HITCHMOUGH’S BLACK COUNTRY PUBS HALESOWEN (Inc. Colley Gate, Cradley, Hasbury, Lapal) 3rd. Edition - © 2015 Tony Hitchmough. All Rights Reserved www.longpull.co.uk INTRODUCTION Well over 40 years ago, I began to notice that the English public house was more than just a building in which people drank. The customers talked and played, held trips and meetings, the licensees had their own stories, and the buildings had experienced many changes. These thoughts spurred me on to find out more. Obviously I had to restrict my field; Black Country pubs became my theme, because that is where I lived and worked. Many of the pubs I remembered from the late 1960’s, when I was legally allowed to drink in them, had disappeared or were in the process of doing so. My plan was to collect any information I could from any sources available. Around that time the Black Country Bugle first appeared; I have never missed an issue, and have found the contents and letters invaluable. I then started to visit the archives of the Black Country boroughs. Directories were another invaluable source for licensees’ names, enabling me to build up lists. The censuses, church registers and licensing minutes for some areas, also were consulted. Newspaper articles provided many items of human interest (eg. inquests, crimes, civic matters, industrial relations), which would be of value not only to a pub historian, but to local and social historians and genealogists alike. With the advances in technology in mind, I decided the opportunity of releasing my entire archive digitally, rather than mere selections as magazine articles or as a book, was too good to miss. This would allow those people with interests, such as mentioned above, to search for relevant innformation. (sic) The files contain information about every pub that has been found to exist in each of the districts within the Black Country, along with a number of illustrations. Originally a series of 3 CDs was for sale, covering the Black Country boroughs. After 2 editions of each CD I am now producing individual files for each township sub-area. These files are available for free download by anyone interested. A number of years have passed since the first CD came out. In that time I have looked at a lot more sources of information (discovering some new old pubs), acquired many more photographs, and made many helpful friends. Thanks to the many people such as Denis Harper and Keith Hodgkins, who have allowed their own photographs to be used. In 2010 I was asked by the relatives of the late John V. Richards to sort through his own archive of material, in order to redistribute it to appropriate groups. This has been very useful in confirming, and providing new, information. I have also been asked to disseminate information gathered by Jim Laws, Wolverhampton CAMRA’s pub preservation officer/pub historian, who is unfortunately incapacitated. I hope you find this file useful. Please, if you can, show your appreciation by contributing information or photographs. If you feel so inclined you can even make a donation via the downloads page on the website to help defray our expenses. The work, as ever, continues. Tony Hitchmough May 2015 With many thanks to the 'back office': Janet, Sam and Gavin. Hitchmough Awaits DISTRICTS The districts covered by the CDs were generally based on the modern places created in the 1970’s, ie, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton. These are then subdivided into the old townships which had existed for many years previous, and are as follows:- SANDWELL Oldbury (inc. Causeway Green, Langley, Oakham, Rounds Green, Tividale) Rowley Regis (inc. Blackheath, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Whiteheath) Smethwick (inc. Bearwood, Londonderry, Warley) Tipton (inc. Dudley Port, Great Bridge, Princes End, Toll End) Wednesbury (inc. Kings Hill, Leabrook, Mesty Croft) West Bromwich (inc. Golds Green, Greets Green, Hill Top, Lyndon) DUDLEY Brierley Hill (inc. Pensnett, Quarry Bank, Round Oak) Dudley (inc. Harts Hill, Kates Hill, Priory, Woodside) Halesowen (inc. Colley Gate, Cradley, Hasbury, Lapal) Kingswinford (inc. Himley, Wall Heath) Netherton (inc. Darby End, Dudley Wood, Saltwells, Windmill End) Sedgley (inc. Coseley, The Gornals, Woodsetton) Stourbridge (inc. Amblecote, Lye, Wollaston, Wollescote, Wordsley) WALSALL & WOLVERHAMPTON Bilston (inc. Bradley, Hallfields) Darlaston (inc. Butcroft, Moxley, Wood’s Bank) Walsall (inc. Bloxwich, Leamore, Palfrey, Pelsall, Rushall, Shelfield, Walsall Wood) Wednesfield (inc. Ashmore Park, Fallings Park, Heath Town, Moseley Village, Park Village, Wood End) Willenhall (inc. Bentley, New Invention, Portobello, Short Heath) Wolverhampton (inc. Blakenhall, Codsall, Oxley, Penn, Tettenhall, Whitmore Reans UPDATES I am planning to continue my researches, and will be producing updated versions of each file (for free download) as sufficient additional content is found. Hopefully new old pubs will continue to be discovered, as will some mysteries be cleared up. I maintain an Update service on the website to advise of pub discoveries made during the interim between releases. If anyone is able to provide extra, relevant information and / or pictures, about any of the pubs and people contained within this work, I would be grateful to hear from you, initially by e-mail at: [email protected] I look forward to hearing from you. Tony Hitchmough longpull.co.uk ABOUT THIS FILE It is a PDF file and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. This reference work is designed to be viewed on a computer but can be printed. It is text based so one can search and find within the contents. BOOKMARKS Clicking on the Bookmarks in the panel on the left will take you to the chosen location. If your computer uses Windows, Bookmarks with a + (a plus sign) on the left hand side have submenus and clicking on the plus sign (which will change to a minus sign) will reveal the contents. Clicking on the minus sign will hide the contents of the submenu. If your computer uses Apple, clicking on the right pointing arrow to the left of the Bookmark will display the submenu; it will turn to a downward pointing arrow which when clicked will hide the submenu. For more information please consult the Adobe Acrobat Reader help system. BEECH TREE Birmingham Road, HALESOWEN OWNERS LICENSEES James Dixon [1870] Joseph Crump [1872] BELL 34, New Street, (Bedcote Street), CRADLEY OWNERS LICENSEES William Bunn [1871] Benjamin Homer [1880] – [1884] NOTES BLUE BELL It had a beerhouse license. It was converted from a boot and shoe shop. 1871 Census BELL INN [1] William Bunn (54), widower, shingler and innkeeper, born West Bromwich; [2] Maria Bunn (24), daughter, born Cradley; [3] Albert Bunn (19), son, shingler: 1881 Census 34, New Street [1] Benjamin Homer (41), shingler, born Stourbridge; [2] Martha Homer (40), wife, born Rowley; [3] Amy S. E. Homer (16), daughter, born Rowley; [4] Clara S. E. Homer (12), daughter, scholar, born Rowley; [5] Bertha A. Homer (9), daughter, scholar, born Rowley; [6] Fredrick J. Homer (6), son, scholar, born Rowley; [7] Emily M. Homer (4), daughter, scholar, born Rowley: BELL High Street, HALESOWEN OWNERS LICENSEES Sarah Parkes [1855] Richard Williams [1861] NOTES 1861 Census High Street - BELL INN [1] Richard Williams (29), domestic gardener and victualler, born Hagley; [2] Elizabeth Williams (32), wife, born Knowle, Warwickshire: BENJAMIN’S Birmingham Street, HALESOWEN OWNERS LICENSEES John Marshall [2000] NOTES The building was originally a Primitive Methodist Church. It was named after Benjamin Hingley, who had laid the foundation stone. He was Mayor of Dudley. Halesowen News 30/9/1999 “A Halesowen pub is hosting a music hall concert for St. John’s Church restoration 2000 appeal. The Stephen James Players will be at BENJAMINS, Birmingham Street, at 7.30pm on Thursday October 21. Tickets are £4.50…..” Halesowen News 11/11/1999 “Halesowen will soon be home to a 30 bedroom hotel after councillors agreed plans for an accommodation extension to BENJAMINS night club and pub…..” [2009] It became a banqueting and conference centre. 2009 Advert 1999 BLACK HORSE 19, Banners Lane, (19, Overend), Colley Gate, CRADLEY OWNERS John Rolinson and Son Ltd. [1906] Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. (acquired in 1909) LICENSEES John Homer [1901] – 1906); Edward Stevens (1906 – 1908); Mrs. Annie Stevens (1908 – 1910); John Jones (1910 – 1911); Joseph Jones (1911 – 1915); William ‘Bill’ Palmer (1915 – 1942); Amelia Palmer (1942 – 1945); Stanley Allout (1945 – 1947); Frank Ernest Perkins (1947 – 1948); Martin Ridley Barnsley (1948 – 1957); John Thomas Berry (1957 – 1961); Edward Sidney Allen (1961 – 1963); John Rollason (1963 – 1971); Douglas Edward Garrison (1971 – 1972); John Michael McWalter (1972 – 1973); Allan Brown Henderson (1973 – 1974); Ronald Tilley (1974 – 1975); Philip Millard (1975 – 1976); David Moss (1976 – 1977); Peter Childs (1977 – 1978); Colin Stuart Day (1978 – 1979); David Lewis Jackson (1979 – 1980); David Bore (1980 – 1981); Patrick Joseph Roberts (1981 – 1982); Andrew David Venton (1982 – 1983); Brian Harold Holliday (1983 – [1989] Steve Edmunds (2004 – [2006] NOTES 19, Overend [1928] 19, Banners Lane It had a beerhouse license. The third floor garret room is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a servant girl called Lucy. 1901 Census Banners Lane, Overend [1] John Homer (48), beerhouse manager, born Rowley; [2] Maria Homer (48), wife, born Rowley; [3] Maud Homer (22), daughter, dressmaker, born Rowley; [4] Blanche Homer (14), daughter, born Cradley, Worcestershire; [5] Samuel Leonard (23), son in law, sinker in pit shaft, born Cradley, Worcestershire; [6] Elizabeth Leonard (21), daughter, born Rowley; [7] Alice Leonard (5 months, granddaughter, born Cradley, Worcestershire; [8] Anabel Hingley (40), visitor, block chain maker, born Halesowen: County Express 23/11/1901 “Mr. A. H. Hebbert, deputy coroner, held an inquest at the BLACK HORSE INN, Cradley, on Tuesday afternoon upon the infant child of Thomas Barnsley Nock, puddler, of Mill Street. The child was born on Wednesday, the 13th inst.