The Blue Brick, Brierley Hill

Nowadays looking somewhat isolated, with most nearby buildings having been demolished. If you ignore the sense of decrepitude caused by some of the signage lettering having fallen, the exterior still holds some interest. Unfortunately, though, this is not reflected inside where the opened-out out 'J'-shaped interior has been stripped of any real character, with the partly raised side pool area being the only feature of note. Slightly surprisingly, I found two real ales on handpump: Lancaster Bomber (£2.50 and initially poor, but the barman obligingly pulled more beer through to produce a better pint) and Hobgoblin.

Well described below the Blue Brick is a bit rough around the edges now. No ale on when I called in so I had a lager. Nothing to draw me back to be honest.

This is a detached Marston's pub and eatery, with a patio area. It is a former Victorian hotel, called the Commercial, which was situated by the Round Oak railway station. It was renamed the Blue Brick, as amazingly, it is constructed of blue brick. It is an irregular shaped build, with stone windows - interesting features include the Gothic tower and trefoil window. The lower frontage is in stone and blue tile, with pedimented entrances. The interior is a soulless, open plan, irregular shaped room, with a conservatory. Much of the space is given over to the foody tables - I didn't eat so I can't comment on theat, but it was the usual Marstonsy type of menu. The room is in cream and green, with a few fireplaces. There is a side area with a pool table and a few dart boards. There are several TVs, which had sport on. There was no music. A few old photos are on the walls. The service was fine and the clientele, small but mixed. Beer; usual tap stuff with Banks's MILD and Bitter on handpull - I had the bitter for a change, it was fine. A fine building, with a generic interior - not one I would go out of my way for.