Phil Clayton came across an item in the BCN Engineer’s Reports to Committee, 30th May, 1902 that relates to the Fox Inn, 4 Wednesbury Oak Road:

The Evolution of the Traditional English Pub

The traditional English pub evolved into several separate rooms, each with its own purpose. The bar, with a counter, was copied from gin houses, where the idea was to serve customers quickly, and keep an eye on them.

The saloon bar, or lounge, appeared in the latter part of the 18th century, as a comfortable, carpeted, and well furnished room with an admission fee, or higher priced drinks. It catered for more affluent people. Often entertainment would be provided, and drinks were served at the table.

The tap room, or public bar, was developed for the working classes. It had simple wooden bench seats, cheap drink, and bare floorboards, or tiles, that were often covered in sawdust to absorb spillages, and spit.

Another room, the snug, sometimes called the smoke room, was a small, private room where people could drink without being observed. The windows were made of frosted glass, and the room had a separate entrance to the bar, so that people could enter and leave without being seen. There was usually access to a separate section of the bar, where a higher price would be paid for drinks. The snug was often used by ladies, at a time when the pub was perceived to be for men only, and also by courting couples, who liked their privacy.

An advert from 1966.

An advert from the 1997 Tipton Carnival Programme.

There was often an off licence, where beer, wine, or spirits could be purchased for home consumption. It was a small room with a counter, or often just an open window facing the back of the bar, through which people were served.

Customers, including children, sent on an errand by their parents, could take bottles to be filled with beer. A paper seal would often be stuck over the stopper to ensure that the children didn't sample the contents.

The well known Fountain Inn in Owen Street.

The Fountain Inn at night.

Beer Houses

Many of the bubs began as beer houses with a beer house license. Beer was considered to be a harmless, nutritious alternative to gin, the consumption of which should be actively encouraged. This idea led to the Passing of the 1830 Beer House Act that introduced new and radical changes in the law. It allowed any householder and tax payer to obtain a license to sell beer on their premises, in exchange for a 2 guinea licence fee. Licensees were not allowed to sell spirits or fortified wines. Anyone doing so would be closed down, and heavily fined.

The legislation led to a rapid rise in the number of public houses, and the introduction of a new class of licensed premises, the beer house. Beer houses were family homes, in which beer was usually sold in the front room, and dispensed from a jug, or directly from the barrel. Often the room was simply furnished with bare floorboards, wooden benches, and trestle tables. By the 1850s beer houses greatly outnumbered pubs. Some of the early beer houses carried names, just like pubs. Many of the more successful beer houses eventually became pubs.

Beer houses flourished until the introduction of the Wine and Beer House Act of 1869, which prevented the opening of new beer houses, and tightened local magistrates' control of the industry. By the early years of the 20th century they had all gone.

Long Surviving and Well-Known Pubs

Tipton’s oldest surviving pub is the Red Lion in Park Lane West, which dates from around 1818. It was Grade II listed on 29th September, 1987. The first landlord, William Nicklin, was also a maltster. Another old pub is the Noah’s Ark in Wood Street, which dates from around 1840. Other old pubs include The Limerick in Market Place, Great Bridge, which dates from around 1830. In 2007 it became The Lounge Bar. The red Lion in Dudley Port opened in about 1830 and The Star in Horseley Heath opened around 1840. It has had two other names. In July 1991 it became Port ‘N’ Ale, then in 2013 it became Top Star.

Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory in Hurst Lane is well known throughout the West Midlands. It was built in 1923 as the Doughty Arms, on the site of a previous pub called the Plough Inn. It was named after a prominent local figure, William Wooley Doughty, JP., a local councillor who owned the Horseley Heath Hinge Works. It became the Pie Factory in 1987 and was refurbished in 2011.

The Tilted Barrrel in High Street is well known because of the effects of mining subsidence which have distorted the building. The left-hand end appears to have sunk a little, so that the building tilts to one side. It opened in the 1860s as a beer house called The Barrel Inn and had a third story until the 1940s which was removed after being struck by lightning.

The Fountain in Owen Street is well known as the headquarters of William Perry, Tipton’s well known prize fighter, the ‘Tipton Slasher’. It opened in the 1820s and was Grade II listed on 10th February, 1982.

The Tipton Conservative & Unionist Club in Union Street closed in 2016 and was due to be converted into apartments. It was originally a flour mill, which became the Conservative Club in 1909. It had several bars, games rooms, a function room and around 3,000 members in its heyday.

The Crown and Cushion, Leabrook Road. From an old postcard.

Tipton Conservative & Unionist Club in Union Street.

The Bush in Park Lane was badly damaged during a Zeppelin raid, just after midnight on 1st February, 1916 when a bomb, dropped from L19 exploded in the road in front of the building. The licensee, Thomas Taylor and his family were cut by flying debris, but had a lucky escape. The pub was rebuilt after the war and remained in business until 1995. In 2008 it was converted into a shop.

The Waggon and Horses, Dudley Road.