» Main Index

  » Search This Site

  » Submit Update

  » Contact Us

Home > Warwickshire > Birmingham > B15 > Bulls Head

Bulls Head

Picture  source: Google Streetview


The Bulls Head was situated on Bishopsgate Street. This pub closed in February 2022. The pub had been acquired by Davenports and refurbished and reopened in only 2016 but was sold by them following an offer from an investment fund. It was the first new pub opened by Davenports in 30 years. The Bulls Head was built in 1901 and was designed by famous Birmingham pub architects James & Lister Lea and is grade-II listed. The pub was renamed The City Tavern in the early 1980's and Davenports reverted to the original name. The pub was dressed up as The Garrison Tavern for some of the series premieres of Peaky Blinders which were shown in the cinema across the road.
Source: Mick Crowe

Listed building details:
Public House. 1901, restructured internally in c.1984. Designed by James and Lister Lea for Ansells Brewery. Faced externally in terracotta, with glazed red brick and a Lancashire slate roof. Baroque style. Two storeys and attics. Corner site (entrance now blocked) with longer elevation to Bishopsgate Street. This has paired bar windows with arched heads flanking a door and with two further doors to the left (originally the entrances to the private bar and the gents on the left and the off-sales on the right). All doors have rectangular leaded overlights and all openings have dropped keyed heads of the Gibbs type. Continuous decorative band at first floor level. First floor has seven windows with 2 over 2 panes all with similar elaborate terracotta surrounds and with glazed brick between. The attic storey has two dormers with timber casements and broken segmental pediment heads with obelisks on both the kneelers and in the central breaks. The Tennent Street front has a paired bar window and a doorway on the ground floor, the windows above and a dormer above that all as before. Two chimney stacks with wreathed tops and three pots apiece. Two storey, two bay wing to right for the kitchen and yard entrance. INTERIOR. The interior was remodelled in c.1984 when Ansells sold the pub to a syndicate from ITV. Open saloon with bar of c1984 in stained wood carrying brass lamps. Screen behind is original to 1901 with marbled frame, engraved glass, stained wood shelving and leaded snob screens with hinged lights. Hatch to stairhall of 1901 and hatch to pool room (former private bar) of 1984. Doorways to external doors at each end of bar are 1984. Very steep staircase with two turned balusters to each head and stained softwood handrail, lincrusta dado. Pool room has surviving 1901 fireplace with art nouveau iron grate, and tiled surround. Coloured wired glass of probably 1984. First floor said to have pool room and dining room (not seen). HISTORY. Original plan said to have been off sales/public bar/public bar/stair hall/private bar, with the last serviced through the present hatch to the hall. In c1984 the partitions between the off sales and the public bars were removed, the bar was rebuilt and the openings between the hall and the pool room made. The first floor probably originally had a billiard room and a dining room. The exterior of this pub remains unaltered and the interior still retains much of interest.

Do you have any anecdotes, historical information, updates or photos of this pub? Become a contributor by submitting them here. Like this site? Follow us on
Make email contact with other ex-customers and landlords of this pub by adding your details to this page.
 
Other Photos
Date of photo: 2015

Picture  source: David Gray