#019 Dead Wax (aka Wagon & Horses), Deritend : 1998 to 2020

The Eastside of Birmingham continues to evolve and a pub that was unchanged for many years suddenly got a complete makeover. This is how the Wagon & Horses looked in 1998 and 2011: -

As I was 'retracing my steps' to photograph these pubs I rediscovered the Wagon & Horses, almost by accident! I'd just done the Forge Tavern (#012) and was driving to see what else there was still around and I came across this lovely back street boozer. At first I thought that I'd missed it in 1998, but not so! I had indeed captured it eleven years ago.

This is the eighth in my 'Birmingham Eastside' series.

At the time, I thought that I should actually visit for a drink some time soon as it looked like a decent, 'proper' pub. But, I never did. It's not on the way to anywhere and so I was never passing and as the years passed forgot all about it!

And here it is in 2011, almost completely unchanged...except the signage and detailed paintwork (and the satellite dish!). Since I took the photo, I've actually been in and had a pint. The front bar is small and there seemed to be a reasonable choice of beer on offer - but as I drink Carling I didn't pay too much attention to the rest of the 'swill'! There was also a chocolate cake on the bar - 99p per slice - not something you see too often these days! There was a larger back room, but we didn't venture in there.

The reason that the Wagon & Horses has survived is that it is now a music venue as well with its own MySpace page. On the day we were there the Wagon & Horses was hosting a marathon charity event of live music that started in the afternoon and was due to end in the wee small hours. When we arrived the bar was relatively empty, but within a few minutes the place filled up with the next band and their followers.

For a more historical perspective this link has much more information.

Because of the unchanging external appearance I haven't taken any more recent pictures of the Wagon & Horses even though we visited it on our Proper Pubs Day Out in July 2018 and it was then still unchanged.



However, I was doing a craft market at the nearby Arches Project and noticed that the pub had undergone the most radical transformation into Dead Wax. At the time, I didn't take a picture assuming that I'd have plenty of time to report back on it later, as it is a pub so far off the main part of Digbeth that no-one would notice for a while. How wrong I was! Within two weeks of me noticing the change Life After Football had already been there and written it up!



So, a couple of weeks ago I finally got around to taking a photo.

As you can see it is one of the more radical makeovers that I've seen and reported on! It is good to see that it has a future and that someone has invested in the business.

Unsurprisingly, I took the opportunity to render Dead Wax in Photo Digital Art style as well!

Here's hoping that it will succeed, but it's unlikely that I'll be visiting any time soon as it's not really my kind of place!

Pubmen Assemble in Preston

Firstly apologies and acknowledgements. I can't believe that it is a whole month since we did the trip to Preston which has been reported on by Pub Curmudgeon here and here and by Retired Martin here, here, here, here, here, here and here. (No, I don't know how he keeps on blogging so much and so often!)

I also have to acknowledge the title of this entry and accredit Cooking Lager with the first recorded use of the phrase "Pubmen assemble" in a reply to Pub Curmudgeon on 3rd May 2019 - link.

Now, down to business...but I don't really have much to add that hasn't already been covered.

This was my first 'proper' visit to Preston and I was impressed with the quality of the pubs on offer (but less appreciative of the 4.2 miles walking required to get round them all!)

The Old Vic

This was the easiest pub to find as it was just up the slope as you exit Preston Station. My train was on time and the pubmen had already begun to assemble. A pleasant, proper pub to start the day off on the right foot. Then it went downhill, literally!

The Continental was quite a walk away from the Old Vic, fortunately (for me) it was downhill all the way and, apart from the unscheduled detour into (and out of again) the main Royal Mail Sorting Office car park, it was a pleasant enough stroll.

The Continental

This pub is down by the banks of the River Ribble and the railway bridge over it (both behind me). The Continental may be a destination pub for the real ale aficionados (it hosts regular beer festivals), I personally, didn't think it was worth the detour. It is a pleasant, airy pub with a good beer selection and a lovely looking garden, but not my favourite pub of the day.

Having walked downhill to The Continental it was now time to make our way through the park (a very pleasant green space leading down from the town [sorry, city!] to the river bank.) The slope down to the pub had been gentle, but the last part back up through the park was quite steep for some of us old codgers!

It was at this stage that the micropub/crafties split away from we 'traditionalists' who were headed to The Wellington for some much needed sustenance as well as beer.

The Wellington

I liked the pub, but the service wasn't up to much. Firstly, there was only one cask ale on (which I didn't fancy, so it was Carlsberg for me!) and our food order took well over half an hour to reach us despite there being hardly anyone else in the place!

Moving on and it was a Sam Smith's pub next - the Olde Blue Bell. Just as we arrived, the breakaway group were leaving!

Olde Blue Bell

I have mixed feelings about Sam Smith's pubs. I don't really like OBB so I had their own lager which was fine, but it's their pubs that I'm not so sure about. They certainly fit the description of being 'proper pubs', but to me, the Olde Blue Bell felt a bit sanitised with the standard Sam's wallpaper and a fairly regimented pub layout. Basically, it didn't have any of the quirks that I expect with proper, old pubs.

The next place on the itinerary sounded like a proper pub - the Guild Ale House.

Guild Ale House

It was, instead, a micro! However, as micropubs go, this is one of the better ones with pleasant seating and an interesting interior.

Moving on, it was quite a trek to the next pub on our list. As we walked past a very busy working men's club a man exited on a mobility scooter and headed in the same direction as us. He didn't make it to the pub, though. His interim destination was a mobility scooter showroom where he pulled off the pavement and studied the shiny new machines (with all the bells & whistles) before driving off with a wistful air dreaming of an upgrade.

Soon, we reached The Moorbrook where we caught up with the rest of our tour party.

The Moorbrook

By now my recollections are beginning to get somewhat hazy!

Next, it was back towards the centre and the Vinyl Tap.

Vinyl Tap

As the name suggests, this is dedicated to playing music on vinyl only and, although it looks like a proper pub from the outside, inside it is a cross between an 'old school' record shop and a micropub. The Killers first album playing while we were there, but I'm not sure if they were taking requests!

Next was The Market Tavern Tap...the pub that couldn't afford a signwriter!

The Marklet Tavern Tap

Another proper boozer, but inside wherever a sign had said 'Tavern' it had been crossed out and replaced with 'Tap' handwritten in chalk (seemingly)! It is a good pub, though.

Finally, we arrived at the Black Horse which was quite lively (well, it was almost 7pm on a Friday evening!).

The Black Horse

Fittingly, we finished our day off with a gem of a pub populated with young folk as well as old codgers and the full range of those inbetween. After a final pint here I headed back off to the station in a pleasant alcoholic haze and was home before 11pm.

Another superb day out and my thanks go to the people who organised the itinerary and everything else that goes into these Proper Days Out.