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The Bartons Arms, Birmingham

144 High Street
Aston
Postal town: Birmingham
B6 4UP

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Old Boots left this review about The Bartons Arms

I doubt there’s anything left to say about the Barton’s Arms, one of the venues on the very first Pubs Galore pub crawl. Very few serious pubmen and women will not be familiar with this Victorian extravaganza of wood, glass and particularly tiling. Don’t just stay in one of the downstairs rooms, explore the details of this fantastic pub. Two from Oakham on my visit, Citra and JHB plus a beer from Fixed Wheel “The Manx Missile”. A national treasure.

On 10th July 2023 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3209 recommendations about 2920 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about The Bartons Arms

A very impressive building inside and out and certainly worth the bus trip out from the city centre, I tend to prefer smaller compact pubs but the interior as well as the beer selection as mentioned in the October reviews makes for a pub well worth returning to.

On 28th November 2021 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


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Steve of N21 left this review about The Bartons Arms

Well, they don’t make them like this anymore.
It’s quite frightening to think we almost lost this late Victorian masterpiece some 20 years ago. The interior is so good that you would even enjoy drinking a pint of John Smiths smooth crap in here. The fact that it is owned by Oakhams and there is a decent guest ale policy almost makes this the perfect drinking experience.
It’s almost sacrilege to not have an Oakham ale after how they have looked after the place for the last 18 years, but I went for the Froth Blowers Riverside Stout and very good it was too.

On 23rd November 2021 - rating: 10
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Bartons Arms

Large and very imposing building - left somewhat marooned by various road and urban regeneration projects of dubious merit - dominated by a grand clock tower. However, a lack of distinction is certainly not something you could say about the interior which is widely held as being one of the most remarkable in the country. The tilework and stained glass are fantastic survivors from the late Victorian period when it was built by Mitchell and Butlers in 1901 as their flagship house. On this revisit, I found three Oakham beers - Citra, JHB and White Dwarf - plus a couple from Froth Blowers - Piffle Snonker (£3.90) and Riverside Stout - available from the various banks of three handpumps scattered around the island bar counter. Thankfully (mostly) untouched over the years, so let's hope that it is kept that way so that future generations can make the effort to get out of Birmingham city centre and marvel at this must-visit pub.

On 20th October 2021 - rating: 9
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


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Tris C left this review about The Bartons Arms

Grade II*-listed and featuring on CAMRA's list of pubs with historic interiors - of National Importance - this is one of our most opulent pubs, with probably the most stunning tilework I've ever seen, pictures of which can be seen on CAMRA's site. The interior is very large indeed, meaning that the smell of Thai food didn't intrude.
I plumped for an Oakham White Dwarf at £2.00 a half which was as good as any drink had on the day.
This isn't in the best location, but is a must-visit if in town.

On 19th October 2021 - rating: 9
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


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Graham Coombs left this review about The Bartons Arms

A palatial showpiece Victorian pub, still as described below and on various websites including their own. Sitting in the sun streaming through the large windows in the midst of such classical pub architecture was a very pleasant experience, quite apart from the excellent beer (I went for a well-conditioned brew from Frothblowers on this occasion) and a very tasty Thai sausage! Nowadays it is not in the most exciting of surroundings but it is definitely worth the trip out of town.

On 16th October 2021 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Will Larter left this review about The Bartons Arms

This fantastic-looking pub has been on my radar since purchasing Camra's real heritage pubs guide to the Midlands and my visit to Birmingham to do a Digbeth crawl provided me with an opportunity. It's easily reached from the city centre by the frequent 51 bus service (my Plus Bus ticket obtained with my train tickets made the journey a cheap one, too). The pub is well described below and in the Camra publication (and website) referred to, so I'll concentrate on the beer. There are numerous hand pumps scattered around the large central bar, most of the beers being from Oakham. My half of Bishops Farewell was in good nick, but not the best I've ever had. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to be here and I hope to get the opportunity for a return visit before too long.

Date of visit: 11th July 2018

On 22nd October 2018 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3699 recommendations about 3440 pubs]


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Ian Mapp left this review about The Bartons Arms

Nominated on its own facebook entry as Birmingham's best kept secret.

I'd heard about it but this was my first visit.

A terrifying urban walk from the CIty Centre and met with an impressive victorian classic exterior. But its the inside where all the beauty is. Simply stunning tiled interior with plush red carpets leading to snob screen bars, an opulent staircase, tiling and stained glass windows.

Beer festival on - in addition to the Oakham regulars. Thai food smelled wonderful.

Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2r8zacD

On 29th April 2018 - rating: 10
[User has posted 1329 recommendations about 1315 pubs]


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Nick Davies left this review about The Bartons Arms

A bit of a pilgrimage to get here. I'm not going to repeat the descriptions below, suffice it to say it's one of those living museums that all pub lovers should make an effort to visit. I would say that at 5PM midweek we doubled the number of customers. In some other cities it would be filling up with after-work trade. I just hope the Thai food and live music are enough to keep it going.

On 25th February 2018 - rating: 9
[User has posted 567 recommendations about 559 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Bartons Arms

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.

On 14th November 2014 - rating: 9
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]

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