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Detail Pages
The Old Contemptibles, Birmingham
Birmingham
B3 2HB
Pub Type
Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Old Contemptibles
Another of Birmingham’s impressive pubs under the Nicholson stable and we headed here in hope of being fed after not getting into the dining area of the Old Joint stock.
The pub is well described by PSM below and fortunately we managed to get a seat in the aforementioned dining area to the left of the pub when one of the serving staff allowed us to utilise a table that was booked for later on in the evening on the presence that we would be done and dusted before it was needed, immediately accelerating him into ‘top bloke’ category by my reckoning.
Decent enough pint of St Austell’s Proper job and the two pies we had off the standard Nicholson menu hit the spot as well..
Nice pub this, liked it here..
On 9th March 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Old Contemptibles
A nice pub with a sort of "J" shaped bar. 15 handpumps dispensed 9 real ales/cider. Interior descriptions elsewhere. Had a couple of tellies showing the Rugby World Cup.
On 23rd September 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Old Contemptibles
Ornate Nicholson's pub with quite a dark interior. 8 real ales and food served.
On 2nd August 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Old Contemptibles
Another of Birmingham's Nicholson's outlets, the Old Contemptibles takes its name from the nickname given to the British Expeditionary Force and is handily located to the side of Snow Hill station. It's a large, sprawling pub that has undergone recent refurbishment and was packed on my Saturday evening visit with lots of people who looked like they were off to a rock concert. You enter through the corner door into a bare boarded bar area with plush banquettes on both side, including some on a slightly raised section to the right. The windows along the front are huge and have decorative obscured glasswork. The servery runs along the back wall with what I assumed was a section of original gantry with an arm that extended out into the room, acting as part of an old doorway and partitioning wall, now lined with hops. There are large paintings of the aforementioned armed forces in action behind the bar, extending up to the very high ceiling which is painted in a dark shade with a gold frieze running beneath and hung with some suitably grand chandeliers. The mid section of the pub is much the same, but has some round copper topped tables in front of a hop lined cabinet that has beer books, bottles and tankards on display. The left side of the pub has a mix of banquette and tub chair seating to the front and high tables and stools closer to the bar. There is an excellent photo montage on the left hand wall which pays homage to the pub's war time tenants and is well worth a look. There are more impressive chandeliers here, each set into a decorative ceiling rose, although these have been lost somewhat under the dark paint they've been covered with. The room extends to the rear on this side, into what could be described as the dining area which has some nice wood panelling, lots of standard tables and chairs and old photos of the local area on display.
Nicholson's usual decent ale range was available here with the handpulls dispensing Nicholson's Pale Ale, Stewart's Dakota, Sharps Doom Bar and Atlantic, Purity Ubu and Saddler's JPA, plus two real ciders. The JPA was in pretty good shape and served by one of the well drilled bar team who handled the large crowd very well.
This is another good Nicholson's pub with some interesting features and a reliable ale range. It's very handy for a quick pint before leaving from Snow Hill station and a good solid option to include on any crawl around the city.
On 17th November 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about Old Contemptibles
revisit 27/06/2014: Still one of Birmingham's finest pubs & the recent refurb has added to its character and interior layout. The seating has been rearranged & replaced. Minus point was there were only 5 real ales (only?!) and the quality was not the best. But still for me a 9 overall.
05/07/2010: Part of M&Bs Nicolsons chain (along with Bacchus in Birmingham) this is a rather splendid pub, well reviewed below.
Its has the feel of a London pub since its makeover, high ceilings, bare boards, split levels and grand decor.
Nicolson's are pushing their real ale at the moment, and there are nine interesting ones here and the one I had, Harvistoun Schiehallion, was excellent, with clear descriptions & try before you buy.
I can see why somebody may not like this place, its possibly a bit pompous and aimed toward the young professional. But, for me, a better pub experience than the Wellington and more central than the Anchor, this is possibly the best one in the City Centre as an ale ticker and pub lover?
On 8th July 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ale Monster left this review about Old Contemptibles
This brilliant traditional red brick Victorian pub is part of the Nicholson’s (M&B) chain, the current building was built around 1880 and was originally named the Albion Hotel until it was renamed by Mitchells and Butlers in 1953 to honour veterans of the Great War who regularly met at the pub. The pubs name is a nick name which was adopted by the British army regulars who made up the British Expeditionary Force that was sent to France in 1914, allegedly Kaiser Bill (Wilhelm II) of Germany ordered his generals to “exterminate Britain’s contemptible little army”, remarkably the comparatively small BEF actually helped to slow down and eventually halt the massive German armies advance at Mons in Belgium, Le Cateau and the Marne and the Aisne river areas in France. The pubs sign is in the shape of the Mons Star medal which was awarded to all the survivors of these initial battles. The interior is very traditional with two rooms, a main public bar area across the front of the building and a smaller snug in the back left corner, there are two entrances, one in the middle of the front of the building and one in the front right corner. The public bar has a lovely dark wood bar counter and elaborate bar back across the back wall with Great War murals painted on the wall above the bar. Opposite the counter in the front wall is a large marble fire place and in the far left wall is a smaller marble fire place which is hidden by tables and chairs, the floor is mostly natural wood, the walls are half wood panel with Victorian print wallpaper, nice stained glass windows and there is burgundy leather bench seating throughout. There is a large wooden staircase in the middle of the back wall to the left of the bar counter which leads to the toilets. To the left of the stairs is the entrance to the snug which has full wood panel walls and various old maps for decoration.
Regular ales are currently Timothy Taylor Landlord, Purity Ubu, Marston’s Pedigree and Nicholson’s (St Austell) Pale Ale with up to four changing guest beers which on this occasion were Sharp’s Doom bar, Hop Back Taiphoon and Entire Stout (GBG 2012 and Cask Marque). I tried the Ubu and Stout which were both decent. You can find some really unusual beers in here at times and there often seems to be a beer from Hop Back brewery so I’m guessing the landlord must like them.
A great traditional pub with a bit of character and a fantastic historic name, the pub sign is a really nice touch which I think deserves an extra point, I’m a little bit bias towards this pub due to my blatant interest in British military history. The beer selection is sufficiently varied with some national and more unusual beers to suit all tastes and the quality is normally good. I usually pop in here as I quite often use Snow Hill station which is right opposite the pub and there are several good pubs nearby, I shall continue to visit when in the area.
On 3rd July 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 199 recommendations about 199 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about Old Contemptibles
A end-terrace corner and eatery, a part of the Nicholson chain now. The pub is in undressed red brick, with some nice moulded stone decoration, especially around the upper windows and the main door. The pub has a rounded corner and lovely leaded windows.
The interior is an open plan, two-part pub with a nice mural behind the bar of WWI scenes of the BEF, from which the pub gets its name (not sure how they would have viewed the place!). The decor is red in the dining area and olive and cream in the main bar area, with a moulded ceiling, central staircase and nice wood bar. There is some nice wood seating, part wood floor and large mirrors behind the bar area. The curtains look like they should be at a theatre, along with the large marble fireplace and chandeliers. Old lithographs, photos and mirrors decorate the walls. There was no TV that i saw. The service was functional, and the clientele mixed, business types. The background music is easy and at a good level.
Beer; tap stuff, with Continental lagers, with Pedigree, Harvestoun Bitter & Twisted, Ubu Purity, Spitfire, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Batemans Miss Lucious and Robinson's Wags to Witches. The last three went flat pretty quickly, lucky they were half pints (previous review's beers - the Leeds Midnight Bell i had a last visit was the same, mind).
Overall - well, it is in the suity part of town and attracts a business clientele - completely the opposite to the dancing on the tables that usued to go on in the 80s when i first visited. The problem here is taht the beer seems to be flatter (and on a personal note, i prefer a head), as well as the cost of the pint.
On 3rd February 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about Old Contemptibles
Pub that is sort of split into 2 parts with the bar at the front.Very foody but having said that there was a good selection of real ales and the ones I tried were very good.Gets very busy lunchtimes.
On 18th August 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Old Contemptibles
Impressive interior, heard a lot of hype about this pub. Good range of ales, I called on a bad day, as the barperson couldn't pull a pint of ale - after some assistance, the beer was still not the real deal. Found it a very clicky sort of place, might give it a miss in the future.
On 8th February 2011
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about Old Contemptibles
Called in as the Wednesday lunchtime crowd was about finished and really enjoyed their Welsh Rarebit lighter bites. Large sausage menus as per the Nicholson chain. 9 handpulls, 2 of cider, Hook Norton, Timothy Taylor, Purity, Castle Rock, Marstons, Lees, and Salopian being the real ales. Seem to prefer the larger micros, but the 2 we had were in good condition. 2 different stairways make a long haul up to the loos, but there is a disabled one downstairs.
On 21st October 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]