Blog Surfer

Monday 17 March 2014

#142 Speed the Plough, Tibberton, Worcestershire : 2008 to 2013

Tibberton is a small village just north-east of Worcester on the banks of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. I've visited Tibberton on quite a few occasions, both on the canal and to visit friends, but I'm not entirely sure when I first visited the pub.

Our first canal related visit was at lunchtime on Wednesday 28th May 2008.
As I recall, it had recently been taken over by new management and I think we had a warming meal on a cool rainy day. It felt like a cosy local, but was quiet at lunchtime.

It was another five years before we were back, again at lunchtime, on Sunday 12th May 2013.
Speed the Plough was again under new management and was, again, a welcome refuge on a cool, damp Spring day. Together with the new management, the outside had been completely redecorated and also rebranded Marston's from the previous Banks's. The inside had also been redecorated, but had lost none of its cosy feel.

Thursday 6 March 2014

Digbeth Update

It is almost three years since I went around the Digbeth area taking pictures of the surviving pubs. I was in the area this week taking pictures, mostly non-pub related and I noticed that in the passing three years very little has changed, at least as far as the pubs go (Lots of other things have changed, but the pubs seem to be quite stable for the time being). However there are a couple of examples that are worth reporting.

Back in 2011, the pub that was formerly The Carpenters Arms had been turned into the Moon Shisha Lounge (see #013 on this blog). Unfortunately that has now also closed. I'm not sure when it happened, but I don't think there is much chance of anything pub related returning to this site.

The other story is much more upbeat. In 2011 I wasn't sure whether The Woodman was still open nor what the future held for it (see #056 on this blog).
After I wrote that blog it was closed for some time, but since September 2013 it has been restored to its former glory and open for business again. I haven't been back in, yet, but the details can be seen here on their website.

Although it currently stands a bit on its own, hopefully, the development of the surrounding area and the building of HS2 will lead to a secure future for this magnificent building.

For any other Digbeth related information, I always refer to the excellent blog Digbeth is Good.