A wonderful wisteria has been turning heads at a landmark Black Country pub.

The Mermaid, on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, is covered in blooms and drinkers are bombarding landlord Sean Atkinson with requests for cuttings.

The 36-year-old took over the pub, on Bridgnorth Road in Wightwick, two years ago and used his secret weapon – his dad Ken – to get the floral display up to a spectacular standard. He said: “My dad’s a professional landscape gardener and he comes here once a week to look after the wisteria and all of the hanging baskets.

“This is my third pub and he has followed me everywhere tending to the gardens.”

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A wonderful wisteria has been turning heads at a landmark Black Country pub.

The Mermaid, on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, is covered in blooms and drinkers are bombarding landlord Sean Atkinson with requests for cuttings.

The 36-year-old took over the pub, on Bridgnorth Road in Wightwick, two years ago and used his secret weapon – his dad Ken – to get the floral display up to a spectacular standard. He said: “My dad’s a professional landscape gardener and he comes here once a week to look after the wisteria and all of the hanging baskets.

“This is my third pub and he has followed me everywhere tending to the gardens.”

Mr Atkinson used to manage the Lyttleton Arms, in Penkridge, and The Fox and Anchor, in Coven.

He said: “The plant was here when I took over but we’ve encouraged it to grow.

“We trimmed it last year so it didn’t flower but this year it has really come out.”

Neighbour Michelle Jones, aged 37, said she had watched the wisteria cover more of the pub every year.

She said: “It is absolutely beautiful and I can’t think of a bigger one anywhere else.

“Every year it covers more of the pub and it’s lovely to sit outside in the summer.”

Sharon Bouckley, 42, from Coven, said the exterior of a pub did make a difference when deciding where to go for a drink. She said: “Someone has clearly put a lot of effort in here.”

Inside the pub, old photographs of the building detail its history. Theodore Mander was nephew of Charles Benjamin Mander who founded the historic Wolverhampton firm Mander Brothers in 1845.

In 1887, Theodore bought the Wightwick Manor estate, which included the building that later became The Mermaid. He built his dream home on the estate and rebuilt the inn to serve the local canal trade.