The Grand Junction, Sedgley, Dudley

Marked as closed.

In 2005, the old Northumberland Arms underwent a major £150k image change that transformed it from a traditional Victorian boozer that struggled to cope with the match day hordes to a trendy Spurs themed bar that still struggles to cope with the matchday hordes. The Spurs connections with the pub are more intrinsic than a brush of paint – the pub was originally where the players changed in the days of taped crossbars and pipe smoking goalkeeprs. The old pub décor and dated furnishings have now made way for a navy and white colour scheme and £25k worth of autographed shirts, boots, tickets and other Spurs memorabilia. A mass of old programmes run the entire length of one wall, lovingly organized like a keen philatelist with a prized stamp collection. Multiple screens show Spurs DVD’s and keep the pre-match crowds updated on the latest sports news. The bar staff wear matching matchday Spurs T-Shirts (Arse fans need not apply for vacancies here) and the only surprise is that neither of the teams on the table football game are in Spurs colours. Sadly but predictably, the beers are pedestrian and mainstream with no Real Ales; mass product beer for the mass crowds seems to be the motto. The old bar frame has been removed making the pub appear a lot more spacious even though it is still impossible to negotiate your way round the pub on match day. A marquee in the now cheaply tarmaced beer garden copes with the overflows as best as it can and a BBQ is usually sizzling away on the front terrace. Aside from a bit of football nostalgia, this pub will not appeal to many people beyond non-Ale drinking Spurs fans. They do have the occasional guest evening (speaker that is, not beer) hosted by former Spurs players. Bill Nick himself lived locally for virtually all of his life and I dare say he would have popped into the old Northumberland on one or two occasions but being such a humble and self effacing man, he would probably have felt a bit embarrassed in having the pub renamed in his honour, especially one that functions better as a museum than it does a pub.

Gone, now a dentist. [Admin Edit: Actioned 10/1/10]