RE: BIRMINGHAM PUBS as is and was - 3

I know Weatherspoos are a pain, but at least they have put the odd pub where there never was one. they are more like licensed restaurants anyway.

SB,
Harking back a few posts, I think the mad woman you refer to was Maggie Laird, wife of Pat, they ran the Cabin but she may have had done a bit of relief work, was was easily two men. Sometimes they came in the Nuts together, not the two men, Margaret and Pat.
She was a nice enough woman if she got her own way and you didn't move or speak in her presence. She used to come and put Greenie in his place.
Pat, who you will remember, was a really nice bloke, he used to wear spectacles with no glass in case he got into a fight. Once he smuggled Pochin in from ireland, in orangeade bottles.
Before the Cabin they had a pub in Sparkhill on the Stratford Road, I think it was Antelope. One of Pat's stories was about a fire they had there one night and had to escape through an upstairs window.

I forgot to mention the Stirrup Cup it was another of my bolt holes. John had the best Brew XI ever, it was proper barrel beer, he showed me how to tap and vent a barrel.
We had a CB club at his place for a couple of years. He had a bad car accident in later years and took a while to recover.
VM

Hi VM
Pat and Maggie I knew veryy well. Maggie always wanted to take me home with her. Pat offered to pay me if I went.
This lady kept the Beeches where Signman had workedm She scared the IRA. You mentioned cask Brew at the Giddyup, that's what we had at the nuts when you first drank there, it was only later that we had it in tanks.SB

Skuse the typo's on the last post am on handset.
Meant to ask do you remember Gerry frtom the Britt, I know where he is to be found on a Tuesday afternoon if you are intested VMr

SB

Some of the pubs you mentioned, by this time they had all seen better days.

The Vine boarded up pre demolition.
The White Lion just before it's conversion to a curry house.
The Gunmakers in its last days.

Phil

The vine hasn't been demolished Phil it's now a Carpet/ furniture warehouse. The White Lion has just been sold at auction for what we wait and see. But no decent pu is going to do any good round there The Gunmakers is still there but in a sorry state.

SB

The way you spoke in your post I thought they had gone. I haven't been down that way for about five years. The last time I did the Vine was boarded up like it is in the photo, so I would have thought it gone by now. The White Horse was a curry House and I'm sure the Gunmakers was boarded up. Perhaps they had just had a hectic Saturday Night.

Phil

All three still standing' the gunners is pretty much derelict. The Avenue as I said before is now signed fort a Muslim foundation.

Yes, SB, I remember "Bloody Mary" Gerry.

Just to list Gordon's mates that I can Recall...

Don - Arden Oak
Pat - Cabin
Len - White Hart
Gerry - Brittania
??? - Raven

VM

When did you work at the Stirrup Cup Voltman ?.
I was there in about 1968 ish the only two staff I remember were Wally and Albert.
John's sons would have been about 8-10 years old.

Phil the Gunmakers is still boarded up, but has new windows upstairs. The White Lion Muntz Street was a curry house now closed down and has just been sold. The Avenue is no longer a pub neither is the Lion and Lamb.

SB

You see, when I stopped drinking they all went out of business.

Phil

Are you talking the Avenues can't remember the name of the road, you went on the number 8 bus to the top of Muntz Street then turned right and it was along there on the left my friends mom and dad had that in about early sixties their surname was Hobday.

Hi June

Thats the one, nice old big pub, one of the trainee gaffers at from the Talbot had it in the early 70's. I think their name was Crump or something like that.

Phil

As I remember in the early sixties the Avenue had a disco called Hells Kitchen.