Head down to Hackney for pint at The Albion
A pub named after the owner's beloved West Bromwich Albion and packed to the rafters with memorabilia is set to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
But this pub is not in West Bromwich, or even Oldbury or Wednesbury – it's in the London Borough of Hackney.
A source of bemusement to the locals and now a regular destination on the calendar of fans travelling to Baggies games in the capital, The Albion in Shoreditch will be celebrating its 15th birthday on Saturday with a programme of fun and games for all of the family.
The pub was taken over by lifelong fan Dave Chapman, 64, in 1998 and he said he wanted a name that would grab people's attention.
He said: "I got in touch with the secretary at West Brom and asked if I could use the name, and they were very happy for me to do so.
"I get a good reaction from Albion fans when they come here. The first time they come they are absolutely gobsmacked.
"One day we were sitting here, and there was an almighty crash outside. It was a lorry driver from Solihull, who had come around the corner, seen the sign, and driven into a lamppost. He still comes in here now."
The pub does get its regulars, as there are around 200 members of the London West Bromwich Albion supporters club, and Dave said the pub is 'deluged' on Baggies away days in the city.
He said: "If they are playing West Ham, Arsenal or Spurs we get ludicrously busy, but if they are playing in London generally everyone likes to come and see the pub.
"We have some of the coaches come down, and West Midlands Police, so it can be like a circus in here."
Dave has supported the team since he was a teenager, despite not actually being from the Black Country, after he witnessed Albion beat Preston 3-2 in his first game in the 1954 FA Cup final.
"I suppose you would have to call me a Londoner," he said. "My dad was Scottish, so with him it was Celtic or nothing.
"We moved down to London when I was young, and my dad got us tickets for the '54 final. It was the first match I'd ever been to, and it has stuck with me ever since."
On Saturday the pub, on Goldsmith's Row, will be having a number of events to celebrate the milestone, including a bouncy castle, a dog show, face painting and a disco.
