#222 Pig & Bell, Rugeley, Staffordshire : 1999 to 2016 (RIP)

For reaching 'Double Nelson' you might have expected me to choose a special pub, but no, you get the now defunct Pig & Bell from that underwhelming (from a pub perspective) town of Rugeley.

We first encountered the Pig & Bell at lunchtime on Tuesday 31st August 1999.

As I recall, it was a modern style pub (for those days!) trying to be like a Firkin or Hogshead pub.

Our next encounter was at lunchtime on Tuesday 5th September 2006.

There was no discernible difference inside or out; it may have been repainted during those seven years.

Fast forward to the evening of Sunday 20th March 2016.

I can't say that this was a complete shock to me, but it is always sad to see a pub disappear. We didn't sample the delights of The Rugeley Spice, but no doubt, one day, we will probably be tempted inside!

#221 The Badger Inn, Church Minshull, Cheshire : 1987 to 2016

The village of Church Minshull is set some way away from the canal and so it is always a bit of a walk to the pub. The stretch of canal in question is the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal that links Middlewich to the Shropshire Union! Over the years we've ventured along this section of canal somewhat infrequently and often been caught by surprise by it's length (11 miles) and the very deep locks.

Our first stop at Church Minshull was at lunchtime on Saturday 11th July 1987.

As I recall The Badger Inn was a very pleasant country pub that did good food.

It was many years later that we returned at lunchtime on Thursday 12th September 2002.

 We'd been planning a trip to Chester, but we'd got as far as Bunbury when we were informed that Beeston Iron Lock had had a gate "blow out" so the canal would be closed for several days. So we turned around and decided to head for Leek on the Caldon Canal instead.

Amazingly, after 15 years, the pub was almost completely unchanged!

We were passing by again at lunchtime on Thursday 31st August 2006 only to find that The Badger Inn was closed. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo.

By the time we were passing again, I knew that the pub had reopened, and this is what we found at lunchtime on Monday 22nd August 2016.

At first glance it looks as though not too much has changed apart from the replacement windows. I also thought that it was amazing that the old hanging sign had remained, but on closer inspection you can see that they have produced a replica sign, but this time the badgers are headed in opposite directions!

Inside, the pub (or should I say restaurant) was completely modernised and extended, serving very good food. Hopefully it will continue to thrive and, if you're passing by do pop in - The Badger Inn website is here.

In the Footsteps of Phyllis...(Part 2)

The Grid Project featuring the photos of Phyllis Nicklin will run until the end of 2017 and if I can contribute half-a-dozen photos each month 'til then, I'll be happy.

This month I decided to venture into Handsworth as, at that stage, no-one else had selected any of the locations. I'm not sure why this was, perhaps none of the volunteers live in that part of town or maybe not many fancy going to a part of town with a 'dodgy' reputation. Nonetheless, I set off and this is what I found.

Although I'm showing this picture first, it was actually the last one I shot.

Phyllis Nicklin (1968) © The University of Birmingham

 This photo was taken on 8th March 1968 just a few weeks before Enoch Powell gave his infamous "Rivers of Blood" speech at the Midland Hotel in Birmingham. Since then, there have been several Handsworth riots at least two of which have centred on the Villa Cross pub at the centre of the picture.

On my first visit to Handsworth to take photos I was unable to park nearby so I decided not to risk having to walk a significant distance with a fairly expensive camera in my hand! Someone taking part in this project has already been robbed of their camera equipment, so security is always of concern. I returned the next day and got a parking spot just a few yards from where I took this photo.

© Peter Allen (2017) for The Birmingham Photographic Grid Project 2017

The scene in 2017 is remarkably little changed, at first glance, from 1968 - more cars, more street lights and fewer shops as the far right hand side buildings are now residential. Along the left hand side a part of the row has obviously been demolished and replaced by a less tall construction. The Villa Cross is no longer a pub!

Cities like Birmingham are also full of amazing juxtapositions - if you bear left by the Villa Cross, then take the next left and then a right you will find yourself here...just a five minute walk away.

Phyllis Nicklin (1968) © The University of Birmingham

© Peter Allen (2017) for The Birmingham Photographic Grid Project 2017

Suddenly, you're in a beautiful, leafy suburb which is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Villa Road. The scene is pretty much unchanged from 1968, just a little more overgrown. The original road sign remains, just somewhat obscured, sadly.

Then it was on to Soho Road for the next three photos.

Phyllis Nicklin (1968) © The University of Birmingham

© Peter Allen (2017) for The Birmingham Photographic Grid Project 2017

Back in 1968 this was the Handsworth School Clinic on Soho Hill, but now it seems to be owned by a furnishers. The building seems to be reasonably intact apart from the loss of the feature in the centre of the roof!

Next I headed further out of town along Soho Road, first to the junction with Grove Lane.

Phyllis Nicklin (1968) © The University of Birmingham

© Peter Allen (2017) for The Birmingham Photographic Grid Project 2017

Nearly 40 years later and the scene is remarkably similar; albeit with fewer people crossing the road. The bank is still a bank, but no longer Birmingham Municipal Bank and the buses are a different colour!

When I selected by final Handsworth shot I was convinced, sitting at home, that I knew exactly where to find Handsworth Market. Further research showed up my error - it had closed down in 2003 and burned down around 2008!

As I was taking the picture above, I saw an older woman crossing the road and asked her where the market used to be. She told me that she'd been a regular visitor to it and pointed me in the right direction. It was closer than I'd originally thought.

Phyllis Nicklin (1968) © The University of Birmingham

© Peter Allen (2017) for The Birmingham Photographic Grid Project 2017

Now it has been replaced by a bright, shiny, new health centre but, amazingly, (and I didn't notice this till I was looking at the photos back at home) the black wooden gates to the right are unchanged!

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted only five photos so far. My sixth was a little nearer to home. I chose this one as it is the closest of all Phyllis Nicklin's photos to where I live.

Phyllis Nicklin (1968) © The University of Birmingham

© Peter Allen (2017) for The Birmingham Photographic Grid Project 2017

Back in 1968 the photo must have been taken from what was then Cadbury's wharf which is now a housing estate. I was expecting this to be an easier photo to capture, but I hadn't realised/noticed how many changes there have been to the buildings in Cadbury's factory.

#220 Plough & Harrow, Fazeley, Staffordshire : 1996 to 2016

Fazeley sits on the junction of the Coventry Canal with the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal just on the edge of Tamworth. It is a regular stopping place for us as there are several pubs in a small area.

Our first visit to the Plough & Harrow was on the evening of Thursday 30th May 1996.

We were back again, two years later at lunchtime on Monday 22nd June 1998.

This view gives a much better view of the pub, which was unchanged from our previous visit. This is one of those pubs that exhibits the 'reverse TARDIS' effect, being smaller on the inside than you'd expect from the outside! It is a pub that I've never quite warmed to, but it served beer and food so, what's not to like?

We returned a year later at lunchtime on Monday 30th August 1999.

Seemingly, no changes apart from the disappearance of the hanging basket and the three lights from above the wall sign have also gone.

There was a bit of a gap to our next visit, another lunchtime stop on Tuesday 31st August 2004.

A complete makeover had taken place both inside and out - neither had been an improvement! The pub was no longer an M&B house. Despite the changes, food was available so all was well!

We were back again a year later, again at lunchtime, on Sunday 21st August 2005.

No changes from the previous year.

During this period we seemingly couldn't keep away from the Plough & Harrow as we returned for more lunchtime shenanigans on Wednesday 6th September 2006.

  Again it was largely unchanged, but the bench seats outside had disappeared.

We left it for a few years and revisited the Plough & Harrow for a rare evening stop in Fazeley on Wednesday 2nd June 2010.

Another complete makeover with the extra addition of a large outside seating area - partly inspired, I believe, by the smoking ban, but also, I suspect, because the pub is so small inside this was the only way to maximise income.

These changes weren't enough to make us rush back, though, and we didn't return until lunchtime on Monday 15th June 2015.

A five year gap and not only has it undergone another complete transformation, but the name had also changed to simply, The Plough.

We were back again at lunchtime on Monday 13th June 2016.

Quite surprisingly, the doors and window frames had been repainted, but almost everything else was the same as before.

 

One other thing of note is the change to the building next door to the pub which has added a front door sometime between 2006 and 2010!