The Hawthorns long had a reputation for being a somewhat isolated ground. It isn't near a town centre, being sandwiched between West Bromwich itself and Handsworth, but it is handy for a couple of golf courses and a cemetery. The recent introduction of the tram service between Birmingham and Wolverhampton has, however, had the effect of making it much more accessible. This is good news, as it opens up to supporters the possibility of taking in pints a few stops from the ground. You'll need to; all the usual sources say that pubs near the ground run home supporter membership schemes. Don’t even think about the Hawthorns, the Throstle or the Woodman.
Consequently, this guide will be somewhat transport-oriented. The recently re-opened Hawthorns station is within sight of the ground, and is served by both the funky new Metro tram system and conventional rail. In Brum, both of these start from Snow Hill station. This is a slight nuisance, as if you come into Birmingham by rail, chances are you'll arrive at New Street. Snow Hill is about ten minutes north of New Street across Birmingham Centre. It's never easy to give directions in these parts, as Birmingham's centre is confusing and subject to demolition at short notice, but if you leave the station by the side exit and head up Temple Street, you'll come to St Phillip's Cathedral. The station's on the far side of the grounds, and it doesn't really matter which way you go around it. Alternatively, if you're set on going from New Street, take the train to Smethwick Rolfe Street, said to be a fifteen minute walk from the ground (from there take North Western Road, Brasshouse Lane and Halford's Lane to the ground).
In preparing this guide, I am considerably indebted to West Midlands Claret Peter Bateman, who sent me a 'Metro pub guide' brochure. This leaflet is jointly published by the Midland Metro and CAMRA, and if you can get hold of it from some kind of travel place do. What an all round splendid idea it is to encourage people to use the tram instead of driving and support their local pubs instead of stopping at home. Unfortunately, out of sheer personal incompetence, I lost Peter's own recommendations of his favourite listed pubs. The below, therefore, represents a shameless plagiarisation of said leaflet, with a few additions gleaned from our own recent experience.
I set out the guide on the assumption that, for those coming to Birmingham by train, it's better to go drinking west of the ground before the game and in Birmingham centre after the game. We'll therefore start from the furthest away reasonable point - the last bit of the Metro which is nearer West Brom than Wolves - and move towards the centre. All pubs are listed by their nearest Metro stop. According to my brother, who lives in Birmingham, the trams were dogged by irregularity at their inception, but they always seem fine to me. You can buy yourself a day ticket that covers all tram and bus services, which will probably cost four or five quid these days. If you need to catch just a bus, it's best to note that buses in Birmingham don't give change.
Frustratingly, although I enjoy our West Midlands days out, I haven't actually been to the Hawthorns since our fine draw in November 2000. I missed the September 2001 visit for work reasons, and I shall be missing the August 2003 visit... for work reasons. This is very bad luck, and for the purposes of this guide it means that the below suggestions may be a little out of date. And with all that said, here we go with the beer.
Up from Black Lake stop at Hilltop is the Sow and Pigs, one of the Banks's pubs branded in the colours of the former Hanson's brewery.
It's two stops before that, at Dartmouth Street, that things get really promising. On the CAMRA guide these pubs are listed under the Dudley Street stop, but as that's further away from both Birmingham centre and the ground, the Dartmouth Street stop looks preferable. Leave the station by the far side and turn left into Dartmouth Street. On the corner of this and the High Street is one pub listed in the guide, the New Hop Pole. I don't know what it's like, as we pressed on to the Old Crown. This was an excellent small, warm and cosy pub, selling a good guest beer range. I don't know what they normally stock, but my pint of Robinson's bitter was spot on. They also sold rolls. All in all I think this was my favourite stop of the day.
Back on the High Street, if you go left towards Carter's Green there are some more choices. The Wheatsheaf is rated, not least by a southern-based West Brom fan who shared the journey up with us one time, and clearly has a loyal following of local fans. The beer comes from the splendid and local Holden's brewery, and it tasted good on our visit. So far, so good, but alas the service was appalling. A wait of more than ten minutes to get a pint tests the patience of any man. They simply didn't have enough service behind the bar for a popular pub on a matchday. The layout doesn't help. There's a small room at the front with the bar between it and a long back room, serving both sides. In the back room the bar is squeezed into a corner by the door, and it doesn't take much to make a queue build up. It's weird, because if you go to the toilets there's a long, empty and rather pointless corridor to walk down. Get that bar moved! It was sad, because this looked like a good stop for basic, stodgy food. I was particularly intrigued by the grey paize, bacon and bread combination for under a quid. Apparently the paize are peas and the effect this local delicacy has on the average colon is devastating, but I'd have given it a go. As it was, people were waiting a long time for their food to come, too.
Not relishing the prospect of waiting ten minutes for a second pint we shot out in search of an alternative. We didn't fancy the look of the Oddfellow's Arms, just a few doors down, so went across the road to the brochure-listed Old Hop Pole (yes, another hop pole) on the corner of the High Street and Guns Lane. This veered towards the roughish side, and I wouldn't want to take a crowd in there. It's a rather ramshackle pub, but selling a good pint of Tetley Dark Mild on our visit.
You can head back to Dartmouth Street station by going down Guns Lane from here. You'll pass a couple of Banks's pubs, and if you don't get a pint of Banks's somewhere, your West Midlands visit will be strangely incomplete. The pubs are the Black Cock and the Railway, and when you come to the latter, as if it isn't a giveaway, turn left to get back to the tram stop.
Alternatively, you could walk along the High Street along, through a pedestrianised bit and on towards the ground, although from here it's still a significant distance. The next stop down the High Street on the tram is West Bromwich Central. The Great Western on this stretch sells Ansells and Marston's. On Moor Street, a continuation of Michael Street off the High Street, is the Leopard, a Banks's pub described as unspoilt.
Alternatively, if chain pubs are your thing, hit the Ringway, a circular road around the shopping centres and bus station. Our Baggies companion that time really advocated the Billiard Hall, a Wetherspoon's pub converted from guess what, with its combination of cheap food and cheap beer apparently making it a popular pre-match stop. Hmm. We called in on a tram ride towards Wolves in August 2002 and it was utterly dire. This was a truly dreadful pub, staffed by out and out idiots. Wetherspoon's service is normally poor, but here was something else. The people who were serving us had presumably never seen a pint of beer before. They didn't even seem to know what beers were on or off, and the man serving us wandered off after serving half a pint, never to be seen again. Lord knows what we did get in the end, but it certainly wasn't what we asked for, and it was warm and frothy. Oh, and of course, all the beers on offer were of above average strength. As for the pub, it really does look like a billiard hall from the outside - it's quite easy to miss - so with a bit of luck, you will. Avoid at all costs.
Just across the road there is one of those Goose pubs - the Goose and Granite - if you haven't had enough punishment.
Nearest pub to the ground on offer here is the Vine, on the corner of Roebuck Street and Roebuck Lane. From the bottom of the High Street take Birmingham Road (which will take you to the ground, if you want), then Roebuck Lane. Alternatively, from the Kenrick Park stop, go right down Devereux Road then left into Roebuck Lane. Don't be put off by the new houses and what appears to be the complete absence of a pub; it's there, on the next turn. Hard by the motorway, the Vine is something of a classic football pub. On our visit it was absolutely bloody heaving. It was full of home fans but was also away fan friendly, and wearers of both shirts mingled without problems. It's much bigger than it looks from the outside as it goes back a long way, so push past the throng at the bar, having picked up your pint, and keep going. The conservatory bit isn't recommended, having something of the sweaty ambience of the tropical house at Kew Gardens, but press on for the barbecue room and the beer garden out at the back. Oh yes, the barbecue. Baggies fans in the know head here early and claim their places for the mouth-watering Indian barbecue. I only wished we'd had the time, as the smells were intoxicating. This wasn't your salad and jacket potato school of pub grub. No, what you get is a huge barbecue covered in skewered chunks of spiced meat, served up on massive plates. I'm hungry just writing it. As for the beer: well, plastic glasses aren't what we want, but the beer was real, and a good pint from Slater's. And we were lucky; some of our lot turned up a few minutes later... just after they'd run out of beer. It would be interesting to come on a non football day just to see what this place is like then.
From here you could tram it one stop further to the Hawthorns, but it's easier to walk. Follow the throng underneath the roaring motorway and along the path by the side of the tram tracks. At Hawthorns station cross the track and go up the hill up Halford's Lane to the ground. Give yourself fifteen to twenty minutes. Away supporters are housed in the Smethwick End. If you feel short of oxygen, it will be because the Hawthorns is the highest league ground about sea level.
You'll certainly know it afterwards, if my last visit is anything to go by. The police closed off the road that we had entered by and forced us to do a tour of the ground before exiting down a slope of scree through an unlit car park. We were already late enough leaving the away end, easily one of the worst I have ever seen to get out of. How they get away with building these stands with inadequate exits is beyond me, but standing ten minutes not moving immediately after the game and still being in the queue to get out as the team emerges for their warmdown isn't my idea of fun. Wonder what they'd do if there was an emergency? To add a final insult, the nearest entrance to Hawthorns station is closed an hour before and for an hour after matches, adding that final element of circuitousness to our journey before the arrival of the crowded train.
Coming to the drinking options between the Hawthorns and Brum, on the cosmopolitan sounding Soho Road from the Handsworth Booth Street stop you'll find the Red Lion, but this looks a bit of a trek down Booth Street and onto Soho Road. If you're there, Grove Road off Soho Road will find you the Woodbine Tun. These pubs are described as 'basic' and 'local', so be prepared, but they both offer Ansells Mild, reminding us that the West Midlands is mild-drinking country, although you'd be better off with Banks's Original or Holden's mild.
Pushing on for the centre, the Benson Road stop offers the Black Eagle, selling West Midlands beer Beowulf, the ever brilliant Tim Taylor's Landlord and unnecessary Tetley's, on the splendidly-named Factory Road, a continuation off Benson Road. Apparently this is a popular pub with the London Baggies.
For any pubs closer to Birmingham centre (served by the stops of the Jewellery Quarter, St Paul's and the Snow Hill terminus) you should consult our Birmingham pub guide. One pub in particular at the Jewellery Quarter stop is the Church Inn on Great Hampton Street. This is an excellent pub, stocking an obscure range, which I understand permanently includes the wonderful local Batham’s Bitter. They also offer sound, basic chip-oriented food, with the portions more than ample.
As for the ground, it's the usual, redeveloped, thing. Apart from the shortage of exits it's not a bad ground, although the Albion scarf design picked out on the seats behind the other goal (which we had plenty of time to consider while waiting to get out) is laughable. As this is the West Midlands, you should hope to get a proper balti pie, although I've been known to be disappointed on past occasion. Still, you could be worse off. You could be a vegetarian. On one visit they'd sold out of cheese and onion pasties too. Of course they'd only ordered six for the whole away end...
And I didn't even mention the appalling Frank Skinner.
