Plea to save Brum's old pubs

Jun 6 2007 By Poppy Brady, Birmingham Mail

CLOSING time is looming for some of Birmingham's most historic pubs and conservationists are urging the council to act before part of the city's recreational heritage is lost for ever.

The Birmingham branch of the Victorian Society is alarmed at the increasing number of Victorian and Edwardian pubs facing closure or demolition in the city.

Recent losses have included the Grade II* listed Bellfield Inn, which was gutted by fire, and the demolition of the Duke of York, a Grade II listed building at the entrance to the Jewellery Quarter.

Several other landmark buildings have been boarded up in the last few months, including the Birmingham Arms on Dudley Road, and the former King' Head at the junction of Lordswood Road and Hagley Road.

"The situation facing Birmingham' pubs is extremely worrying," said Tim Bridges, Birmingham and West Midlands architectural adviser for the Victorian Society.

"Even those that are listed aren' safe. Once closed they are left vacant and vulnerable, an easy target for vandals and thieves. We are shocked by the state of many of these nationally significant buildings."

Another of the city' listed pubs could soon be under threat if rumoured plans to demolish it are allowed to go ahead.

Noted for its 1896 facde by James and Lister Lea and its largely intact public bar and smoking room, the Grade II listed Woodman, on Albert Street, Digbeth, is still a functioning pub.

However, it may be sacrificed to promote better views of another listed building, Curzon Street Station, if proposals within the city council are given the green light.

"The Woodman must be saved," said Mr Bridges. "So many pubs like this are in areas where there is no longer a need for place to eat and drink, but that is not the case on Albert Street."