Listed: The 24 treasured Black Country pubs locals want to protect from redevelopment
The Black Bear in Lower Gornal, The Forge Tavern in Kingswinford and Wednesbury's Ye Olde Leathern Bottel are among 24 Black Country pubs locals are campaigning to protect from future closure due to either financial reasons or potential redevelopment.
It follows an urgent call put out by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) who asked communities to put forward pubs that must be saved at all costs. In just 14 days, the campaign received 155 nominations, 65 of which were right here in the West Midlands.
However, 40 of the 65 do not have a protection listing attached to them meaning they are vulnerable to a potential sale - with more than half of those in the Black Country.
The WMCA and CAMRA launched the campaign to better protect the region’s public houses in the wake of the fire and subsequent demolition of the famous Crooked House in Himley, Staffordshire. The ‘List Your Local’ initiative encourages residents to submit applications for Historic England and assets of community value listing.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said: “I am pleased to see submissions to protect the region’s most-loved pubs steadily growing. I asked members of the public to get in touch because while we believe we have already identified some of the most at risk historical pubs in the region, we need to make sure we are helping to protect the right venues. I am keen to not just protect these wonderfully historic buildings but also safeguard the heart and soul of our communities.”
