The Wednesbury pub said to be the oldest in the town, dating back to 1510

Firmly placed on the outside of the building, a sign states that the pub was established in 1510, and is said to be the oldest pub in the town.

The landlord and licensee of the establishment is Karl Silvester and he has been there since taking over in 2019.

Karl, 33, from Wednesbury, runs it with the support of Dean Peasley, 43, also from Wednesbury, who helps run the place as needed.

Karl says he has run pubs for a while, and has worked in bars since he was younger, starting behind the bar.

Sharing about what it was like taking over in 2019, Karl said: "When we first took over it was really quiet.

"It needed a lot of work to bring people back to the pub, but thankfully it is now doing really well, and it has become a popular place now.

"Covid was a difficult time for us of course and now the cost of living crisis, but I can say that luckily, because the pub is trading well, we are doing okay.

"If we were trading at the level as when we took over, then we wouldn't be here.

"So knowing this, it is a testament to our hard work. The work we put in when taking over has helped, laying those foundations has benefitted us long-term, and now we are about to extend our tenancy for another five years."

Often, landlords and ladies say it takes time to build new relationships with the locals and regulars when they are new to the pub, but it also worth the work they put in as it is those locals and regulars that keep the business afloat and their trade keeps them running.

Sharing about those relationships, Karl added: "It was quiet when the previous tenant left and so we had to build those relationships with the locals and we have definitely done that now.

"This has been done by having regular entertainment running in the pub, dominoes nights which are really popular and we get a regular groups playing dominoes here everyday.

"We have Sky Sports and BT Sport here too, and so the live sports along with the live entertainment we have one has gained attention and brought people in."

When taking over in 2019, Karl and Dean were surprised to find a painting with the signature of a relative of Dean's, who had passed away in 2017.

The painting was done by Dean's family member named Derek, and since then they discovered that Derek had done so much more with the pubs in Wednesbury.

Karl added: "We had found a painting with his signature on, so we took it to Derek's son, but we did not know about his passion for photography and pubs.

"We then found an album full of photos that Derek had taken as far back as 1966, of all 67 pubs in Wednesbury at the time.

"Some of these pubs do not even have images on the internet!

"So we asked for permission to use these photos as in tribute to Derek and his work taking all these photos, we created a display of them and have them on our wall in the pub.

"His wife told us that towards the end of his life, Derek loved talking about these pictures and how very few of the pubs still remain in place today.

"We know Derek would be immensely proud to know that after nearly 60 years, his pictures are now on display in the oldest pub in Wednesbury.

"We have also turned each picture into a limited edition collection of beer mats where we have had only 250 of each pub design printed and each week we put out the different designs for people to collect.

"People have been coming in and taking them, and it has also brought up great conversations where people talk about the old pubs and their memories of the places that are no longer there.

"Out of the 250 coasters we have created 25 special sets in a folder with a certificate of authenticity and signed by myself.

"It is a nice tribute we have done to Derek."