| Fox and Grapes | |
|---|---|
 The pub in February 2011, boarded up but with roof intact | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Public house |
| Address | 16 Freeman Street, Digbeth |
| Town or city | Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°28′47″N 1°53′26″W / 52.479672°N 1.890675°W |
| Opened | 1823 or earlier |
| Demolished | 15-16 September 2018 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | |
| Designations | Grade II listed |
The Fox and Grapes was a historic, heritage-designated public house in the Digbeth area of Birmingham, England. After some time derelict, and a major fire, it was demolished in 2018.
History[edit]
Parts of the building dated from the late 17th or early 18th century.[1] A public house had stood on the site, at 16 Freeman Street, on the corner of in Park Street, since at least 1829, and possibly as early as 1815.[2] The name "Fox and Grapes", which refers to one of Aesop's Fables, The Fox and the Grapes, was in use by 1849.[2] The facade was remodelled in the mid-19th century.[3]
The pub was owned by Smiths Brewery, until taken over by Butlers (later Mitchell & Butlers), in 1957.[4]
One wing of the stuccoed brick building, which had a tiled roof, included a former coach house.[1] The already-derelict building was badly damaged by fire on the afternoon of 3 January 2015 – an incident which was attended by eight fire appliances from the West Midlands Fire Service.[4]
The building was given grade II listed status in July 1982,[1] legally protecting it from unauthorised alteration or demolition.[2] Despite this designation, the building was demolished overnight on Saturday 15–16 September 2018.[4][5] The demolition was strongly criticised by a city historian, Professor Carl Chinn, who described the act as being "as mystifying as it is upsetting and disgusting".[4]
Birmingham City Council said that the demolition was "part of the HS2 Curzon Street Station development", referring to construction of the northern terminus of phase one of the High Speed 2 railway, nearby, and citing "structural issues" identified by "HS2's surveyors".[4]
The building was very near to the site of Island House, which was demolished controversially in 2012.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Fox and Grapes Public House, Birmingham – 1075598". Historic England. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ a b c Chinn, Carl (26 January 2015). "Why the Fox and Grapes pub in Digbeth must be saved". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ "Friday Photo: Fox and Grapes Pub". Birmingham Conservation Trust. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Young, Graham (14 September 2018). "Outrage at demolition of landmark city centre pub". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ a b Young, Graham (17 September 2018). "Landmark city pub demolished to make way for HS2". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
Further reading[edit]
- Porter, Libby; Barber, Austin (17 August 2006). "The meaning of place and state‐led gentrification in Birmingham's Eastside" (PDF). City. 10 (2): 215–234. doi:10.1080/13604810600736941. S2CID 144213204.
