The Bulls Head pub on Westside, which was once used by BBC2 to premiere a Peaky Blinders series at nearby Cineworld, is set to reopen as an Indian restaurant.
The Grade II-listed terracotta pub was built at 38 Bishopsgate Street back in 1901 and is still looking pristine 122 years later.
In October 2017, the exterior was dressed up as ‘The Garrison Tavern’ for the opening photocall of the fourth season’s premiere of Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders drama series, attracting huge crowds.
However, Davenports sold the pub in February 2022 to an unnamed ‘investment fund’, and it has been closed ever since.
Posters in the window at the pub today explain that it is to become an Indian restaurant when it reopens in 2024, trading under the name of the Peg And Grill. The new operators have been contacted but had not commented by the time this story was published.
Window posters promise ‘Great grills’ and ‘Colossal curries’ and add: “All this and more. Coming soon! We are looking for great people to join our team – we want to hear from you.” The email address for job hunters to send in a CV is birmingham@pegandgrill.co.uk.
A ‘holding’ website at www.pegandgrill.co.uk promises: “A vibrant Indian restaurant is soon gracing Birmingham with its presence. Anticipate a sensory journey through India’s diverse culinary landscape, promising an unforgettable dining experience for Birmingham’s food enthusiasts.”
The pub currently still has the Davenports’ logo on both the Bishopsgate Street and Tennant Street sides at its corner position, just 100 yards from the entrances to Pryzm and Cineworld on Broad Street.
History of The Bulls Head
Designed by renowned city architects James & Lister Lea, The Bulls Head was built in 1901 at the end of the great Victorian era.
Rebranded The City Tavern in the early 1980s and Grade II-listed since 1998, the pub was boarded up a year later. The multiplex cinema opening in July 2000 helped to transform its fortunes, but trade declined after the financial crash of 2008.
The Bulls Head then became Davenports’ first pub opening for 30 years in December 2016. The first floor function room was later restored and was used by Jim Simpson’s Henry’s Blueshouse – the live music night which famously launched Black Sabbath after it was first held at The Crown in Station Street in 1968.
Davenports also used the pub to launch a ‘Beer at Home’ service in December 2021, but then announced it had sold the pub in February 2022, Davenports said it had received an offer from ‘an investment fund’ that it ‘did not have permission to name’. It has been closed ever since.
Meanwhile, Henry’s Blueshouse moved to Velvet Music Rooms on Broad Street, and is now operating from O Bar at the corner of Gas Street.
All pictures by Graham Young.
ENDS
