It's beer at home as Peter raises the bar
Time may have been called at scores of pubs across the Black Country, but Walsall grandfather Peter Williams never has to worry about last orders.
Time may have been called at scores of pubs across the Black Country, but Walsall grandfather Peter Williams never has to worry about last orders.
The 69-year-old has recreated the bar of one of his favourite former watering holes in the living room of his Bloxwich home.
Complete with working pumps, a bell and all the trimmings of a traditional pub, Mr Williams has spent hours lovingly restoring the bar of The Warreners Arms in Brownhills High Street.
Father-of-two Mr Williams stumbled across it after it was thrown out during a revamp of the pub some 25 years ago.
He handed over £15 to save it from the scrap heap and has since spent years perfecting it.
And given that The Warreners Arms closed down in the 1990s, Mr Williams is pleased as punch to have preserved a little piece of Walsall heritage in his own home.
"The part of the bar I brought home was the very spot that I used to stand when I went in there," said builder Mr Williams, who lives with wife of 47 years Patricia.
"I could remember what it looked like but it's taken a lot of hard work to get it looking like it used to.
"The bar was in a bit of a bad state so I had to get it treated and sanded and a lot of work has gone into getting it looking like this.
"It's a little bit of heritage and history in my living room and I'm really pleased with it. We do keep the drinks behind here and it always goes down well when we have a family party or at Christmas- it's certainly a talking point," added Mr Williams, who is grandfather to Natalie, Joshua, Jessica and Courtney.
The optics, the mirrored back wall and shelving are all original features, while the trinkets, tankards and ornaments have been collected over the years to give the bar an authentic pub feel.
For Mrs Williams, it came as a bit of a surprise when her husband arrived home with the bar in tow.
"I wasn't expecting it to be quite so big," she said.
"He's put a lot of work into it though.
"The best thing about it all is that he doesn't really drink very much at all."
