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
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