Pretty Bricks, Walsall

Originally the NEW INN, built in 1840. The pub has a very attractive glazed-brick frontage in brown and cream, hence a nickname PRETTY BRICKS which is now the pub's name. It was formerly owned by Showells of Langley, who carried out alterations in 1924 (the plans have been displayed inside); since when there have been further sympathetic minor alterations, but most of the interior features survive. The pub retains three rooms around a central servery, and an off-sales hatch.An exterior door on the right of the frontage (not visible inside) indicates that the front room was probably two originally. The entrance on the left leads to a passage with a doorway to the front bar. This has a projecting bar counter which has certainly been altered and has been given the "distressed" wood treatment. There is some plain pew seating in the corner with dado panelling above (probably quite modern), and a modern cast-iron fireplace.Rear-left of the front room is an attractive old mirrored bar-back fitting with shelves. To its left, alongside the corridor, is an intact former off-sales doorway and window. This suggests that, some time ago, the bar servery extended to the corridor wall and to the off-sales and therefore the current counter has been truncated on the left.Continuing along through a door, the corridor opens out into a small rear lobby, with an attractive, almost semi-circular, servery in the corner with sash window screens, and a small bench seat adjacent.Then, through an open doorway, is the rear lounge. The irregular-shaped servery here has good leaded glass screens in the upper panels, plus two unusual very small bench seats next to the servery and upholstered bench seating all round. The fireplace is modern.