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Wednesday 11 January 2012

#044 Sir Charles Napier, Highgate : 1955 to 1998 to 2011

This is another of those pubs that I first discovered on my initial 1998 trip around the area. The Sir Charles Napier looks like a typical back street, corner pub of which there were many more then than there are now.
I've still not set foot inside, but I was pleased to see that the Sir Charles Napier was still in business when I returned in 2011.
Apart from a lick of paint it doesn't appear to have changed in the intervening years, aside from it not being an M&B pub any more. The shamrock leaves indicate that it is another Irish pub. It's unlikely that I'll ever visit the Sir Charles Napier for a drink as it is a bit off the beaten track from my usual pub crawls around the 'Eastside' of Birmingham! But, here is a review.
This is the twentieth in my 'Birmingham Eastside' series.

As I was researching the Sir Charles Napier I came across this website - Digital Photographic Images - which has many old photos of Birmingham pubs. One of the images was of the Sir Charles Napier from 1955. So I've acquired the postcard and scanned it so that you can see how the pub has changed over a longer period.
The main difference, and I can't quite work out how it was achieved, is that in 1955 the junction was a right angle as was the corner of the pub. However in 1998 the junction is an obtuse angle and the pub looks to have been similarly altered, but with no change to the overall appearance of the building! 

When I started this blog my intention was to use only photos that I'd taken, but I think in a few cases these old photos add to the detail and interest. 

2 comments:

  1. The junction has been an obtuse angle since 1885. Pubs been there prior to 1880. Think you may have had one too many or your camera did :)

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    1. Well, that was my belief, but the black & white photo isn't mine, so I was merely making the observation! It must be an optical illusion.

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