#044 Sir Charles Napier, Highgate, Birmingham : 1955 to 1998 to 2011 to 2021

 This is another pub that I've never been in, but it still thrives despite this! Here's what I wrote in 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

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 (broken link) - 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."

 

Moving on to 2018 and we get another external redecoration.

Lovely bright paintwork which is often a sign that the pub is still thriving.

I can't seem to find any information about when the Sir Charles Napier will be reopening, but their Facebook page seems to be active and promoting other local pubs and businesses.

This is how it looks in 2021. Another slight redecoration, but still looking vibrant!

As I've been writing this I wondered, "Who was Sir Charles Napier?" Not as simple a question as I'd hoped - it turns out, according to Wikipedia, that there were three of them!

 

General Sir Charles James Napier (1782 - 1853)

Admiral Sir Charles John Napier (1786 - 1860)
Captain Sir Charles Elers Napier (1812 - 1847)

So, I'm still not sure who the pub is named in honour of!