Having gone all grumpy retiredmartin the other week on the train home, I really ought to balance it up with a bit of praise for the 2nd city(*)
So good was the day, that you get three exciting instalments(**), this one covering the Jewellery Quarter.
Birmingham was a reminder of what a joy a pub crawl round a big city can be, even in 2017. Shown below are my ticks (old and new) on a day when I piggybacked on to a Brum day organised by Pub Curmudgeon and some old CAMRA Forum mates with names like Citra, Paul and EvilKeg3.
And what a joy the new Grand Central is to arrive at, after a 3 hour train journey from the Fens, “enhanced” by over-excited adults who’d escaped from a BRAPA script. It hardly needs saying they’d got on at Peterborough.
Here’s the evidence of an 05:35 start. Just remember, kids, Simon does this every week.
Mr Clarkson may be able to spot St Andrews in this shot eastwards.
Quite a contrast between Digbeth (a bit threadbare of pubs this year) and the newly styled Grand Central.
New Street station transformed, a match for Kings Cross and my personal favourite Nuremberg.
Outside, while the rest of the city slept off their pints of Brew XI, I had the glories of Victoria Square, and omnipresent cranes, to myself in some rare Midlands sunshine.
That 5.35 am start meant a good day’s walking, and I’d clocked up 15 miles by the time I set foot back in the flatlands. Most of those miles were walking to and from the Jewellery Quarter, belatedly becoming Brum’s Kelham Island or Ancoats. A heady mix of industrial decay, stained glass, Italian bistros and BrewTaps.
The churches are inspiring.
But on occasion the street art seems to be trying too hard, and you long for the simplicity of a Banksy or a sixth-form art student from Bewdley.
The Jewellery Quarter is, of course, to the west of Brum, over a canal I half expected boating/photography legend Pete Allen to be emerging from (not literally).
My entire lifetime spend on jewellery is £60, that on beer somewhat higher. In fact, I could have spent more than that in my first pub alone with not much effort.
There’s a lot to be said for the Red Lion.
- It opens at 10am.
2. It’s gorgeous. Despite the slight “modernisation”.
3. There’s a Banks’s mirror that’s nearly as good as the one with the red triangle.
4. There are Old Boys and Young Pros.
5. There are Faggots (and Chips). Which cost £11.95.
6. There is a soundtrack of “Logical Song” and “Personal Jesus“.
7. And there is Batham’s Bitter.
“Half of Batham’s please”
“Two pound, please” (Checks the price)
“Oh, actually, it’s £2.10 please“.
“Grief (I do say grief a lot), that’s a lot for a half” (Checks again)
“Actually, it’s £2.25. Sorry” (She really was very polite)
“If I keep asking will it come down ?”
A pint was £4.45, by the way, so not even a hefty mark up on halves. It was a decent beer (NBSS 3), though I wouldn’t have recognised it as Batham’s.
Clearly those prices pay for the refurb, the Baylis & Harding soap, and the crystal chandelier. I wondered how the Old Boys, happily discussing their washing powder preferences, afforded them.
Winston didn’t look amused.
I headed for the clock, spotting Pete and his super-pro camera.
There’s a lot of photographic merit inside the Rose Villa Tavern, a second architectural gem of the day. I’m not too fussed about “doing” the National Inventory pubs, but this was a spectacular, and lovingly maintained work of art.
Great seats, gorgeous windows, decent local beer (it wasn’t Doom Bar), pleasant staff, and Boney M.
Where has it been hiding ? It took some effort to get Pete and camera to start the walk into town, but we were tight to schedule, and you know how important schedules are.
Tomorrow you get photos of Old Mudgie and some “proper pubs”, all of them open.
……………………………………………
*after Manchester
** frankly, I get bored after writing 500 words. And there’s too many photos.
retiredmartin 
If I bung you a tenner, will you destroy the pictures of me?
LikeLiked by 1 person
If I give you 20 can you put them up as lead piccy 😉
LikeLike
Consider it done. Next bid please Mudge etc etc
LikeLike
Consider it done, fair swap for the Navigator (not that you’re not as photogenic as me, mind)
LikeLike
Sounds like you’ve just made a tidy profit from doing exactly what you were planning to do in the first place 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
The view of st Andrews from the train still gives me a warm glow ( quite sad really at 46!) Rose Villa tavern is a fantastic place and always had top Tunes on to boot as well as first rate 🍺🍺 only been to lord Clifden which is a classic but red lion looks just as top notch by the photos….Brum is great for a walk/drink as so spread out but 15 miles is an excellent effort 👏👏👏
LikeLiked by 1 person
*definitely THE Second City…. arguably the first as London is a separate economy 😀😀
LikeLiked by 3 people
Oh dear, oh dear.
LikeLike
“The churches are inspiring.”
That shot of the bench seating in the Rose Villa Tavern interior looks like the interior of a church. 🙂
I was so impressed I went to their website (where the main page says “stunning interior”, but when I clicked on the gallery all it bloody shows is basically shots of vodka bottles and burgers. Sheesh!
Cheers
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh. Quite a few photos I didn’t include were equally good.
LikeLike
Loved your transcription of the whole Batham’s exchange. Yet another brand I wish I could get hold of over here– sounds like the sort of traditional British beer I’m a fan of. Does Simon really start his trips so early every week? Seems I need to be even more appreciative of BRAPA than I already am…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think he often does, with all trips needing a train to London (or Manchester) before connections, and often first pint at 11am.
LikeLike
Not to put a knock on Si (heavens!) but I think during the week he heads out straight from work to do the rounds, which means he’s usually not home till almost midnight and then up for work the next day. See here:
http://brapa-4500.blogspot.ca/2017/10/brapa-september-review-october-preview.html
Under “Other News” he mentions not starting work on Wednesdays till 9am which gives him an extra hour in bed after his Tuesday jaunts. 🙂
But yeah, on the weekends he’s probably up with the roosters or some such.
Cheers
LikeLike
I think every Saturday he does that train trip to hell, sorry Kings Cross though Russ. Tuesday is the taster session, Saturday the main event.
LikeLike
If those photos are representative of the city, I had Birmingham all wrong. Really nice looking city shots.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad to be of service. Some more tomorrow, and take a look at Pete Allen’s website I linked too for best shots.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the link – I essentially have two websites; Pubs Then and Now for my pub/canal pictures and Photo Digital Art for my arty pictures.
It was a pleasure to meet Martin and Mudgie after years of internet communication. It was also good to meet the other intrepid pub crawlers…something I hadn’t done for years
LikeLiked by 2 people
Linked to Pubs Then and Now.in second Brum post. Thought folk might want to see your artistry.
LikeLike
Keep driving up that tourist trade! Much more impressive than my tooling around on streetview.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Birmingham is a much nicer city than many people realise…it has come on in leaps and bounds in the 40 years I’ve lived here. Currently it is undergoing another major redevelopment…so I often say to new visitors, “It’ll be nice when it’s finished”
LikeLiked by 1 person
It must be said, though, that the city centre was redeveloped in a particularly insensitive and brutal way in the 60s and 70s so, while there are some attractive parts, much of it is pretty unappealing.
Plus, going back forty years, the city’s pubs were an effective duopoly of Ansells and M&B (with a handful of Davenports) so there was little to excite the beer enthusiast.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Funny that the 60s and 70s produce what many perceive as our best music and worst architecture.
LikeLike
Some people prefer “perfect” cities and towns like Venice or Stamford. I prefer a bit of grit of industrial grit and imperfection, which is what you get in Stockport and Brum.
LikeLike
£2.25 for a half of Bathams? Manchester is the second city? I think you need to pack a sun hat for your next visit 😉
LikeLike
You don’t normally get sun over there. I should have borrowed yer hat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Birmingham’s a fantastic place, and has great pubs, though I would say that. I liked the Red Lion much more than expected, and it’s probably the best Hockley pub to visit, except maybe the Black Eagle (which is a bit far out for walking, right on the edge of Hockley, but near the Metro).
Less keen on the Rose Villa Tavern, myself. Don’t like the modern touches with otherwise a glorious building, and it can get a bit hipster, but that’s the JQ for you.
The Lord Clifden is nicer than you’d think, and also The Church,
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good call on Black Eagle. Great local.
LikeLike