HITCHMOUGH’S BLACK COUNTRY PUBS ROWLEY REGIS (Inc. Blackheath, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Whiteheath) 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 March 2015 Hitchmough Inscribes With many thanks to the 'back office': Janet, Sam and Gavin. 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. ACORN Cockshed Lane, (Cockshead Lane), (Maltmill Lane), BLACKHEATH OWNERS Mitchells and Butlers Ltd. Enterprise Inns (acquired in September 1991) LICENSEES Jonah Rollason [1870] – [1884] Norman Plant [ ] Jeff Green [1977] K F Eaton [1983] NOTES It had a beerhouse license. It had a bowling green Jonah Rollason = Jonah Rollinson Dudley Herald 16/7/1870 “Jonah Rollason, beerhouse keeper of Cocksedge (Oldbury) was convicted ….. selling at an illegal hour …. Fined £1 and costs.” 1871 Census Cockshead Lane [1] Jonah Rollason (40), licensed victualler, born Cockshead Lane; [2] Hannah Rollason (35), wife, born Cockshead Lane; [3] Mabel Rollason (13), daughter, scholar, born Cockshead Lane; [4] Roland Rollason (8), son, scholar, born Cockshead Lane; [5] Emily Rollason (3), daughter, born Cockshead Lane: Jonah Rollinson, beer retailer, Maltmill Lane. [1884] 1881 Census Maltmill Lane – ACORN INN [1] Jonah Rollason (50), beer retailer, born Netherton; [2] Hannah Rollason (44), wife, born Coombes Wood; [3] Roland Rollason (18), son, rivet maker, born Halesowen; [4] Emily Rollason (13), daughter, scholar, born Halesowen; [5] Philip Phillips (21), boarder, carter, born Olive Farm, Halesowen; [6] Mabel Phillips (22), boarder, born Olive Lane, Halesowen: Norman Plant was a whippet breeder. Jeff Green was married to Barbara. [1996] Closed [2000] Demolished [2006] 2000 ANCHOR HOTEL 1, St. Annes Road, (1, Dudley Wood Road), (1, Scholding Green Road), Five Ways, CRADLEY HEATH OWNERS George Roberts Chatham North Worcestershire Breweries Ltd. (acquired in 1896) Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. [1919] LICENSEES Thomas Robinson [1864] – 1868); Mrs. Mary Robinson (1868 – [1873] George Roberts Chatham [1892] – [1896] James Rowlands [1900] – 1902) William Jones [ ] – 1903); George Day (1903); Joseph Lowe (1903 – 1909); Arthur Harvey (1909 – [ ] Victor Percival Dingley [1911] Robert Botfield [1912] John Denning [1916] William Thomas Walker [1919] – 1920); Henrietta Walker (1920); William Tromans (1920 – 1926); Harold Jasper [1924] ? Major Allport (1926 – 1930); William Thomas Hickman (1930 – 1931) Harry Layton (1932 – 1937); Frederick Nelson Raybould (1937 – 1938); George Pearson (1938 – 1940); James Rowlands licensee James Thomas Newton (1940 – 1961); Stanley Hay (1961 – 1963); Denis Priest (1963 – [1968] David Mugglestone [ ] – 1985) Linda Ranford [1993] NOTES 1, Scholding Green Road [1904] Dudley Wood Road [1912] 1, Dudley Wood Road [1916], [1924], [1940] St. Annes Road [1993], [1996] 1, St. Annes Road [2001] It was originally called the ROYAL EXCHANGE. [1864], [1868], [1871], [1873] It was the headquarters of Cradley Heath St. Lukes FC. Thomas Robinson, beer retailer, Five Ways, Cradley Heath. [1864] He was married to Mary. He died c. 1868. 1871 Census ROYAL EXCHANGE [1] Mary Robinson (43), widow, publican, born Dudley; [2] Phoebe Cook (64), mother, born Dudley; [3] Matilda A. Cook (12), niece, born Dudley: Smethwick Telephone 18/4/1891 “A meeting in connection with the Knights of Labour was held last Monday evening at the ANCHOR HOTEL, Cradley Heath ….. the next meeting will be held at the PLOUGH INN, Oldbury Road, Smethwick on Monday May 11th.” George R Chatham was also a brewer. [1895] Smethwick Weekly News 2/2/1901 “On Wednesday Mr. H. A. Pearson (coroner), held an inquest