The Bartons Arms, Birmingham

Built in 1901 for Mitchells and Butler, this grand Victorian pub has one of the most visually striking interiors I've ever had the pleasure of encountering. The view from outside is remarkable enough thanks to some wonderful Dutch gables and a central clock tower on the roof. It certainly looks out of place in a part of town otherwise devoid of aesthetic appeal. Entering through the right hand door, denoted by a cut glass pane stating 'Lounge', you rather confusingly find yourself in the public bar thanks to the removal of various internal walls over the years. The doorway, like others around the pub, boasts a mosaic tile floor porch and small glass panes depicting delicate flowers. The servery dominates the room, acting nowadays as a peninsula bar with a decorative dark wood counter and gantry and a relatively restrained bar back with at least one decorative mirror which the barmaid was busy cleaning when I arrived. Original snob screens can be found around one side of the bar, although I initially dismissed them as such when I viewed them from the other end of the bar, assuming that they were too high to be snob screens - presumably a visual trick caused by the sloping floor. Walls are half panelled with some diagonally set tiles on the end wall with coloured inserts and a high decorative frieze. Windows are a mix of plain and etched glass including some curved panes over in the right hand bay. Plush banquette and standard seating runs around the perimeter of the room and makes this a great spot to settle down for a few drinks. The pub takes on a different character as you move left of the bar, eventually reaching a room signed as the 'Smoke Room' by another cut glass door, but now used as a dining room for the in-house Thai restaurant. Various original walls remain on this side, creating distinct areas and offering a degree of privacy, especially at quieter times. The floor is still bare boarded here and seating has switched to a more formal table and chair set up with most tables laid for service, but the big change here is the breath-taking tile work which sees a dazzling range of colours and styles vying for attention. There is a large stained glass window on the far wall and further back, a separate area boasts a most impressive fireplace. Perhaps my favourite spot is the hallway that connects these rooms to the main bar. This space is dominated by a grand curved staircase leading up to the Board Room and Billiards Room (both unexplored on this visit), but can also boast an upright piano, a large M&B stained glass window and an amazing painted tile picture of a hunting scene. The whole area is rounded off with a decorative ceiling, elaborate light fixtures and a large floral display on the end of the bar. As if all of this was not a good enough reason to visit, the pub was taken over by the Oakham Brewery back in 2003 following a period of closure and various failed ventures and threats of demolition. This guarantees a good range of ales on the bar, with Oakham Citra, Bishops Farewell, Inferno, JHB and Apple available alongside guests Brentwood Maple Mild and Off Beat Bohemian Antipodean Pale. Kegs options included Oakham Green Devil IPA, Mad Hatter Down the Rabbit Hole and Shiny Wrench. A CAMRA card ensures a 20p discount on a pint of ale. I had a pint of Citra which was in near perfect condition and slipped down very well after my brisk 20-25 minute walk here from Moor Street station (it's not a great walk - you might consider one of the buses that run past the pub from the city centre). There was so much I enjoyed about this pub, yet as I left I couldn't help but think that I had probably missed as much as I discovered. It's a pub that will reward repeat visits, but if that isn't possible, make sure you at least make it out here once - I'm certainly glad I did.