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!

#024 Eden Bar, Birmingham : 1998 to 2020 (Revisited)

These were my observations back in 2011: -

Another pub that I've never been in, but is an example that illustrates one of the changes in Birmingham's culture.

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

Back in 1998 it was The White Swan a seemingly typical street corner pub, just outside the city centre.

Now in 2011 it is the Eden Bar, one of the newer additions to the Gay Scene in Birmingham.

Since I began this project, the Gay Scene in Birmingham has 'come out' so that there are now a number of gay venues that are 'loud and proud'. The Eden Bar is no longer a traditional pub, but you can probably just pop in for a drink.

From the outside The White Swan has been changed quite extensively and the Eden Bar certainly stands out more. Just up the road is the Village Inn which is a completely new 'pub' and another gay venue.

Since then, the Eden Bar has gone from strength to strength, but is now threatened (potentially) by the possibility of residential accommodation being built next door...but in the meantime this is how it looked on Sunday 23rd February 2020.

It has been substantially redecorated in the intervening nine years, but I cannot comment on the interior as I've still not been inside.

Another view of the Eden Bar is here, showing another pub with much more fanciful decoration than you'd normally expect from a pub...but I like it!

After dark, the upper portion is lit up in rainbow colours from uplighters where the plant boxes used to be, but I've never been passing with my camera.

#064 The White Swan, Digbeth : 1998 to 2020 (Revisited + RIP?)

This is what I wrote about The White Swan back in 2011 - 

The White Swan in Digbeth is another example of the fine pubs designed by James & Lister Lea. This is what it looked like in the mid 1930's.

Picture courtesy www.digital-photographic-images.co.uk.

In 1998 when I took this picture, The White Swan appears to have changed little.

At the time of taking this photo, I don't think I'd been inside, but this was rectified in 2002 when we were in Birmingham on one of our canal trips and ventured into Digbeth for a bit of a pub crawl.

This picture was taken on Saturday 7th September 2002.

It's difficult to tell from this picture if anything had changed. As I recall it was a busy, 'proper' pub only let down by the fact that the only 'quaffing' lager was Carlsberg (probably the worst lager in the world in those days - it is better nowadays!). I've visited at least once more since and found it to be a very pleasant place if you like real pubs.

On to 2011 and this is how The White Swan looks.

Again, it looks almost identical to how it was in 1998. Obviously, it is a Grade II listed building and so there's not much that can be altered, however, none of the buildings that were on either side have survived.

Amazingly it is now a Marston's pub, but you wouldn't know it from the exterior.

I'm not sure whether I'd revisited The White Swan in the intervening years, but I did take a photo on the afternoon of Wednesday 31st January 2018.

Very little had changed and there had been no progress on the development of the adjoining land. A few months later I did pay a visit as part of the Beer & Pubs Forum Proper Day Out in July, but I didn't take another photo on the day!

So, onto the present day. I was aware that the family who had run The White Swan for the last 50+ years were planning to sell up and go back to Ireland, but it was still a shock to find this on the afternoon of Tuesday 18th February 2020. 

This article explains the context much better than I could! Seemingly it is on the market for in excess of £400,000, but I've been unable to find any further details.

It would be a very sad day if The White Swan is truly lost, but hopefully it's Grade II listed status may save it from demolition...fingers crossed!

#074 The White Swan, Henley-in-Arden : 2000 to 2011

Henley-in-Arden is a village I visit occasionally from the canal, usually at Easter on our trips to Stratford. The White Swan is usually last on our list of places to visit as it isn't the best pub in Henley, but we keep returning in the hope that it will have improved.

This first visit was on Thursday 20th April 2000 when we'd moored up at Preston Bagot and popped into The Crabmill for a pint before ordering a taxi to take us into Henley. We're not great fans of The Crabmill as it is now a country restaurant and not a place to go for a drinking session any more!

On this occasion it looks like we'd asked the taxi driver to drop us here first as I don't think we'd been into The White Swan before. As I recall, it wasn't very appealing to us and felt more like a hotel than a pub. We had just the one pint and left.

Five years later and its Friday 25th March 2005. It looks as though it was our last stop before heading off for a curry.

Not one of my best photos, but from the outside The White Swan was largely the same as before, still Ansells and still not exactly welcoming (and probably a bit rougher inside!). I don't remember too much more as this picture was probably taken after 4 or 5 pints!

Our next visit was on the evening of Friday 6th April 2007; and what a transformation!

Completely refurbished on the inside and re-signed outside. Now it had become a pub in a rustic style with food on offer. Again, this was probably our last stop of the evening before the inevitable curry!

Our most recent visit was on Friday 29th April 2011 and we decided to start our pub crawl through Henley at The White Swan for a change.

From the outside there were more new signs and inside it was still a pub and restaurant in a 'rustic' style. Still not the best pub in Henley, but a vast improvement over our first venture in 2000! It still is a hotel, but doesn't feel as much like one as it did back then! 

#064 The White Swan, Digbeth : 1998 to 2011

The White Swan in Digbeth is another example of the fine pubs designed by James & Lister Lea. This is what it looked like in the mid 1930's.

Picture courtesy www.digital-photographic-images.co.uk.

In 1998 when I took this picture, The White Swan appears to have changed little.

At the time of taking this photo, I don't think I'd been inside, but this was rectified in 2002 when we were in Birmingham on one of our canal trips and ventured into Digbeth for a bit of a pub crawl.

This picture was taken on Saturday 7th September 2002.

It's difficult to tell from this picture if anything had changed. As I recall it was a busy, 'proper' pub only let down by the fact that the only 'quaffing' lager was Carlsberg (probably the worst lager in the world in those days - it is better nowadays!). I've visited at least once more since and found it to be a very pleasant place if you like real pubs.

On to 2011 and this is how The White Swan looks.

Again, it looks almost identical to how it was in 1998. Obviously, it is a Grade II listed building and so there's not much that can be altered, however, none of the buildings that were on either side have survived.

Amazingly it is now a Marston's pub, but you wouldn't know it from the exterior.

And here's The White Swan given the Photo Digital Art treatment.

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

#021 Eden Bar, Birmingham : 1998 to 2011

Another pub that I've never been in, but is an example that illustrates one of the changes in Birmingham's culture.

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

Back in 1998 it was The White Swan a seemingly typical street corner pub, just outside the city centre.

Now in 2011 it is the Eden Bar, one of the newer additions to the Gay Scene in Birmingham.

Since I began this project, the Gay Scene in Birmingham has 'come out' so that there are now a number of gay venues that are 'loud and proud'. The Eden Bar is no longer a traditional pub, but you can probably just pop in for a drink.

From the outside The White Swan has been changed quite extensively and the Eden Bar certainly stands out more. Just up the road is the Village Inn which is a completely new 'pub' and another gay venue.