Walsall group fights to get disused pub Grade II listed four years after closure

The White Lion, which stands prominently on the corner of Little London and Sandwell Street, Walsall, closed as a pub four years ago.

It was owned by Admiral Taverns at the time of its closure but is now owned by 88 Capital Investments Ltd, who put it up for sale by auction earlier this year.

Because the building is listed as an asset of community value, it cannot be sold without being offered to the community first. The sale of the pub is now in a six-month moratorium period while the local community are given the chance to seek investment to buy the building.

So far, the Friends of the White Lion group has been successful in getting the property locally listed with Walsall Council. Now they are fighting to get the pub listed as a Grade II building, which would offer greater protection against redevelopment.

Friends of the White Lion said the building dates back to the nineteenth century and was the original home of Walsall Town Football Club. The group also said the 19th century building was the last surviving pub in Cardmore before its closure.

Mark Webster, a spokesperson for Friends of the White Lion, said: “The whole process has been a number of hoops, first the asset of community value, next getting it locally listed with the local authority, they recognised there was merit, now we are applying to Historic England.

“There is no doubt that as a group we would love to see it open as a pub. But we have our feet on the ground and we recognise you can’t maintain a building that big with what goes over a bar.

“We as a group agree that the building has a huge potential as a community space serving the local diverse communities of Caldmore, Highgate and its surrounding area.

“One of the possibilities we are working on is to obtain funding or investment for the purchase of the pub and to bring it back into active use. In addition to its normal public house function the group envisages offering facilities for local community groups such as meeting rooms, celebratory events, food bank, community café or day time childcare.”