Proper Pubs Alive And Kicking In Kingsbury

I think I have found THE perfect pub for Martin.  Never mind all this ‘travelling around the country searching for GBG pubs nonsense’ he needs a proper locals boozer.

However, this is no ordinary pub as the former smoke room at the back of the boozer has been converted to The Wok Inn.

Yep, that’s right, Martin could easily pop in here and neck a few pints of Doom Bar, watch Manchester City lose the FA Cup Semi Final and polish off his evening with a bit of sweet and sour.

The pub in question is 563 – The White Swan B78 2LN on the Coventry Road (off the A51) in Kingsbury.  This gives me a chance to wheel out this map again

and note that Kingsbury is definitely a Birmingham overspill in an old mining village.

It’s got around 8,000 punters and overlooks the River Tame in the Village centre but is arguably more famous for it’s water park.

(no bloody swearing – Coalvillesque)

It was opened in 1975 on reclaimed gravel pits and is now a series of 15 lakes in 600 acres of land.  It’s a haven for cyclists, sailing and all water related stuff…think a bit like Weston Super-Mare inland and you’ve got the picture.

It’s popular, a good old fashioned no nonsense day out, a honeypot for Brummie tourists, and the pub is of a similar ilk.  Apparently it has been a boozer since 1804 and is a classic pub from the outside, which has been modernised inside.

The TV was on with either news or you could also watch West Brom melting down against Huddersfield.  It was around 5.30 on a Friday so prime time for post work and there were Hi viz jackets and a good solid pub crown in evidence.

The gaffer friendly and after I’d signed in pointed me to the one cask option of Doom Bar (Sharp’s) and it was decent enough.

The banter was warming up near to the bar and the other room, which was modernised, had a good crowd of lads in discussing pub life.

I spotted a couple of Birmingham City tattoos and all the locals, lads and couples, seemed to know each other but were friendly…it reminded me of a pub in Coalville or Whitwick in a positive way.

A bloke in the toilets reckoned you ‘still had to be careful as you never quite know regards covid’ and although this was as normal as I have seen pub life, people are still sticking in their bubbles and generally taking the p*** out of each other from a sensible distance.

I didn’t have time for a Chinese takeaway but this place is an absolute gem and nice too see that ‘proper pubs’ are carrying on in this new normal.