The Duke of Wellington, Birmingham

This is a corner hotel and pub that is a part of Birmingham's Gay Village, but open to all. It is in Georgian style and indeed, its origins are Georgian. The place had been turned from a private house to a hotel by the end of the Napoleonic Wars - hence the name, the Wellington. It was altered significantly in the 1890s and again in the 1930s. The place has a curved upper frontage, which is in white render, with black paintwork on the neo-classic windows and the quoins. The interior has a main lounge, with a small side room, in cream, that has a pool table and a dart board that is somewhat blocked by the piano. The main room is a little irregular in shape and has brown and white half walls, with a white ceiling and green patterned carpet. It has settles and benches, a wood surround fireplace, along with art nouveau glass lights. There is no TV that I saw and the music was mixed and at a decent level. There are lots of books, although they seem stacked a little high for general retrieval! The service was friendly, and a few people were in. Beer; usual tap stuff with a decent Beowulf Folded Cross on handpull. I have visited here a couple of times and intend to carry on doing so every so often, as the real ale is fine and one that you are not likely to see in most Brum centre pubs.