Willenhall History

Public Houses

The Bell, the town's oldest pub.

For hundreds of years the public house has been at the centre of Willenhall’s social life. In the early 1800s there were mainly ale houses, and coaching inns, where mail coaches called for a change of horses, and to pick-up, and drop-off passengers and mail.

Willenhall had several successful coaching inns, which were very popular with the local community.

In the 1830s they began to decline due to increased competition, the arrival of the railways, and the subsequent demise of the mail coach.

In the late 17th century, and early 18th century, spirits, mainly gin, were available very cheaply. This led to a lot of drunkenness throughout the country, and so parliament decided to pass the 1830 Beer House Act as a way of providing the population with a less intoxicating drink, at an affordable price. Under the terms of the act, any householder who paid tax could apply for a licence, which would be given on the payment of 2 guineas. Anyone possessing a licence could open a public house or a beer house, and sell beer, but not spirits, or fortified wines.

The King's Head in Stafford Street. From an old postcard.

The Bull's Head in Wolverhampton Street.

An extra licence to sell cider cost just 1 guinea. Anyone selling spirits or fortified wines would loose their licence. Beer houses were usually family homes, where beer was sold in the front room, or sometimes shops. They were scattered throughout the town.

By 1842 Willenhall had 21 beer houses and 29 pubs. Ten years later the number of pubs had increased to 38. The pubs became an essential part of the working man’s life, especially after a hard day in the factory.

Some of Willenhall’s prominent families, such as the Tildesleys owned pubs. The Bull's Head stood on the corner of Wolverhampton Street and Peel Street, at right angles to the road, with a large open yard in front. It was used by mail coaches to pick-up and drop-off passengers, and to load and unload mail at the post office, a single storey building at the back of the yard. For many years the pub and the post office were run by members of the Tildesley family.

In 1731 Jeffery Tildesley married Elizabeth Thomas, whose father William, ran the Bell Inn in Market Place. Soon afterwards he purchased the Bull’s Head, which he ran for the rest of his life. He appears to have been a friendly, jovial landlord who was popular with his customers. He died on the 11th February, 1792 at the age of 86.

Joseph Hammersley, a lockmaker, married into the Tildesley family. He was married three times, twice to members of the Tildesley family. In 1815 he inherited the Bull’s Head after the death of his second wife, and ran the pub until his death in 1830. After his death, the pub was left to Joseph’s niece, Hannah Tildesley, who had been his housekeeper. In 1834 the landlord was John Riley Hincks, and in 1841 Jeffery Tildesley took over. In the early 1860s he was followed by John Tildesley, who in turn was followed by Mary Ann Tildesley. In the early 1890s the Tildesley family sold the pub to a local brewery, and it was then run by Reuben Holland, and later John Hill.

The Tumbledown Bridge in Railway Lane. Standing by the door is the licensee Arthur Wheatley and his granddaughter. He was known for breeding fox terriers. From an old postcard.

The bowling green at the Old Oak Inn in Walsall Road. From an old postcard.

The Royal George in Walsall Street. From an old postcard.

The pub was extremely successful during the era of the mail coaches, when Wolverhampton Street was on the main route through the town. In the 1820s the business rapidly declined as a result of the building of New Road, which bypassed Wolverhampton Street. The decline continued due to extra competition from new pubs and beer houses, the introduction of the 1830 Beer House Act, and the coming of the Grand Junction Railway in 1837, which put an end to mail coaches. The pub closed around the end of the First World War and was demolished in 1920.

Another member of the Tildesley family, Richard Tildesley, is listed in Pigot & Company’s Directory of 1842 as a beer seller.

Another important and successful coaching inn was the Neptune, which stood almost opposite St. Giles’ Church in Walsall Street, and played a significant part in local life. Like the Bull’s Head it was owned by a prominent local family, the Hartills.

The coach to Lichfield from Wolverhampton called at the inn every morning except Sunday, at twenty minutes past nine. The coach to Wolverhampton from Lichfield called at the Neptune every afternoon except Sunday, at five p.m.

Omnibuses also called at the Neptune. There were two omnibuses daily, except on Sundays, to Birmingham, and two daily to Wolverhampton. There were also omnibuses from the Three Crowns and the Queen's Arms.

Isaac Hartill, a genial, friendly, and popular man, ran the Neptune Inn in Walsall Street for many years. On his death in 1820, at the age of 90, he was succeeded by his son Isaac Hartill junior, whose son Jeremiah, a prosperous doctor, was born at the Neptune.

The Neptune Inn.

The Neptune was an important venue on Wakes Day, the first Sunday after the Feast of St. Giles on the 11th of September. During Willenhall Wake, friendly societies processed through the town, attended a brief service at St. Giles’ Church, then spent the rest of the day feasting in the Neptune.

For many years the magistrates court, and the manorial court of the Manor of Stowheath were held in the room behind the balcony on the first floor.

The balcony over the entrance was used by Charles P. Villiers when he made his first address to the electors of Wolverhampton, and subsequently for many of his speeches. On Sundays the stable yard behind the pub was a hive of activity when used by the Stowheath farmers, who rode into town to attend church.

Sadly attendance at the pub started to decline when the Grand Junction Railway opened its station in 1837 and put an end to the mail coaches. By the Second World War the pub had fallen into dereliction and the license was transferred to the Neptune in Bilston Lane. Sometime later the original Neptune was demolished.

The Plough Inn.

Unquestionably the oldest pub in the town is the Bell Inn in Market Place, which possibly dates back to 1660, the date which it carried for many years on a sign at the front. Although the front part of the building appears to be more modern, the back part is much older, and may have been built immediately after the town’s disastrous fire in 1659.

For many years it was owned by members of the Wakelam family. The landlord in 1830 was Thomas Wakelam, whereas in 1892 it was run by Sampson Wakelam. In later years the Bell became a Mitchells and Butlers pub, and afterwards an Enterprise Inn.

After years of dereliction, the property has been acquired by the Willenhall Heritage Trust, which hopes to restore the building to its former glory.

A more modern pub, the Plough Inn in Stafford Street, now ‘The Market Shop’ had a strange claim to fame. Before modern transport, prisoners who were sentenced to a term in Stafford Gaol had to walk to Stafford. On the way they were allowed to stop at the Plough Inn for a final drink. The Plough Inn closed in the 1970s.

Over the last few years it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with pub closures, and demolitions, as pubs disappear at an alarming rate. They are an ideal target for property developers, because most pubs have a reasonably sized car park, which with the pub, occupies a sizeable piece of land. Luckily some of our old and lovely public houses will survive. Some are now shops or food stores, such as the Plough Inn, now the Market Shop, and the Lion Hotel, now Domino’s Pizza shop. Others are on the Statutory List, or the Local List, and so are protected. They are an important part of the local landscape, and hopefully many of them will survive, with a long and prosperous future ahead.

Past and Present Willenhall Pubs:

Acorn Street	The Woodman	Market Place	The Bell Inn
Alma Street	The Talbot	Market Place	The Talbot Hotel
Ann Street	The George	Mill Street, corner of Birmingham Street	The Rising Sun
Ashmore Lake Road	The Cross Keys	Monmer Lane	The Black Lion
Aston Road	The Windmill	Monmer Lane	The Swan
Bentley Lane	The Bridge Tavern	Moseley Road	The Grapes
Bilston Lane	The Neptune	New Road	The Black Boy Inn
Bilston Road	The George and Crown	New Road	The Brook Tavern
Bilston Street	The Railway Tavern	New Road	The Castle
Bilston Street	The Waterglade	New Road	The Malthouse
Bloxwich Road South	The Cat (formerly The White Swan)	New Road	The Royal George
Bloxwich Road South	The Black Lion	New Road	The True Briton
Bloxwich Road South	The Hope and Anchor	New Road	The West End Tavern
Bloxwich Road South	The Saracen’s Head	New Street	The Beehive
Bloxwich Road North	The United Kingdom	New Street	The Royal Oak
Brick Kiln Street, Portobello	The Albion	New Street	The Star
Brick Kiln Street, Portobello	The Red Lion	Newhall Street	The Holly Bush
Brick Kiln Street, Portobello	The Seven Stars	New Invention	The Board
Bridge Street	The Red Lion	New Invention	The Crown
Cannock Road	The New Inn	New Invention	The Fighting Cocks
Cannon Street	The Cross inn	New Invention	The First and Last
Cannon Street	The Royal Oak (formerly The Royal Exchange, and The Sinker’s Arms)	New Invention	The New Inn
Cannon Street	The Barrel	New Invention	The Prince of Wales
Chapel Green	The Acorn	Pool Hayes Lane	The Pool Hayes
Chapel Green	The Fountain	Raglan Street	The British Queen
Chapel Green	The George and Dragon	Railway Lane	The Tumbledown Bridge Inn
Chapel Green	The Junction	Russell Street	The Cross
Charles Street	King Charles in the Oak	St. Annes Road	The Forge Tavern
Cheapside	The Albion	St. Annes Road	The Rushbrooke Farthing (formerly The Spring Vale Tavern)
Cheapside	The Crown	Sandbeds	The Royal Exchange
Church Street	The Barrel	Sandbeds Road	The Brown Jug
Church Street	The Crown	Somerford Place	The Shakespeare
Church Street	The New Inn	Springvale Street	The Bird In Hand
Church Street	The Swan	Stafford Street	The King's Head
Clarke’s Lane	The Noah's Ark	Stafford Street	The Three Crowns
Clemson Street	The Summer House	Stafford Street	The Tiger
Coltham Road	The Duke of Cambridge	Stafford Street	The Old Crown
Coltham Road	The Lame Dog	Stafford Street	The Plough
Coltham Road	The Swan	Stringes Lane	The Balaclava
Coltham Road	The Woolpack	Stringes Lane	Elm Park Tavern
Cross Street	The Albion	Stringes Lane	The Three Furnaces
Cross Street	The Angel	Stroud Avenue	The Cavalcade
Cross Street	The Bird in Hand	Stroud Avenue	The Homestead
Cross Street	The Bush	Temple Bar	The Dog and Partridge
Cross Street	The Crown	Temple Bar	The Temple Bar Inn
Cross Street	The Swan Hotel	The Crescent	The Albion
Cross Street	The Talbot	The Crescent	The Crescent
Dilloways Lane	The Longacres	The Crescent	The Junction
Doctor’s Piece	The British Oak	The Crescent	The Robin Hood
Doctor’s Piece	The Minerva	Union Street	The Albion
Doctor’s Piece	The Seven Stars	Union Street	The Old Crown
Dudley Street	The Shakespeare	Union Street	The Shakespeare
Essington Road	The Jolly Collier	Upper Lichfield Street	The Chamberlain
Essington Road	The Milestone	Upper Lichfield Street	The Lion Hotel
Ezekiel Lane	The Swan	Upper Lichfield Street	The Loft. (see note below)
Field Street	Gilberts	Upper Lichfield Street	The Red Lion
Fibbersley	The Navigation Inn	Vaughan Rd	The Royal Oak
Fletchers Lane, Shepwell Green	The Junction (formerly The Crescent Tavern)	Walsall Road	The Acorn
Froysell Street	The Lamp	Walsall Road	The Old Oak
Gomer Street	The Falcon Inn	Walsall Road	The Queen’s Head
Hall Street	The Coach and Horses	Walsall Road	The Spread Eagle
Hall Street	The Free Trade Inn	Walsall Road	The Three Tuns
Harper Street	The Manor Club	Walsall Road	The Waggon and Horses
High Road	The British Oak	Walsall Street	The Cock Inn
High Road	The Lodge Tavern	Walsall Street	The County (formerly The New Inn)
High Road	The Whimsey	Walsall Street	The Harp And Fiddle
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The Bird in Hand	Walsall Street	The King's Arms
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The Bridge Tavern	Walsall Street	The Neptune
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The Cock	Walsall Street	The Old Bush
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The General Havelock	Walsall Street	The Park
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The Gough Arms	Walsall Street	The Prince of Wales
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The Grove Arms	Walsall Street	The Queen’s Arms
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The Malt Shovel	Walsall Street	The Royal Artillery
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The Mezeppa	Walsall Street	The Royal George
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The New Inns	Walsall Street	The Spread Eagle
High Street, now Willenhall Road	The Abyssinian	Walsall Street	The Stores
John Street	The Ring O' Bells	Walsall Street	The Swan
Keats Rd	The Poets Corner	Walsall Street	The Turk's Head
King Street	The Three Tuns	Walsall Street	The Windmill
Lane Head	The Blacksmith	Waterglade	The Engine House
Lane Head	The Engine	Wednesfield Road	The Beehive
Lane Head	The Jolly Boat	Wednesfield Road	The Navigation
Lane Head	The Lodge Tavern	Wednesfield Road	The Waggon and Horses
Lane Head	The United Kingdom	Wednesfield Road	The Windsor Castle
Lane Head	The Whimsey	Willenhall Road	The Bird in Hand
Lichfield Road	The Broadway	Willenhall Road	The Cleveland Arms
Lichfield Road	The Crown	Willenhall Road	The George and Crown
Lichfield Road	The Crown and Sceptre	Willenhall Road	The Neachells
Lichfield Road	The First And Last	Wolverhampton Road	The Broadway
Lichfield Road	The Gate	Wolverhampton Road	The Cleveland Arms
Lichfield Road	The Prince Consort	Wolverhampton Road	The Lane Arms
Lower Lichfield Street	The Miners Arms	Wolverhampton Road West	The Red Lion
Lower Lichfield Street	The Royal Artillery	Wolverhampton Street	The Angel
Lower Lichfield Street	The Royal Oak	Wolverhampton Street	The Bell
Lower Lichfield Street	The Shakespeare	Wolverhampton Street	The Brewers Droop
Lower Lichfield Street	The Star Inn	Wolverhampton Street	The Bull's Head
Lower Lichfield Street	The Three Furnaces	Wolverhampton Street	The Butchers’ Arms
Lower Lichfield Street	The Vulcan and Miners’ Arms	Wolverhampton Street	The Hand and Bottle
Lower Lichfield Street	The White Lion	Wolverhampton Street	The Horse and Jockey
Little London	The Beehive	Wolverhampton Street	The King's Head
Little London	The Noah's Ark	Wolverhampton Street	The Rose and Crown
Lucknow Road	The Jolly Collier	Wolverhampton Street	The Royal Exchange
Lucknow Road	The Old House at Home	Wolverhampton Street	The Vine
Manor Farm Drive	The Saracen’s Head	Wood Street	The Grapes
Market Place	The Angel	Wood Street	The Vine
Market Place	The Barrel and Shive (formerly The Market Tavern)
Note: The Loft at 16 Upper Lichfield Street was originally called the Dartmouth Conservative Club, which became the New Dartmouth in about 1967, The Green Pig in 1990, The Kipper House in 1993 (which closed in 1998). It then became the Worker's Rest in 2001, followed by The Loft in about 2014.

The Kipper House was part of Mad O'Rourke's Little Pub Company, which was well known locally because of the popular Pie Factory pub at Tipton.

The Turk's Head in Walsall Street.

The bar at the Turk's Head.

The Star Inn in Lower Lichfield Street. Courtesy of John Hughes.

The Bell Inn in Market Place, which now has a secure future thanks to its new owner, the Willenhall Heritage Trust.

The County in Walsall Street.

An earlier view of 'The County' from the 1930s when it was the New Inn.

J. D. Wetherspoon's Malthouse in New Road.

It opened on the 21st December, 1999, but after many successful years, it began to suffer from a lack of customers and so was put-up for sale. It finally closed its doors on Sunday the 26th March, 2023.