The Eagle & Tun: HS2 calls it time to sadly knock this historic pub down

The Eagle & Tun in the current building has been on the corner site of New Canal Street and Banbury Street for 120 years. Built to a design from James & Lister Lea in 1900. In 2020 the current licence comes to an end, as HS2 wants to knock this historic pub down to make way for the proposed station. Had a few hours there with the Brumtography Facebook group created by Karl Newton.

Out of the blue, Birmingham We Are person with passion Karl Newton, over on Facebook set up a new group called Brumtography. And he invited members to go to The Eagle & Tun on Saturday 11th January 2020 from about 3pm to 6pm. I got there by 2:30pm, and we left by 5:30pm. We had plenty of time to take photos of the inside of this historic pub.

The pub was designed and built in 1900 (had been another pub on this site) by James & Lister Lea. The pub was made famous in the 1980s, as UB40 shot a music video here for their single Red Red Wine.  It was also used as the cover of the UB40 Best Of album. More recently Ed Sheeran popped by the pub.

It was closed and boarded up from about 2008 until the new landlords bought and reopened it in 2016. A nice Indian couple and their son.

 

I met up with Karl around here. Lots of old looking tables and chairs. Bar to the left. Window on the right was smashed and had a wooden board covering the damage.

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Near the entrance. The bar to the left. Lots of musical instruments were near the top of the walls but below the ceiling.

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I wonder where they got all of these musical instruments from?

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View of the bar from near where we were sitting / met up.

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Into the Pool Room. The pool table, the landlord later lit up the fire.

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Saw lots of old looking Roman or Greek pictures on the walls around here.

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A pair of gaming machines. The tiles looked quite interesting, they could be saved and go to an interested museum?

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Bottles behind the bar. Many drinks to be had here.

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Beer pumps from Red Fang, 3D Beer Cisco Steam, Twisted Wheel Brew Co and Pitchfork.

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Another look at the bar curving round close to the way in. Door to the back leads to the pool room.

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If you left the pool room from this side, this would be the view, near the bar.

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Mint Julep and Dixie Beer. Wine glasses and bottles, instruments all around.

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Behind the bar. The landlord had a box of really old cameras that he needed to sell.

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Another view of what was behind the bar.

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Back of the beer pumps. The landlord and landlady pour your beer or lager here.

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Was getting dark outside, final curtains on this historic bar. What can be saved?

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After we left, we took several photos of the exterior of The Eagle & Tun, after dark. It was also raining. This from Banbury Street. HS2 have put barriers up, so the opposite pavement was closed.

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They have coloured lights that change colours on the first floor. Was a lot of passing traffic on New Canal Street.

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Could see passing trains go past behind the pub. It will be sad to see this 120 year old pub knocked down. Is there no way to move it brick by brick to somewhere else in the city? Don't go the way of the doomed Fox & Grapes on Park Street. Only The Woodman will remain open, and probably survive the possible building of the HS2 Birmingham terminus station at Curzon Street.

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The pub sign of The Eagle & Tun is one thing that hasn't changed. Although at one point a previous landlord renamed the pub as The Cauliflower Ear! But thankfully it was later changed back.

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Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.