Crosswells Inn, Langley, Oldbury

The Crosswells was our final pub of 11 in the West Midlands and just when we thought things couldn't go downhill much further, we finished rock bottom. There are a couple of traditional rooms to the front with a corridor off to the right linking up with further rooms to the rear. The corridor had a grabbing machine in it. Normally I'd see these at the seaside, but Langley is a long way away from the sea. A dartboard could be found in one of the front rooms. Tables weren't particularly clean. One had a yogurt pot on it with a dirty used spoon. Events advertised included disco, karaoke and a medium. If only the pub could achieve such levels. 4 handpulls can be found in the front left room. One was clipped with Landlord. The others were unclipped. My major beef with the pub and its owners was the very large dog in one of the rooms. It started growling at us as soon as we walked in and with it being too strong for the landlady to handle it had launched across the bar and bitten my wife before anybody could stop it. The bite went straight through her top and jeans drawing a little blood. With the room full of family members all laughing at what the dog had done, we retreated to the adjacent empty room with the yogurt pot. By the time we departed, the dog had been banished away from public areas. The landlady was apologetic when my wife approached her to show what the dog had done. Her response was that it was only a puppy and she was going to check that we were ok. But clearly she hadn't got around to doing that. She did offer my wife a drink on the house, but puppy or not, this is not the kind of dog that should be allowed in a public space without somebody who could control it. Not the best of experiences.

A large, detached Banks's corner pub and eatery, with extensions and a patio. It is in white render with fake beams, with an extension in white render at the back (restaurant)and a 30s looking undressed brick extension at the side (function room). The interior has four rooms. At the back there is a restaurant and carvery, which is in an orange colour and looks tidy. I din't eat so can't comment on that, but the prices looked reasonable. There is a function room off to the side with a stage area. This room was either in a purple, or grey, difficult to tell really and seem spacious and of course is for hire. The lounge is tidy and traditional really. It is in a silver wallpaper, with red flowr pattern and has lots of old local photos on the walls - usual tables and stools, with a Chesterfield settee. There is a TV, with Sky on and a second on showing adverts for the pub. The front room is in fact a split bar room - a central serving bar covers these rooms and the lounge. These bars are in white and brown and there are a few pictures on the walls, along with a dart board. The service was OK, the clientele a mix of suits (lounge) and everyone else! (bar) with some diners. There was no music. Beer; tap stuff with Banks's MILD and on handpull, Abbots, Pedigree and a decent Enville Ale. At first i didn't feel too comfortable here, i can't really say why. After sitting in the lounge for a bit i felt a lot happier and not only that, but i could stay for a while and eat if need be. Worth a pop in, especially for the Enville.