The Barton's Arms

[Pat McMahon]

It's a discount store now. So it's a real mish mash of stock rather than how it used to be.

It’s terrible now and must be on borrowed time. The whole of Corporation Street has been on a sad decline for 20 years.

Whenever I bring people to Brum they are savagely underwhelmed by New street (the street itself) and Corporation street

[Rory]

My sister got married at the ripe old age of 18 and the wedding bash was at the Tennis Courts on the Walsall Rd. A couple of people advised at the time that the Shareholders did the best wedding spreads but she stuck to the pub she knew, so I never set foot in there. The Barton’s was always more appealing.

The Tennis Courts is my pub of choice post-game, because it's equidistant between VP and my (parents') house.

So I've spent plenty of time there.

The Barton's is a different class of pub.

[KRS]

Last time I ate there, the food was nowhere near as good as usual.

Fantastic pub though, not sure where I'll go after weekend games now.

I’ve only been to the BA twice on match days so don’t know how busy it gets on non-match days or the quality of their Thai food, however I was chatting to a Baggies supporting mate today and his family are regulars down there (apparently his mum loved the place and echoed the same sentiments), and he also said that the standard of food had declined. Had they changed ownership, chefs or staff recently?

[Chap]

Anybody remember the Griffin and the Paddock in the Newton Shopping centre opposite?

[FrankyH]

Anybody remember the Griffin and the Paddock in the Newton Shopping centre opposite?

Yes, they looked like they should have been in Glasgow if I remember correctly

[pauliewalnuts]

It's a discount store now. So it's a real mish mash of stock rather than how it used to be.

It’s terrible now and must be on borrowed time. The whole of Corporation Street has been on a sad decline for 20 years.

Whenever I bring people to Brum they are savagely underwhelmed by New street (the street itself) and Corporation street

The bottom end of New St, from the Bull Ring to Corporation Street is a bit of a mess. They've at least redone some of the facades of that Big Top building (the corner of High St and New St, opposite the Bull Ring), which was built after the Luftwaffe had flattened that patch, which has improved it a bit, but even stuff like, if you look at the paving there, it's a mish mash of about half a dozen re-pavings over the year, it's a mess.

The top end is miles better.

Corporation St is well looked after, it is - like many city centre streets in the UK - sort of missing an identity with the changes to shopping habits.

[Chap]

Anybody remember the Griffin and the Paddock in the Newton Shopping centre opposite?

Yes, they looked like they should have been in Glasgow if I remember correctly

True

[SoccerHQ]

Who was throwing stones at the stain glass windows again.... (one for the regulars on the old forum circa 2005!)

Walked past it many times on way to VP but never been in it on a matchday. Took my Dad for a birthday curry there years back and he was more worried he was going to get shot coming out of the car park given it's next door to the drum.

It will re-open in some form eventually you suspect, would work better if it was closer to One Stop as the Spoons there is always rammed on a matchday night.

[dave.woodhall]

It's a discount store now. So it's a real mish mash of stock rather than how it used to be.

It’s terrible now and must be on borrowed time. The whole of Corporation Street has been on a sad decline for 20 years.

Whenever I bring people to Brum they are savagely underwhelmed by New street (the street itself) and Corporation street

The bottom end of New St, from the Bull Ring to Corporation Street is a bit of a mess. They've at least redone some of the facades of that Big Top building (the corner of High St and New St, opposite the Bull Ring), which was built after the Luftwaffe had flattened that patch, which has improved it a bit, but even stuff like, if you look at the paving there, it's a mish mash of about half a dozen re-pavings over the year, it's a mess.

The top end is miles better.

Corporation St is well looked after, it is - like many city centre streets in the UK - sort of missing an identity with the changes to shopping habits.

The bottom end of Corporation Street is gloriously unspoilt, at least from the first floor up. In any other city the Crown would have been a classic pub on the lines of the Philarmonic or Cafe Royal and the rest would be something a bit classier than chicken and vape shops.

[Percy McCarthy]

The Barton’s was the local of our little Summer Lane firm after the Lamplighter and Stag’s Head closed. So that reminded me of this;

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XYDzaE6mHRk&pp=ygUTU3VtbWVyIGxhbmUgc2N1bGxleQ%3D%3D

[dave shelley]

I have that and others on an old cassette tape my mother sent me a good few years ago.  Thanks for reminding me Perce.

[Percy McCarthy]

I have that and others on an old cassette tape my mother sent me a good few years ago.  Thanks for reminding me Perce.

It’s funny that Summer Lane was where Billy Kimber, leader of the gang that Peaky Blinders TV show is based on, was from. Don’t tell the true Brummies though.

[London Villan]

My dad and his pals used the pubs in summer lane pre-match for years. The Barrel, The Stag, The Lamplighter and a couple of others. Some entertaining afternoons in there as a young lad watching the characters.

[Percy McCarthy]

My dad and his pals used the pubs in summer lane pre-match for years. The Barrel, The Stag, The Lamplighter and a couple of others. Some entertaining afternoons in there as a young lad watching the characters.

Yes, I remember all those three!

Struggling a bit after that, but I’ll never forget the characters. And if I do, I can just read my book 😉

[TopDeck113]

Sports Direct always smells of BO, like they forbid their staff from wearing any deordorant whatsoever.

Yesterday. I had to brave the Sports Direct shopping "experience" to get something for school.  My feeling is always that the staff must have failed every other job interview they've attended before Mike Ashley welcomed them with open arms.  Either uncommunicative or programmed to bark at customers, no detailed grasp of the store inventory let alone specific product knowledge and conspicuous by their absence when there's a Saturday afternoon queue at the tills.