Horan's Tavern, as it was called in 1998, was a new discovery for me as I was touring around Digbeth.
A typical street corner, back-street boozer is how it appeared in 1998 and I've never set foot inside.
Moving forward to 2011 and it has changed it's name to the Floodgate Tavern and was very much closed.
Obviously it had been completely redecorated on the outside in the intervening years, but seemingly to no avail. They have even painted over the Little Ann Street sign and the Floodgate Street sign has disappeared.
I was passing by recently (sadly without my camera!) and it looked as though it had been reopened and then closed again since I took this photo. I wouldn't expect anyone to be able to make a go of this pub, mainly because of it's location. It is well off the beaten track (even for Digbeth) and I think it must have relied on daytime/early evening trade from factory workers nearby to have a pint and a fag (probably!).
This is the thirty-second in my 'Birmingham Eastside' series.
My mother used to collect and wash glasses in this pub during the 1920' she was about 10- 12 years old and my grandmother used to clean the pub, times were hard then.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, thanks for sharing.
DeleteI used it in 1990's when Frank & Anne ran it always liked the pub but I knew frank & Anne when they ran the gough arms otherside of town in gough street
ReplyDelete