New era for historic Dudley pub after refurbishment and reopening - with Ozzy Osbourne mural intact

The new owners of a Dudley pub famed for live music and rock nights are ready for the future after reopening the pub.

Ye Olde Foundry on King Street had been closed since January, but reopened under the new management with a successful first night on Saturday (July 25).

The pub was filled with people enjoying the live music by The Juggernauts and a range of drinks on tap, including the Patient Number 9︎ beer, a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by Hobsons Brewery.

They were able to also enjoy the newer look of the pub, which has kept the original feeling while adding new furniture, a pool table and fittings but, most importantly, keeping the Ozzy Osbourne mural on the wall.

Ye Olde Foundry is being run by a business group; Ricki Wellman said he and his business partners Dale Murphy and Shaun Keasey had looked at the pub and wanted to give it a future.

He said: “We saw the sad story of the previous landlord and the end of his tenure and we have sites that are owned by Stonegate Pub Company, like this building is.

“The area manager for this site is the same as our sites in Wolverhampton, so we put in a tentative enquiry about this place and, over the next few weeks, negotiated a really good deal and gave it a future.

“It’s a Dudley institution and also something we haven’t got on our portfolio as we have a mainstream club, party venue, a really nice pub and an entertainment venue, but having a rock venue was really new and exciting for us - and the opening night proved quite why we were so excited.”

The pub will be open from Thursday to Sunday each week, with different themed nights each night, as well as the pool table, darts, jukebox and photo booth, while management are exploring the possibility of street food, ‘picky bits’ and classic basket meals.

Duty manager Rhi Cooke said she was thrilled to see the pub back open as she knew how much it was loved.

She said: “It’s always had a very big following from the rock music crowd and has always had such a good atmosphere with the live music, so being part of it coming back is just an incredible feeling and it’s lovely that everybody is so happy to be back.

“I think, as well, it has that mix of looking new, while also having that old feeling to it and there were so many people who were just so happy to be back within a venue that they’ve known and loved for years.

“There were also plenty of comments about how fresh it looks and how well we’ve done with the stage and backdrops, curtains and lights, so I think it’s made an impact with many of those who used to be regulars.”

Mr Wellman said: “We’re custodians of this place for however long our tenure is and I’ve not seen any negative feedback yet, apart from running out of the Ozzy beer on Saturday.

“We’ll take the creative criticism and work to keep improving as we know we won’t be here forever, but we’d like to be here for a long time and establish the business as the cherry on the cake of Dudley’s hospitality scene.”

Photos by Phil Blagg Photography