Beautiful Country Pubs

Beautiful Country Pubs
The Black
Country
Vintage Inns Black Country Collection
The hostelries that make up the Vintage Inns Black Country Collection are unique
places to visit, yet they also have much in common.
If you are planning a day’s walking, going for a drive or simply visiting an
attraction in or around the Black Country then you might like to take in one of our
collection for a morning coffee, a light lunch or complete your outing with a hearty
evening meal. Most have great walks from the door and many have country parks,
heritage attractions or pretty, rural villages on their doorstep.
Most of the inns in this collection are a careful restoration of an existing village
pub ranging from 150 to over 400 years-old. Each has its own character with
carefully restored period features, log burning fires and a small band of friendly
staff. The Vintage Inns of the Black Country offer a warm welcome on a cold
winter’s day and a place to enjoy the sunshine, a cold drink and rural views on a
long summer’s evening.
All our inns serve a full menu of traditional British favourites seven days a week,
each has blackboard specials and on Sundays there is always a selection of succulent
roasts. At the bar you will find a selection of real cask conditioned ales, including
popular local brews and a number of regularly changing guest beers. Our inns also
pride themselves on maintaining a good choice of wines that encompass all the
popular grapes, with a flavour and price to suit every taste and pocket.
We hope you enjoy visiting the inns in this collection and the wealth of activities
and attractions each has to offer. For more information you can always log onto our
website at www.vintageinn.co.uk.
Contents
Foaming Jug – Codsall
The Vine – Wombourne
The Mermaid – Wightwick
Fox & Anchor – Wolverhampton
The Bell – Bellbroughton
Swallows Nest – Romsley
Information
Waterside walks
Heritage sites
National Trust sites
Visitor attractions
Museums
Countryside walks
Vintage Inn Collection
The Black Country
M54
Fox and Anchor
Cannock Chase
A41
A449
Foaming Jug
Wolverhampton
A454
M6
The Mermaid
The Black
Country
A449
The Vine
M6
M5
Birmingham
A449
A491
A456
A491
Swallows Nest
The Bell
A441
Foaming Jug
Holyhead Road, Codsall, Wolverhampton, WV8 2HX
Tel. 01902 847342
Sitting on the Holyhead Road between Wolverhampton and Telford, The
Foaming Jug has been offering food and shelter to locals and traveller’s for
over 150 years.
Although it’s not known exactly when the private dwelling that sat on the
junction of Strawmoor Lane and the Hollyhead Road became The Foaming
Jug, there are records dating back to 1850 showing that our inn’s business
was helped significantly by the demise of a much older pub and also by the
increased amount of passing trade heading from the Black Country
to Holyhead.
The inn is popular with local drinkers and diners from the adjacent villages of
Codsall and Albrighton and a destination for guests who still travel out from
the urban areas in and around Wolverhampton looking for a great country
pub. Our proximity to Wolverhampton and Telford makes us an ideal venue
for an evening meal in the country.
If you are looking for a day out then we have plenty to do on our doorstep,
including; The David Austin Rose Centre, a unique venue that attracts
visitors from around the world to experience the home of English Roses. We
are also just a few miles from the RAF Museum at Cosford, which houses
over 70 aircraft including War Planes, Missiles, and Research & Development
aircraft. If you need more competitive exercise we are close to a par 3 golf
course.
An idea for a perfect Sunday
might be...
• Spend the morning browsing the
rose displays and gardens
of the David Austin Rose Centre,
just a few miles up the road in
Albrighton.
• Enjoy a relaxing Sunday lunch at
The Foaming Jug, there’s
no need to book, just pitch up
and we’ll find you a table.
• Walk lunch off with a visit
to Codsall and the 11th century
Church of St Nicholas, a building
that has remained almost unchanged
from its Norman beginnings.
With so much on offer around the inn, during summer you’ll find our beer
garden full of people enjoying great views over the surrounding countryside
and in winter our guests enjoy a day out before enjoying a pint of real ale, a
glass of wine or simply warming themselves around our roaring real log fires.
Find out more about The Foaming Jug and activities in the area at
www.vintageinn.co.uk/thefoamingjugcodsall
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The Vine
High Street, Wombourne, Wolverhampton, WV5 9DT
Tel. 01902 894829
At the heart of one of the largest villages in the country, The Vine at
Wombourne is a beautifully restored inn dating from the early 1700s. With
cosy fires, a sunny garden and plenty to do in and around the village, The
Vine is a popular, year round venue for great pub food, real ale and quality
affordable wines.
The Vine has a long history, starting its life as a private house. By 1851
the house had become an inn, drawing much of its trade from local farm
labourers. The fact that The Vine had its own stables, however, suggests
that it was also used by people travelling on horseback to and from
Wolverhampton and the Black Country. The Vine is still used by villagers
and visitors today.
Many visitors come to walk around Wombourne’s green, a centerpiece that
confirms the area’s status as an archetypal, chocolate box ‘English Village’.
The green is surrounded by old houses, adjacent to a lovely church and in
summer regularly plays host to local cricket matches.
On the western side of the village, no more than a five minute walk from
The Vine, runs the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, recognised as one
of the prettiest in the country with scenic walks along its towpath.
Another popular walk from the village is the South Staffordshire Railway
Path which follows the line of a disused railway for five and a half miles from
Castlecroft at its northern end to Wall Heath in the south. This walk goes
right through Wombourne and is signposted throughout the village.
2
Explore more that Wombourne, The Vine and its immediate area has to offer at www.
vintageinn.co.uk/thevinewombourne
Apart from the great walks around
Wombourne why not base a day
around The Vine, looking into a
little local history…
• Spend the morning in nearby
Stourbridge looking round the
unique Broadfield House Glass
Museum.
• Take the five minute drive
to The Vine for lunch.
• Round your day off with a fossil
finding visit to The Wren’s Nest
National Nature Reserve,
a world famous geology park!
The Mermaid
Bridgnorth Road, Wolverhampton, WV6 8BN
Tel. 01902 764896
On the banks of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and within
the shadow of historic Wightwick Manor, The Mermaid Inn has stood on
Wightwick Bank for nearly 250 years.
The inn takes its name from the time when the canal was extended to the
village, in around 1768. A map from 1780 shows The Mermaid Inn as one
of 23 houses in the vicinity of Wightwick Manor, one of the few surviving
examples of a house built, decorated and furnished under the influence of
the Pre-Raphaelite Movement.
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is widely held as one of the
prettiest canals in the country and from The Mermaid you can enjoy a
beautiful walk along the towpath towards Batch Locks in one direction and
Wombourne (home of The Vine Vintage Inn) in the other.
Since Wightwick Manor was handed over to the National Trust in 1937
The Mermaid has benefited from a stream of visitors on their way to or
from the old house. However the manor is not the only attraction close to
The Mermaid. Wolverhampton Racecourse is just up the road, Britain’s first
floodlit horse racing track.
But, for something
a little different why not...
• Take a walk along
the Staffordshire and
Worcestershire Canal to
The Vine at Wombourne for lunch.
The views are splendid,
the walking is easy (it’s along
a canal!) and it only takes
about an hour and a half.
• Make a circular route and return
via the lanes to The Mermaid for a
celebratory beer.
• Visit West Park in Wolverhampton
at the weekend to feed the ducks
and swans and admire the Victorian
gardens.
You’ll need more than a day to visit all there is to see around The Mermaid.
You could easily spend the day at Wightwick Manor, the Black Country
Museum or even Dudley Castle and relax on your way home with an
evening meal at The Mermaid.
For full details on all there is to do in the area around The Mermaid,
visit www.vintageinn.co.uk/themermaidwightwick
3
Fox & Anchor
Brewood Road, Cross Green, Wolverhampton, WV10 7PW
Tel. 0190279 8786
The Fox and Anchor retains the quiet calm of a traditional country
hostelry, sitting as it does in the hamlet of Cross Green on the banks of the
Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal.
Although there has been an inn on the site since the late 1700’s, the current
building is a restoration of the original pub after that was destroyed by fire.
The Fox and Anchor attracts guests from Wolverhampton in the south,
Cannock to the east, Penkridge and Stafford to the north and Codsall to
the west. Apart from the quiet rural setting and the walks along the canal
towpath, people are attracted to the area thanks to its leisure, sporting and
heritage attractions.
We have an especially attractive garden and decked area that looks over the
canal, an ideal setting for a summer evening drink.
There is plenty to keep you busy around Cross Green. The inn is on the
doorstep of a championship short golf course designed by the legendary Sir
Henry Cotton - triple champion of the British Open and world renowned
golf architect. Just a few miles through the lanes is the National Trust
property at Moseley Old Hall, famed for its connections with Charles II
who hid there after the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
In the opposite direction is Belvide Reservoir, a 180 acre canal feeder
reservoir for the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal.
An unremarkable stretch of water until the 1920s, when renowned
ornithologist, A.W. Boyd made regular visits, publishing many of his
observations in the magazine, British Birds.
4
Find more details on things to do in the area, including days out on Cannock Chase at www.
vintageinn.co.uk/thefoxandanchorcrossgreen
For a great day out
why not...
• Spend the morning exploring
the priest holes of the National Trust
house at Moseley Old Hall.
• Enjoy an afternoon round of golf,
a walk round nearby Belvide
Reservoir or even a stroll up the
towpath from the inn. All are right
on our doorstep.
• Retire to The Fox and Anchor for a
well deserved evening meal, with a
pint of your favourite real ale
or a glass of wine.
The Bell
Bromsgrove Road, Belbroughton, Stourbridge, DY9 9XU
Tel. 01562 731928
Sitting at the foot of the Clent Hills and within a short stroll of two other
countryside parks, the idyllic rural enclave of Belbroughton and its oldest
pub, The Bell, provides a countryside setting in which villagers and visitors
from Wolverhampton, Birmingham and the rest of the Black Country come
to enjoy our great food and selection of real ales.
The Bell has been welcoming guests for over 400 years, the majority of
the existing building dating from the late 17th & early 18th century. The
interior has been restored to evoke the inn’s past by exposing its original oak
beams and opening up the real fires. There is even a copy of one of the inn’s
original licences in a framed display.
There is plenty to see in the village of Belbroughton including its 14th
century church and old church hall, which was originally a tithe barn. There
is also plenty to do in the area, including National Trust properties and a
Wildlife Trusts Reserve.
Just a couple of miles from the village are the Clent Hills and the Lickey
Hills Country Parks. Two separate areas that between them cover over 1,100
acres and rise to over 1,000 feet. The hills are covered by a mosaic of mixed
deciduous woodland, conifer plantations and heathland, all rich in wildlife.
The area around the pub and the parks is criss-crossed with footpaths,
bridleways and access trails, making The Bell an ideal base for walkers.
For details on more attractions around The Bell at Belbroughton and other ideas for days out
in the area, visit www.vintageinn.co.uk/thebellbelbroughton
For a great day out
why not...
• Spend the morning at
the National Trust’s Rosedene
Cottage, just three miles from the
pub in Dodford.
• Visit The Bell at Belbroughton
for lunch.
• Enjoy an afternoon strolling
in the Clent Hills and take in some
of the amazing views.
5
Swallows Nest
40 Bromsgrove Road, Romsley, Halesowen, B62 0LF
Tel. 01562 711236
The Swallows Nest has been serving beer and food to locals and travellers
on the Bromsgrove Road since it was first licensed in 1825. It was converted
from a row of labourers’ cottages in conjunction with the turnpiking of the
Bromsgrove to Halesowen Road.
The village of Romsley, in which our inn sits, is on the east side of the
picturesque Clent Hills. We are surrounded by beautiful countryside,
making the inn and village a very popular base for walkers from Birmingham
and its suburbs. The area is also well known for its camping and
caravanning sites.
Also a short stroll away from the Inn is the Monarch Way, Britain’s secondlongest signed walking trail, and from there it’s just half
a mile to the scenic Waseley Hills Country Park.
Many of our guests will spend a morning or afternoon exploring the park
before retiring to The Swallows Nest for lunch, dinner
or a refreshing drink.
6
More details on walks and other things to do around The Swallows Nest can be found at, www.
vintageinn.co.uk/theswallowsnestromsley
An alternative idea for a day out
might include…
• Park up at The Swallows Nest and get
an early cup of coffee.
• Take a walk through the Clent Hills
and the local lanes to The Bell. It’s
only a few miles and takes about an
hour and a half.
• Enjoy lunch at The Bell, perhaps
even take a diversion into historic
Belbroughton, before returning to
The Swallows Nest for a well
deserved rest, a glass of wine and a
light bite for tea.