Hen & Chickens, Birmingham

A pub on this site since 1828 or earlier. A fine Victorian corner building which was owned by Atkinsons before M&B. It has good original large leaded windows in a style once very common in Birmingham, and some original etched and painted glass in the internal doors and screens. The layout is unaltered, but only the front bar is regularly open to the public. On the corner is a plain L-shaped bar with a high ceiling; there are front and back doors, so the room was probably formerly partitioned, but there is no evidence of this now. The good chunky curved bar counter, old benches around the walls, and a couple of wooden screens next to the doors are probably all Victorian. The L-shaped bar-back is probably 1930s and features a corner cupboard with leaded glass incorporating the Atkinson's trade mark of three "A's" in a circle. At the rear is a corridor with a hatch and doorway to the servery; across the corridor is a smoke room currently used for storage; and rear of the servery is a small former snug-lounge with a hatch-door for service - this room looks to be in private use. Grade 2 listed. (SP May 2017)