Concluding the Digbeth/Eastside Update

 With the pubs being back open again (well, for outdoor table service only) I realise that I've left a few of the Digbeth stragglers without an up date. So, here we go: -

 

#064 White Swan, Bradford Street, Digbeth

 

Last year I reported the depressing news that this magnificent boozer had closed with little prospect of reopening in the near future. This is the scene that I discovered a few weeks ago.

White Swan, Digbeth 2021

On the face of it, there would appear to be few prospects of it reopening any time soon with extra layers of grafitti having been added. However, appearances can be deceptive. That whole plot of land behind the White Swan is owned by Seven Capital who are also now the owners of the pub. They have pledged to reopen the pub and, as they own the land, they plan to have an extensive 'garden' area at the back of the property - details here.

#048 Adam & Eve, Bradford Street, Deritend (RIP)

 

When I last reported on the Adam & Eve in 2018 it had closed as a pub and resurrected itself as Evolve - a café and event space designed to provide young people with training. Now into 2021...there's been no change!

Adam & Eve, Deritend 2021

#018 Subside (aka The Dubliner), Digbeth

 

For many years this was The Barrel Organ, which then morphed into The Dubliner and, when I last reported in 2018, it had changed name, again, to Subside which is more of a nightclub than a pub. Here in 2021, nothing much has changed.

Subside, Digbeth 2021

 

 

 

#068 The Ruin, Floodgate Street, Digbeth

 

Another pub that I last reported on in 2018 and another Digbeth survivor that has had many names over the past few years...and another that has changed very little over the past few years.

The Ruin, Digbeth 2021

 

#012 The Forge Tavern, Digbeth (RIP)

 

When I last reported in 2018 The Forge Tavern had been closed down following a fatal stabbing in 2017. Unfortunately, in the intervening years it would appear that only decay and dereliction have followed.

The Forge Tavern, Digbeth 2021

 

#056 The Woodman, Digbeth

 

Surprisingly, I haven't reported on the Woodman since the original blog post in 2011, although it has appeared in several posts in the meantime. Although it is a few yards away from the site of the much missed Eagle & Tun, The Woodman is guaranteed to survive the building of the new HS2 terminus.

The Woodman, Digbeth 2021

So, depite the tremendous upheavals in the vicinity, The Woodman has been back as strong as ever since the pubs were allowed to reopen!

#040 Eagle & Ball, Gopsal Street, Birmingham City University 

 

The Eagle & Ball has been one of the success stories of this area with the old Moby Dick's being resurrected as the Eagle & Ball. I last reported in 2018 when it had reopened, and now...no real change!

Eagle & Ball, Gopsal Street, BCU

And finally....

#013 Mist Shisha Lounge, Adelaide Street, Deritend

When I first pictured this establishment it was the Carpenters Arms, but by 2011 it had become the Moon Shisha Lounge. I last reported in 2018 when it had changed to Mist Shisha Lounge. This is the scene in 2021.

Mist Shisha Lounge, Adelaide Street, Deritend

It has been redecorated in the ensuing years and still appears to be a going concern.

 

So, there you have it, a whistlestop tour through the last few pubs in Digbeth and Eastside. Not many more have gone for good, but the next few months will be critical for the survival propsects of many. Let's hope for a warm summer with good football to swell pub attendances!

#018 Subside (aka The Dubliner), Digbeth : 1998 to 2018 (Revisited)

I'll begin with what I wrote back in 2011 and then add the latest image.

When I first came to Brum as a student in the late 70's this was the Barrel Organ, but I never visited it. There are some reminiscences of the old Barrel Organ from the 1980's here when it was a popular music venue as well. I'm not entirely sure when it changed its name to The Dubliner, but when I took this photo in 1998 it had been that for a few years.

I still had never set foot inside the place until Thursday 19th September 2002. We were returning from our second trip up the Caldon Canal. We'd planned to go to Chester, but a lock gate had 'blown out' ahead of us on the Shropshire Union Canal and we were forced to make an alternative plan. 

Often, the penultimate night of our canal trips are spent in Birmingham and, in those days, I tried to visit pubs that we'd never been to before. The Dubliner was one of the pubs we visited that night. My only two observations that survive are that it was cavernous inside and the lager was the most expensive of the night! One pint was enough!

In 2006 it was the victim of an arson attack and didn't reopen until February 2008 as reported here. I have been back since the reopening, but again only stayed for one pint. It was about 9:30 on a Saturday night and the place was virtually empty. A disco was being set up, there was a bouncer on the door and, in the Gents, a bloke was setting up his range of perfumes and emollients for later in the evening! We discovered that they had a licence until 4 am! I'd like to say that I've become too old for that sort of scene...but I think I've always been too old for it!!

 

In 2011 it is still there and still thriving. It looks pretty much like it did in 1998, but closer inspection shows that the windows are new (not surprisingly) and the Ansells sign has gone (praise be!). Next door is the completely rebuilt Digbeth Birmingham Coach Station.

 

And so, we arrive in 2018 and The Dubliner is no more it is now called Subside (Birmingham's Rock & Alternative Bar). Apparently, the name changed in 2015 when Subside was closed in Fletcher's Walk (to make way for the Paradise development) and needed a new venue - details here.

 I have no plans to revisit the place as it probably isn't my sort of place anymore (if it ever was!). However it is open from noon every day if you just want a drink, so that can't be a bad thing.