#162 The Wild Boar, Warwick : 1998 to 2014

Back in 1998 our trusty narrowboat Emma Jane let us down and we were stranded for two days in Warwick. It was the Bank Holiday weekend and so we couldn't get an engineer to look at the engine until Monday morning. Still, there are many, far worse places that we could have been stranded!

Over those two days we managed to visit a good number of the hostelries in the centre of Warwick. One such was the Park Tavern which we popped into on the evening of Sunday 30th August 1998.

As I recall, we only stayed for one pint and it was a typical boozer, but I don't really remember it much more than that.

Although we've visited Warwick many times since, we didn't venture back until the evening of Saturday 27th September 2014. This is what we found.

A complete transformation! New name - The Wild Boar - and a thorough refurbishment inside turning it into an upmarket real ale venue that also serves food. In a town like Warwick I imagine that it will be a great success, but as a lager drinker it's not necessarily going to be one of my favourites!

From The Wild Boar website I've discovered that it was refurbished and reopened in 2011 and that it is the brewery tap for Slaughterhouse Ales. If you are a real ale fan and you're in Warwick then this would be a great place to visit.

#161 The Bridge Inn, Chirk Bank, Shropshire : 1996 to 2014

Our first trip along the Llangollen Canal was back in 1996. This photo was taken on the evening of Tuesday 27th August 1996 on our way back from Llangollen.

Back in those days it was a Banks's pub and was a friendly local. In the distance you can see the Chirk Aqueduct and running parallel, but higher, the railway viaduct.

We didn't return until lunchtime on Saturday 1st September 2007, again on the way back from Llangollen.

The outside of the pub had had a complete makeover including an outside terraced seating area. Judging from the date, I assume this outdoor area was installed for the smokers as this was just two months after the smoking ban was introduced.

Our most recent visit was on the evening of Monday 21st April 2014.

It was late as we'd already eaten at The Poacher's where we'd moored. We decided that a stroll was in order to prevent us drinking too much too quickly if we stayed in the same place! There didn't appear to be too many changes and I'm assuming that it is still a Marston's pub.

Subsequently, I've found their website which makes interesting reading. A very pleasant pub and well worth a visit if you are in the neighbourhood.

#160 Three Tuns Inn, Fazeley, Stafforshire : 1987 to 2014

At the northern end of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal is Fazeley Junction where it joins the Coventry Canal. The small town of Fazeley is a place where we've frequently stopped on our canal trips throughout the years. There are several pubs, but the one we've visited most, mainly because it is the nearest to the canal, is the Three Tuns Inn.

This first visit was on the evening of Wednesday 15th July 1987 as we were heading back home from a two week trip that had taken in Worcester, Stourport, Market Drayton, Middlewich, Stoke and Rugeley. I have no recollection of the interior, but I suspect that it was then, as now, a fairly standard boozer.

Our next visit was on the evening of Thursday 30th May 1996.

The outside of the pub had been completely refurbished with a new hanging sign and the introduction of a satellite dish. It would appear that it was no longer a Mann's pub.

Next visit was on Monday 30th August 1999, a lunchtime stop, but unfortunately the Three Tuns wasn't doing food, so we had a pint and moved on.

No real change to the exterior, but it is interesting to note how the net curtains have been removed in stages throughout the years!

We didn't return again until lunchtime on Sunday 21st August 2005.

Some changes to the outside, the hanging sign has gone as has the satellite dish...but the net curtains have returned!

Next visit was on Sunday 29th August 2010, another lunchtime stop.

The hanging sign has returned as has the satellite dish (in a different position), but the derelict building next door has finally been demolished!

And so, on to our most recent visit which was at lunchtime on Sunday 5th October 2014 when we had a large Sunday Roast lunch.

The outside had been completely redecorated with a new hanging sign, a third satellite dish with pastel green replacing the black...and the net curtains have disappeared again!

The pub has been under new management since December 2011 (see website) and, despite claims of refurbishment, the interior seemed to be pretty much as I remembered it from previous visits - namely, proper pub with no frills - just as I like it!

#159 George & Dragon, Stoke Golding, Leicestershire : 1995 to 2014

Stoke Golding is a village on the Ashby Canal which, until 1995, was virgin territory for us. We were moving our narrowboat Emma Jane back to the Midlands from a 4-year sojourn down south on the Grand Union Canal and found that we had some time in hand - so, up the Ashby Canal we went.

This visit was at lunchtime on Saturday 2nd September 1995. I don't really remember too much about the inside apart from the fact that it was a pleasant village pub.

The Ashby Canal is not a waterway we visit very often, mainly because it is a dead end. However, we were back again nine years later.

This was an evening visit on Saturday 28th August 2004 and, at first glance, the pub doesn't look to have changed at all. On closer inspection you can see that the upstairs windows have been replaced and the signage is subtly different. Inside, I still have no recollection!

We were back along the Ashby Canal another 10 years later for another lunchtime stop at the George & Dragon.

This was on Tuesday 7th October 2014 and this time there have been definitive changes! Firstly, the pub is now run by Church End Brewery which is a small brewer from Nuneaton. As far as I can ascertain, the George & Dragon is their only pub, but they do have a Brewery Tap as well. Externally it has had a complete makeover and, inside, it was a pleasant country/village pub serving good 'pub grub'!

It's also interesting to note that the street light by the front door is still the same, but at least it has been painted regularly!

#158 The Great Stone, Northfield, Birmingham : 1953 to 2014

The Great Stone Inn has stood on this site for centuries and it is named for a huge boulder that used to stand on the corner. This boulder is a glacial erratic, and was dropped by the ice as it retreated in the last ice age! The stone is now housed in the 17^th Century pound, which is adjacent to the pub – this sandstone enclosure was where stray animals were kept until their owners paid a fee to get them back.

© Phyllis Nicklin 1953

This photo (along with two others of the Great Stone) was taken in 1953 by Phyllis Nicklin. She took many pictures of Birmingham through the 1950's and 1960's which can be found as part of University of Birmingham's Chrysalis Project. This is a fascinating archive for those of us who love old pictures of places we know. My only regret is that Phyllis Nicklin wasn't as obsessed with pubs as I am!

So, from a time before I was born, how does the pub look now?

Not very different as you can see apart from the slight name change. This picture was taken in the afternoon of Friday 15th August 2014. The boulder is behind the gate by the red car.

It is many years since I visited The Great Stone for a drink, probably when I was a student. In those days it was an M&B pub, but I see now that it is part of the Stonegate Pub Company.

#157 Bridge End Hotel, Llangollen : 1996 to 2014

Our first ever canal visit to Llangollen was  in 1996. Since beginning canal boating in 1980 I'd been eager to go along the Llangollen Canal to experience the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This Thomas Telford designed masterpiece is also a World Heritage Site and well worth a visit even if you're not boating. (See Here)

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct © Photo Digital Art 2014

The town of Llangollen is about 5 miles away (by canal) and a beautiful journey it is as the canal hugs the side of the Dee Valley which it has just passed over on the aqueduct.

This picture was taken at lunchtime on Tuesday 27th August 1996 and shows a somewhat typically decorated (for the time) Robinson's pub. I've no recollection of the interior, but I do recall that next door was a taxidermist's shop.

Although we've been back to Llangollen in the intervening years we didn't venture into the Bridge End until our last visit.

This was on the evening of Saturday 19th April 2014 and it had become the Bridge End Hotel with a complete external makeover. Inside it was reasonably well appointed, but nothing was particularly memorable about it. (And the Taxidermist was still next door!)

#156 Gosta Green, Aston, Birmingham : 1986 to 2014

I realise that I've neglected this blog somewhat over the past few months, but I'm back now with a new batch of pubs to add to the list.

First we'll start with a pub that I've not visited too often, but it makes an interesting case study. The first time I visited as part of a canal trip was at lunchtime on Thursday 31st July 1986 (although I'm fairly sure that I'd drunk there before!).

Back then it was called The Pot of Beer and, beyond the fact that it is almost on the Aston University campus I don't recall too much about it.

Our next visit wasn't until lunchtime on Wednesday 6th September 1995 which was plenty of time to have the pub rebranded as the Faculty & Firkin.

Apart from the new signs, the exterior of the pub remained largely the same as before. Being part of the Firkin chain made it a slightly more appealing prospect, but again I don't remember too much about the interior.

Finally we move on to 2014 and another new name for the pub, the Gosta Green.

On this occasion - the afternoon of Friday 6th June 2014 - I didn't go in as I was only in the area on another matter. The Gosta Green is now part of the 'Scream' pub brand which is specifically aimed at students. The added hanging baskets make for a more attractive look to the place.

And finally, here's a Photo Digital Art view of the pub from the other end.

© Photo Digital Art 2014