get beer where we imagined it would be available
and we found good beer in places where we thought it would be simply a
fizzy lager outlet. Just goes to show that you have to stick your head
in - the sort of "got to be in it to win it" philosophy.
Cheers
Kieron
John Midwood
Kieron as you are a darn fine story teller!
Just a couple of additions to update your stroll here.
The 7 Stars is now open, Speckled Hen - pure vinegar ("We've only just had
it in" - yeah, right), Deuchars IPA - half vinegar & Old Peculiar - just
about drinkable, so I suspect the new folks won't be around long.
We do have a Branch claim to fame with this place as, about 4 years ago, we
managed to get the interior "listed" in less than 3 weeks to save the
magnificent bar and surround from destruction. The then incumbents buggered
off sulking apparently!
I'm not surprised about the Crabmill, I won't drink GK beers on principal
after the shoddy way the axed the workers at H & H's in Xmas week a few
years back, beers are crap anyway!
I think that the Foley has Enville as their "Locale" and I agree that the
quality has been pretty reasonable of late. Whatever happened to the annual
Ember Ale Festivals in October?
I just wonder how long the Cross will keep going as they seem intent on
annoying the Council as much as possible with their illegal marquee in the
car park (see also Prince of Wales & Royal Oak - yes, it's the same folks!)
The Wagon is now owned by Eddie Morton of Katie Fitzgerald's fame & is
supposed shut for a few weeks (months?) on New Years Day for a total refurb.
He plans to have live acoustic stuff (close to residential property) when it
re-opens. I've not been in but I've heard that the beer quality & choice has
been good. I know Dave at the Plough/Duke is looking forward to the prospect
as he feels it can only be good for the Town centre - here's hoping.
By the way, it's good to have a Kieron group back up & running.
Cheers
John
Cheers
Kieron
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www.midlandspubs.co.uk
your finger on the pulse of the Stourbridge pub scene.
It would appear that the people operating the Seven Stars have only
the right-hand side of the pub open so I assume it is half cocked and
they haven't got the resources to go for a full operation. This policy
seems doomed to failure. This sort of pub needs somebody or some
brewery with a bit of spare change. A pity that Holden's already have
the Shrubbery Cottage in Oldswinford otherwise I'd suggest to them
doing something along the lines of the Great Western in Wolverhampton.
The place is begging for a railway-themed interior with good beer and
easy-to-prepare food, dare I say buffet style with railway names for
the choices! For example, a mixed grill called Full Steam Ahead. Oh
dear, I'd better stop, or should I say alight from this topic.
You may be right about the Ember Inns Beer Festival? I cannot recall
seeing any banners this year. However, it is worth visiting
Birmingham's branches for the Purity beers. Me and Emma enjoyed the
Ubu at the Red Lion in King's Heath. A lovely beer when well-kept and
it certainly was when we visited.
The Etheridge family must have bets between themselves to see who can
appear in the local press most often in a week. You probably Ted from
his days at the Station in Hagley don't you? The late John Richards
told me some stories about him.
Cheers
Kieron