Pub Heritage Bulletin 234 Aug 2022

West Midlands, WOODMAN, Birmingham. Sad news that the Woodman closed its doors on the 12th August. The pub posted the news on facebook: ‘We have battled hard to keep our favourite pub in the world open through adversity. But in the end, the combination of the relentless HS2 encroachment (which has begun to feel like there is no end in sight..), the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the soaring fuel prices... has beaten us. And despite supporting the HS2 project, we've sadly not been able to secure any support ourselves.’ See: Birmingham Mail.
The pub was restored in 2013 and leased by The Woodman (2013) LLP, originally on a 25 year lease from the freehold owners – Birmingham City Council. It is yet to be seen if the remaining lease will be sold or if it will revert to the council. But it seems unlikely that it will re-open while the HS2 works are ongoing. Thanks to Ash Corbett-Collins and Hugh Steele for alerting us to this.
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West Yorkshire, NEW BEEHIVE, Bradford. Dave Gamston reports: Having stripped out the serving counter and replaced all the front windows with uPVC, as previously reported, new owner Sakhawat (‘Shax’) Hussain has shunned approaches by CAMRA, as well as by the local press, to talk about his intentions for the building. Word is, however, that planning and listed building applications should be materialising in the next couple of months. Pressure will then be on Bradford Council to ‘do the right thing’ and CAMRA will be calling on them, hopefully with support from Bradford Civic Society, to insist on a continuing pub use.
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Suffolk, NUTSHELL, Bury St Edmunds. Mick Slaughter reports that The Nutshell, which holds the title of the smallest pub in the country with internal dimensions of only 15 feet x 7ft, now has an outside drinking area. During fine weather a system of table service is in operation and customers are not allowed to sit in the pub itself. So be aware of this if you are planning a visit.
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Gloucestershire & Bristol, KINGS HEAD, Bristol. We reported in June on the sale of the Kings Head, which has been shut since March 2021. The new owners have now leased the pub, and a listed building application for a minor refurbishment has been approved by the council. So hopefully it won’t be long until it re-opens. Thanks to Pete Bridle for this update.
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