ThePullenCount.com

Whichever side of the flag debate you're on, can we all just agree this is hilarious? Christmas lights can't go up in Reform-led town because St. George flags on lampposts are a health and safety concern. Irony is alive and well in Kent, as is the law of unintended consequences. I laughed so much, I shared a GB News article. Merry Christmas, everyone.

An historic public house in Birmingham, designed by renowned architects and built before the advent of electricity, has reopened to the public following a £100,000 restoration. The Anchor Digbeth, which has been a fixture of Birmingham’s landscape since 1797, has been painstakingly restored to its former glory by new landlord Peter Connolly. Recognised by Historic England as a Grade II protected heritage site, the magnificent terracotta-fronted building was originally constructed to a design by James and Lister Lea - an architectural firm responsible for some of Birmingham’s most impressive Victorian-era public houses. A mainstay for Birmingham’s Irish community, including being owned by successive generations of the Keane family since the 1970s, The Anchor is located in the city’s Irish Quarter - home to countless generations of Irish emigrants and workers since the 1820s.  Peter Connolly, new custodian of The Anchor Digbeth, said: “It’s a pleasure to finally reopen th...

The craic is mighty in the newly relaunched Anchor in Digbeth. Celebrate the Irish Quarter of Digbeth by visiting, supporting, and maintaining the tradition of independent, authentic, Irish pubs.  A bastion of pubs; including the Spotted Dog, The Anchor, The White Swan. The resurgence of which is led by visionary publican Peter Connolley. 

For me; this is as important a part of the Birmingham cityscape as the Rotunda. Iconic.  Edwin Lowe Ltd: Bearing Housing Cartridges For Your Idlers In The 21st Century.  Don't try to work out what it means.  No-one knows.  No-one ever will.  Established 1915. They've been doing it since the early 20th century; quietly bearing housing cartridges for your idlers.  Whenever I'm in Perry Barr, I pull into the car park, gaze at the sign, and simply weep.

I attended the Railway Stations Update meeting last Wednesday, and have summarised the content, with help from the Kings Heath Neighbourhood Forum. Opening timeline The new stations on the Camp Hill Line are expected to open to passengers in 2026.  No exact date has been fixed yet. Based on the meeting, the opening is likely between March 2026 and July 2026.  They emphasize that this uncertainty isn’t due to construction delays: the physical works (platforms, buildings etc.) are still on track to be finished by end of 2025 as previously announced.  The delay in announcing a date is largely due to the time needed for the “Entry into Service” process: testing, training, certification, and transfer of ownership to the operator.  An added complication is that West Midlands Trains’ ownership is changing to public ownership in February 2026, which overlaps with that handover/entry-into-service period.  Station & highway works status Kings Heath  • Most...

Had a look around one of Birmingham’s oldest surviving buildings, The Golden Lion in Cannon Hill Park, before the restoration work begins. Dating back to the late 16th century (c.1570–1590) and originally built in Deritend High Street, it is thought to have served as a guild hall linked to St John’s Chapel, later becoming a clergy house, school, tannery, and by the 18th century, a pub named The Golden Lion. By the early 20th century, road widening threatened its survival. In 1911, the Birmingham Archaeological Society dismantled it piece by piece and rebuilt it in Cannon Hill Park, where it became a refreshment room and cricket pavilion. The following year, in 1912, suffragettes attempted to burn it down during their campaign for votes for women, causing fire damage to the timber frame. The building fell into disuse in the late 20th century and has stood derelict for over 20 years. It is now Grade II-listed, but fenced off and in poor condition. In 2023, a grant of £32,000 funded a det...