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The Bartons Arms () is a
public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
in the High Street (part of the A34) in the Newtown area of Aston,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Built in 1900-1901 by noted pub architects partnership James and Lister Lea for
Mitchells & Butlers Mitchells & Butlers plc (also referred to as "M&B") runs circa 1,784 managed pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the United Kingdom. The company's headquarters are in Birmingham, England. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange an ...
, it is a
grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
, and is on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.


History

The pub is known for its wall-to-wall Minton-Hollins
tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...
s and its snob screens, which allowed
middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...
drinkers to see
working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
drinkers in an adjacent bar, but not to be seen by them. The current public bar was originally divided into three. There are function rooms upstairs, originally for billiards and club use. It was purchased in 2002 by
Oakham Ales Oakham Ales is an English brewery now based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, but first established in Oakham, Rutland. The original owner, John Wood, left Oakham Ales in 1995. Its headquarters is the largest brewpub in Europe, The Brewery Tap, ...
who restored the building to its former greatness before reopening it in 2003, after three years out-of-use. As well as serving excellently kept Oakham ales it is also noted for in house provision of Thai food. On 28 July 2006, the pub was damaged by fire, reportedly caused by an electrical fault. The pub still boasts Dutch gables, Victorian lanterns and central clock tower. During the
2011 England riots The 2011 England riots, more widely known as the London riots, were a series of riots between 6 and 11 August 2011. Thousands of people rioted in cities and towns across England, which saw looting, arson, as well as mass deployment of police ...
, the pub was looted, windows were smashed, and fires started, albeit quickly doused by the manager, Wichai Thumjaron. Up to eight shots from a 19th Century St Etienne revolver were fired at police who attended the incident. Five men and a teenager were jailed following a police investigation.


Location

The Barton's Arms is located in High Street, Aston, Birmingham B6 4UP; at the crossroads of Newtown High Street and Park Lane. The pub is a key feature on the route map for the
Birmingham International Marathon The Birmingham International Marathon was a long-distance running event held in Birmingham, UK. It formed part of the Great Run British Marathon Series. The first event was held on 15 October 2017, the same day as the existing Great Birmingham ...
.


Notable patrons

Laurel and Hardy stayed at The Barton Arms in May 1954, while appearing at the adjacent
Aston Hippodrome The Aston Hippodrome (), also known as The Hipp, was a popular theatre in the Aston area of Birmingham, England."A ...
(now demolished, replaced by The Drum Arts Centre), and were photographed serving beer from behind the bar. Entertainers
Marie Lloyd Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (12 February 1870 – 7 October 1922), professionally known as Marie Lloyd (), was an English music hall singer, comedian and musical theatre actress. She was best known for her performances of songs such as " T ...
, Enrico Caruso and Charlie Chaplin were also documented to have visited the establishment when performing at the Aston Hippodrome. Musician
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
, who grew up in Aston, is also a former patron of the pub.


In popular culture

The pub features in the 1999
Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan ...
Birmingham-set film '' Felicia's Journey''. It also features in the 2006 novel by
Ron Dawson Ronald Leslie Dawson (born 1940) is a Special Educational Needs (SEN) educator, psychologist, researcher and author and co-author of numerous books and articles concerning the education of pupils with SEN. His most important publication is The ...
, ''The Last Viking: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Heist''; as the gang of robbers meet in the pub.


Recognition and accolades

In October 1974 the local TV company, ATV Today, did a feature with presenter Bob Warman on the Bartons Arms and the film (that does not work on all web browsers) of that is held for posterity by the
BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
In July 2015, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described The Barton Arms as a "Victorian temple in carved wood, gleaming tile work, stained glass and wrought iron" in a list of Birmingham's Top 10 craft beer pubs. In January 2015, the ''
Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire a ...
'' praised the pub's in-house traditional Thai restaurant in a feature highlighting '17 of the best comfort foods in Birmingham'. In April 2016, in an interview with ''The Guardian'', screenwriter and film director Steven Knight described the venue as a "
Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, rack ...
-era pub" and recommended it as a place to visit. In October 2018, The Barton Arms was named as one of ''The Guardian'' newspaper’s top 50 pubs in the UK. In 2019, it was included in the
CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is ...
Good Beer Guide 2019.


References


External links

*
Astonbrook through Astonmanor - Photographs and plans
* Grade II* listed buildings in the West Midlands (county) Pubs in Birmingham, West Midlands 1901 establishments in England Grade II* listed pubs in England {{WestMidlands-struct-stub