The old Birmingham heritage pubs that have been given a new chance at a future

These classic boozers have been refreshed and given a new lease of life in 2024

Running a pub is no easy feat here in 2024. While many of our old, heritage boozers have decades upon decades of history to look back on, it's been challenging to look ahead to the future for some as punter tastes change and costs rise.

Challenging though it's been, bosses have been putting their best feet forward to save the historic, community spaces - which, of course, is what pubs have always been - breathing new life into them and offering those who live and work near them a place to go.

Here, we're taking a look at the historic old pubs that have been given a new lease of life for 2024. Some of them have had overhauls, with new events, owners and decor. Others have worked to preserve as much of the traditional spaces as possible, especially where there's historic tiling, features and brickwork.

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The key thing they've all got in common, though? You can visit all of them here in 2024, for a pint and a natter, just like you could decades ago.

The Bartons Arms

You'd be hard pushed to find a pub with such beautiful, Victorian architecture as that on display The Bartons Arms. The Aston boozer is absolutely stunning, with engraved mirrors, stained glass and gorgeous tiling.

Despite its grand look, its fascinating history (it once hosted Laurel and Hardy!) and its reputation for a great pint, the Grade II-listed red brick building closed back in February, with bosses citing mounting heating, employment and lighting costs as reasons for shutting up shop.

Fortunately, the pub reopened to the public at the end of August, despite flooding setting back its relaunch date. Click here for full details.

The Woodman

In August 2022, we learnt that iconic Victorian pub The Woodman, on New Canal Street close to Millennium Point in birmingham-city-centre>Birmingham city centre, would be closing. The heritage boozer was throwing the towel in after saying it had been 'isolated' due to HS2 works.

The pub is more than 125 years old and it seemed as though the modernisation of the area was set to put an end to the historic space. However, all was not lost.

After two years, The Woodman reopened to punters this month, with bosses promising to 'make a go of it'. You can read the entire story of its new chance at a future here.

Glorious pictures inside one of Birmingham's oldest pubs reopening after two years

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The Bulls Head/The Peg and Grill

Despite the Bulls Head, an old pub just off Broad Street, being in the limelight as The Garrison when Peaky Blinders had its premiere in the city in 2017, its future was in question when the pub was sold off to an investment pub in 2022.

While the terracotta, Grade II-listed boozer has been closed to punters for a while, it has now reopened as a desi pub! The spot, which opened back in 1901, is now known as the Peg and Grill.

The pub, which was designed by James and Lister Lea architects, is now looking to earn a reputation for 'great grills, colossal curries and the best cocktails'. Before it was The Bulls Head, the pub was known as The City Tavern.

The Craven Arms

Fortunately for punters of The Craven Arms, there has been no recent closure or threat, just a promise to protect it for the future. The boozer, which sits on the corner of Upper Gough Street and Blucher Street, was named a building of 'exceptional national interest' by conservation group Historic England last month.

A pub has been on the site of The Craven Arms since the 1840s but its current building is understood to have been designed between 1906 and 1910. It has very beautiful moulded and glazed ceramic tiles and, like so many of our other precious boozers, its upper floors are red brick.

The protection means that now if anyone wants to make any changes to the building, special consent must be secured. The character of the building is now protected!