The classic Wolverhampton pub that was demolished but now revived and become a timewarp

Sitting on a street corner in the 1940s to 1960s town centre as part of the Forging Ahead development project, the Elephant and Castle is a faithful recreation of a pub which was once a popular haunt for the migrant community in Wolverhampton.

The pub was built in 1905 and stood on the corner of Stafford Street and Cannock Road, visible to anyone passing by due to its distinctive green and white livery and unique writing on the outside of the pub.

It remained part of the then-town's landscape for more than 90 years, a place for a pre-match pint for anyone heading towards Molineux for a Wolves game or for the migrant community in Wolverhampton, but fell into disrepair and was eventually torn down and demolished in 2001.

The demolition appeared to have brought the legacy of the pub to an end, but Black Country Living Museum food and beverages manager Rory Shannon said the museum made the decision to faithfully and painstakingly rebuild and repopulate the pub onsite, with it opening in August 2022.

He said: "As part of our Forging Ahead project, the building has been timelessly replicated, down to the finishing touches on the tiles and the painstaking work around that.

"Local people and visitors are surprised when they arrive and you have to explain to them that this isn't a translocated building, it's actually a complete replica, and they're taken aback and shocked by that.

"The tiles at the front of the building are absolutely beautiful and it's one of the selfie points around the museum as everyone wants their photo taken under the elephants."

The recreated pub features many objects, pictures and items that were donated by former owners and tenants and from members of the public, with the only piece from the original building being the elephant with a castle on its back 'statue' which is now located high into the external frontage of the new pub.

Inside, the fireplace in the smoking room is from a house in Lower Gornal and the Minton tiles in the Cannock Road entrance were collected from a house in Stourbridge, while the upstairs bar is from the Gypsy’s Tent in Dudley and much of the furniture has been donated by Marston’s.

The pub has been recreated to show how it would have looked in the 1960s and, in keeping with the early 1960s setting there are no pump clips on the handpulls, but the beers are listed on a chalk slate.

There are several rooms available for use for visitors and the pub remains open through the day at the museum, only closing up 15 minutes before the museum shuts up for the day.

In terms of drinks, the pub staff, who wear period clothing, serve up two regular beers from Banks's in Amber and Bitter, as well as pints of Mild and Manns Brown Ale, with a pint costing £5.

There are also a range of spirits on offer, including rum and whisky, and a number of wines, with a glass around £5.50 and a bottle costing £21, and soft drinks for £2.

Upstairs, there is a food option between 11.30am and 2.30pm which features sausages and mash, steak and ale pie, a ploughman's lunch and faggots and mash, all priced between £7.95 and £12.

Mr Shannon said that people would come in and see things that reminded them of the pub in the past, such as Babycham bottles and Cherry B and said it was a living memory of a popular pub.

He said: "I think it's the feel and look of the building which makes it unique, such as the fact it has local beers in it and the food is quintessential Black Country as well.

"It's nice to be able to run this pub as it's got a nice feeling about it and it's nice when people come in and remember the pub like it was before and when visitors from outside the UK have never seen a pub like this before get to see it, so it's just got a really lovely atmosphere."