photo Archives - Frank Parker

Halloween Photos (Part 4)

Growing up in England from a child to a teenager in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s, Halloween was an American thing you saw on the telly. There was no dressing up and trick-or-treating, not in my family home anyway. Even when my kids were younger I never really bothered much about Halloween. It was just all too American for me and just liked the English traditions I was brought up with. They had fun wearing masks, bobbing for apples etc. but we never went out dressed up knocking on people’s doors, in fact, I don’t recall ever seeing anyone else do it either.

Nowadays all of the above is a common sight. I am no killjoy and I don’t knock anyone who really enjoys it. I admit it’s a fun thing for kids to do and a good excuse for a party for the adults which I have enjoyed going to in the past few years. When you have suffered from depression and anxiety for as long as I have, just to be included can be a lifesaver.

The main thing I like about Halloween is dressing up and the Horror theme to it. I have never celebrated Halloween in my life in the past because, since I was a kid, I have loved horror. Every day is Halloween for me, ha ha.

Below are photos of Halloween celebrations of me and my family over the years.

The quality of some of these photos is not the greatest due to poor-quality camera equipment. I have tried to enhance them the best I can but they are worth reminiscing about on here regardless.

2022 (Continued)

Click here for 2022 details.

A small Halloween holiday family get-together.

Me, my sister Julie and great nephews Archie, Harley, Kenny and Oscar.

My goody bag from the kid’s get-together.

I wasn’t expecting this treat from my niece Joanne so it was nice to be included as one of the kids, ha ha and I thank her for it.

2023

This was my sixth Halloween party and I wore a Frankenstein costume complete with my very cool mask. This realistic full overhead, latex mask with added hair (designed in the U.S.A. and made in Mexico) is officially licenced by Universal Studios and made for Trick Or Treat Studios and, for a very pleasant change, the quality of it was exactly like in the photo from the place I ordered it from (but I knew it would be after reading very good reviews). It has been my most expensive mask to date at £68 but that old saying you get what you pay for rings very true here. It was worth every penny and I can’t wait to put it on display in my bungalow one day. Regardless of the price, I was very happy about it and I enjoyed wearing it (it’s just a shame one or both of the electrodes were hidden a lot in the photos of me wearing it. This is because I pulled my t-shirt up too far without realising it). It has now become my favourite Halloween costume since I started wearing Halloween costumes, more so the mask element of it, the rest was a disaster!

I wore a black suit, black T-shirt and big black boots to try and get the full Frankenstein look from the first film which starred Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster.

It has a slit in the back to help get it on so I didn’t have to cut one in which was good. The mask is hard to get on and off but it isn’t too tight when it is on. However, there are two moulded bits by the eyes inside that are a bit uncomfortable as they dig into the bridge of my nose a bit but I’m sure these could be softened somehow. The eye holes are not that big to see through and I had to tilt my head up a bit to see better which is hard anyway with no glasses on like most overhead masks I can’t. I also couldn’t wear my hearing aids meaning I couldn’t hear that great either. Both these things are always annoying but it is what it is.

As I mentioned above this costume was a disaster for me. I had purchased four army green make-up pots (the closest colour I could get to match the mask and there were two for each arm) as I wasn’t sure how well they would spread. It turned out I only needed one and, despite using make-up primer, it smudged on my fingers and palms. It didn’t help I left it too late to do and wasn’t fully dry. On top of that, I got it on my T-shirt and suit which meant I had to use a wet cloth to get it off but all it did was smudge in my clothes. Every time I tried to get it off my clothes because the cloth was wet, my hands would be partly washed which meant adding more paint! This did give it a muddy clothes look so I suppose it looked OK but I was very annoyed it happened.

I also brought FX modelling wax pot, fake blood, spirit gum glue and black cotton to achieve a scarred, sewn-on look around the wrists. There wouldn’t have been enough wax to use so I didn’t bother with it, therefore there was no point using the cotton. Anyway, I tried to cut a load of little threads and it was too thin and fiddly so I wouldn’t have been able to do it even if I wanted to with time flying by until I had to go out.

My boots were the biggest failure of the whole costume. They were disability boots my brother-in-law Ken gave me and one was lower than the other meaning that less than a week before the party I had to build the one up to make them even looking. I used about 1-inch polystyrene sheets for that, on one boot (to give it a bit more height) and more on the other to build it up to the same as the other one. I used normal glue which dissolved the polystyrene sheets so I used no nails glue hoping it would dry in time for the party, IT DID NOT. I used cardboard on them and super-glued a bit cut from tarpaulin to make souls and stop the polystyrene wrecking. That made no difference because all my weight just squashed everything down, glue and all and it went everywhere, eventually losing the soles altogether. The boots looked so crap and because of this I have cropped them off in the photos but you may see the odd bit of white. I am a perfectionist when it comes to a lot of things I do including ideas I have and when they don’t turn out like it was in my head (they rarely do) I do get disheartened when these things happen but I try not to let them bring me down too much and I get on with it, that is how my life is.

The photos below were taken at Ayelsford Hall in Shard End. I got ready at home and got a lift there from my Brother-In-Law Ken which was good because there was no way I was going to walk!

My sister Julie had to lock the door for me when we left mine and help put my phone and keys in my jacket pocket as my hands were painted green and I didn’t want them to smudge, ha ha.

The photos were taken on the 28th of October, 2023.

The EXCELLENT Frankenstein mask from Trick Or Treat Studios.

This version of Frankenstein’s monster is the original one played by Boris Karloff and the likeness is spot on.

The Frankenstein mask tag that came with it.

My very cool Frankenstein mask.

Frankenstein’s monster.

Various poses of me in my Frankenstein costume.

Frankenstein’s monster dancing.

Julie took a photo of me dancing, ha ha.

Frankenstein’s monster drinking.

It is thirsty work being chased by a flame-wielding mob, ha ha.

This is me attempting to have a drink with my Frankenstein mask on. I had to lift it up a bit making it look like I was drinking out my neck!

The mask doesn’t have a mouthpiece and I could have cut a little slit in it for using a straw but I didn’t want to spoil and risk (and possibly ruin) an expensive mask like this so I left it as it was.

Me and my sister Julie.

Me and my brother-in-law Ken.

Me, my sister Julie and niece Faye.

My Frankenstein boots.

It was a messy process modifying these boots (hence the glue inside them from my hands). Here you can see my final effort of changing their look slightly BEFORE I wore them and they became ruined.

Blog Posts

Halloween Photos (Part 1).

Halloween Photos (Part 2).

Halloween Photos (Part 3).

Notes And Links

This page contains links that send you to Wikipedia and other websites and are subject to change.

The image shown above of a carved pumpkin is the copyright of Wikipedia user Toby Ord. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.5 ).

The images above are copyright of Frank Parker unless stated.

The Frankenstein mask and tag photos at the top of the page are copyright of Universal via Universal Studios and Trick Or Treat Studios.

The photos above of me in my Frankenstein mask and costume, me with my sister Julie and brother-in-law Ken are copyright of Julie Shingler.

The photos above of me and my sister Julie, me, my sister Julie and niece Faye and one of me as Frankenstein’s monster are copyright of Faye Libby.

Creative Commons – Official website. They offer better sharing, advancing universal access to knowledge and culture, and fostering creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

Universal Pictures – U.K. official website.

Universal Pictures on YouTube.

Universal Pictures on Facebook.

Universal Pictures on Twitter.

Universal Studios – Official website.

Universal Studios on YouTube.

Universal Studios on Facebook.

Universal Studios on Twitter.

Trick Or Treat Studios – Official website.

Trick Or Treat Studios on YouTube.

Trick Or Treat Studios on Facebook.

Trick Or Treat Studios on Twitter.

Trick Or Treat Studios on Instagram.

Trick Or Treat Studios on TikTok.

Wikipedia – Official website. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit in good faith. Its purpose is to benefit readers by containing information on all branches of knowledge. Hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, it consists of freely editable content, whose articles also have numerous links to guide readers to more information.

Halloween Photos (Part 3)

Below are photos of Halloween celebrations of me and my family over the years.

The quality of some of these photos is not the greatest but I have tried to enhance them the best I can but they are worth reminiscing about on here regardless.

2021 (Continued)

Click here for 2021 details.

Me and my sister Julie.

Me and my great nephew Billy.

My cool Freddy Krueger Halloween costume.

I won the Best Costume award for this. Thank you to my niece Faye for that and the bottle of Bucks Fizz and the cool cover it was in that she crocheted herself.

Hey You Guys!

The day after the Halloween party I tried on the mask my sister Yvonne gave me what she wore of Sloth from The Goonies.

It doesn’t exactly look like him and I can guarantee it did in the stock photo from where it was purchased from.

I happily had it to add to my mask collection as Yvonne was just going to throw it away! It is another mask that is not full over the head so my glasses can be worn underneath it if I decide to wear it again which I doubt but I am always happy to receive anything free regarding horror, masks and Halloween costumes. They are all appreciated.

2022

This was my fifth Halloween party and I wore my cool Werewolf costume. Like the previous years, the quality of the mask was nothing like in the photo from the place I ordered it from but I wasn’t unhappy about it because it was very close and I enjoyed wearing it. It was my fourth favourite Halloween costume since I started wearing Halloween costumes.

I ordered myself some slip-on werewolf feet, and werewolf gloves and, just like most masks in stock photos that you buy, these were not as good quality as them and I didn’t like how the feet slipped on over your shoes but it was the best I could find. I wore a blooded shirt with it. I got some fake fur to stick to my chest using titty tape, ha ha. I made my own meaty blood and that was a laugh (see below) and I used a severed hand prop (which I rubbed in dirt and sprayed fake blood on it) to complete the scary look to it all.

This wasn’t the werewolf I wanted to go as originally. I wanted to go as the Universal Classic Monsters The Wolf Man version from 1941, starring Lon Chaney Jnr. However, there wasn’t a mask available for him so I thought I would try and get a look similar to my favourite werewolf film ever, An American Werewolf In London. I saw a very cool mask that would have been cool but after reading a lot of reviews and seeing you really get a PATHETIC version of it, (no surprise there), I decided to go for a generic werewolf look. It bothered me that everything I wore didn’t match the same shade of brown but regardless it was a costume I enjoyed wearing.

Picture this scene. I had recently been attacked and bitten by a werewolf but I managed to get away somehow. The next night there was a full moon and I changed into a wolf man. I run around outside to find someone to kill. A bloke sees me, panics and runs into some nearby muddy woods. I attack him and he falls to the ground. I grab his legs and drag him. Screaming, he grabs any fallen trees and branches he can to stop himself from going any further. Desperately clawing the ground, his dirty hands could not save him now). I pounce on him, bite his throat and chew on it, causing blood to soak my shirt. I bite one of his dirty hands off before running off with it in my hand to find my next victim. This was the inspiration for the look I wanted to achieve for this Halloween party. I have always had a great imagination since I was little!

This was another tight mask meaning I couldn’t wear my glasses underneath making it hard to see (especially in the dark) but I could wear my hearing aids which is always good at noisy parties. However, it was not as tight as three years ago and I didn’t have to cut a slit in the back of it like I did with that one but I still had trouble getting it on and off. Out of all my masks, this was the one I sweated the most in. I was very hot wearing this. I did put baby talcum powder in it but it made no difference.

As mentioned above, the meaty blood I made (the night before) was a laugh because, oh boy, did it smell!

I used fake blood in a jug and added ripped-up cotton balls, green and red food colouring and washing-up liquid to get the colour and constancy of blood-stained chewed-up meat. I just couldn’t get it how I pictured it in my head.

I added more cotton wool and put it in the microwave (not shown) thinking the heat would help thicken it but that was a disaster. The whole lot overflowed and made my microwave look like a horror scene from a film!

I was either getting too light, or too dark by adding a bit of red and brown sauce to it, too watery or too thick, by adding shredded tissue to it. I added sweet pickle so the chunks in it would make it look like chunks of flesh. Eventually, I was sort of happy with what I had (and you can see in the photos of it in my mouth and hanging from it, it looked realistic) but as you can imagine it smelled very tangy indeed and it sure did make the car stink on the journey there and it was noticed by people at the party too. Still, it made the whole experience very memorable, ha ha.

The photos below were taken at my sister Julie’s house where I got ready and at my nephew Wayne’s house on the 30th of October, 2022.

My cool werewolf Halloween costume.

Complete with meat in my mouth and hanging from my fur.

My cool werewolf Halloween costume.

I had just got ready at Julie’s ready for the Halloween party.

My cool werewolf Halloween costume.

It is thirsty work being a werewolf and killing people, ha ha.

Me and my sister Julie.

Me and my great nephew Harley.

Making fake bloodied meat.

My cool werewolf Halloween mask.

The day after the Halloween party I washed my shirt and mask for keepsakes. The wolf looks like he has had a stroke, ha ha.

Later that day I went to a kid’s get-together. It wasn’t a Halloween party as such so I haven’t classed it as one.

Anyway, I wasn’t sure what to wear so I cobbled an outfit together. I went as a devil. I have had this mask for a long time. my gloves were from my 2017 outfit and my cloak from the 2019 one. I already had the shrunken head (again from a long time ago as part of my horror collection). This devil liked to shrink people’s heads, chop them off and keep them as souvenirs.

There’s that great imagination again!

The photos below were taken at my sister Julie’s house where I got ready on the 31st of October, 2022.

My devil Halloween costume.

Blog Posts

Halloween Photos (Part 1).

Halloween Photos (Part 2).

Halloween Photos (Part 4).

Notes And Links

This page contains links that send you to Wikipedia and is subject to change.

The image shown above of a carved pumpkin is the copyright of Wikipedia user Toby Ord. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.5 ).

The images above are copyright of Frank Parker unless stated.

The images above of me and my great nephew Billy, my cool werewolf Halloween costume and my sister Julie, and my great nephew Harley are copyright of Julie Shingler.

Creative Commons – Official website. They offer better sharing, advancing universal access to knowledge and culture, and fostering creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

Halloween Photos (Part 2)

Below are photos of Halloween celebrations of me and my family over the years.

The quality of some of these photos is not the greatest but I have tried to enhance them the best I can but they are worth reminiscing about on here regardless.

2019

This was my third Halloween party and I wore my cool Nosferatu Halloween costume. Like the previous years, the quality of the Count Orlok mask was nothing like in the photo from the place I ordered it from but I wasn’t unhappy about it because it was very close and I enjoyed wearing it. It has been my second favourite Halloween costume since I started wearing them.

I ordered myself some false nails (slightly exaggerated to give my fingers a more bony, scary look), a cloak to wear with it and I wore a black shirt, black trousers and black shoes to try and get the old-fashioned look to it all.

The mask was bloody tight! I had to cut a slit in the back of it and I still had trouble getting it on and off. I couldn’t wear my glasses underneath which annoys me as it means I can’t see much, especially when it gets dark. It was tighter around my left eye and caused my eye to open more but this added to the scary look, ha ha.

The photos below was taken at my sister Julie’s house where I got ready and at my niece Faye’s house (where the party was) on the 26th of September, 2019.

You can watch the classic 1922 silent film classic Nosferatu below.

My very cool Nosferatu mask.

After I got ready for the Halloween party, and had this photo taken on my phone, I noticed (as you can see here) that the nail from my right-hand thumb was missing and I had white make up on my shirt. That was annoying as it spoiled the photo a bit for me.

My great niece Lucy helped me look everywhere for it (bless her) and I eventually found it in the bathroom where I got ready.

Me (minus a nail on my thumb) and my sister Julie in our Halloween costumes.

My very cool Nosferatu Halloween costume.

Me and my sisters Cathy and Julie in our Halloween costumes.

Me, my sister Cathy and my niece Joanne in our Halloween costumes.

Me and my niece Joanne in our Halloween costumes.

My very cool Nosferatu Halloween costume.

Me and my sister Yvonne in our Halloween costumes.

Nosferatu 1922 Silent Film In Full

The 1922 silent film Nosferatu or to give its full title, Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror. It starred Max Schreck as Count Orlok.

The scene where Nosferatu’s shadow goes up the stairway is a classic scene and it scared me when I was very young. I never watched all of the film until I was older.

2020

There was no Halloween party this year thanks to COVID (the less I say about a lot of bull shit regarding this the better. That’s a topic for another day). Me and my sisters, Julie, Cathy and Yvonne did a video call so I never bothered with a full Halloween costume, just this crap demon ripping through a face mask and a bloody t-shirt. As ever quality of the mask was nothing like in the photo from the place I ordered it from and this was the most I had ever been unhappy I had ever been because it was nothing like what I thought I was going to get. I wasn’t surprised though due to experience but I didnt think it was going to be this bad. I added blood to it to try and make it look better but I never enjoyed wearing it one bit and was glad to take it off after the call. It was my worst Halloween costume since I started wearing them.

The mask wasn’t too tight like my mask from the year before and I didn’t have to cut a slit in the back of it like that one. I could wear my glasses underneath this one which was pleasing.

The photo below was taken at my house on Halloween, 2019.

2021

This was my fourth Halloween party and I wore my cool Freddy Krueger costume. Like the previous years, the quality of the mask was nothing like in the photo from the place I ordered it from but I wasn’t unhappy about it because it was very close and I enjoyed wearing it. It was my third favourite Halloween costume since I started wearing Halloween costumes.

I ordered myself a hat to wear with it and I wore Freddy’s famous stripey jumper and gloves, black trousers and black shoes to try and get the full A Nightmare On Elm Street look. The film starred Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger.

The was another tight mask meaning I couldn’t wear my glasses underneath again or my hearing aids making it hard to see (especially in the dark) and hear. However, it was not as tight as two years ago and I didn’t have to cut a slit in the back of it like I did with that one but I still had trouble getting it on and off. At least this one didn’t hurt my left eye, ha ha.

The photos below were taken at my sister Julie’s house where I also got ready on the 30th of September, 2019.

My cool Freddy Krueger mask.

My cool Freddy Krueger Halloween costume.

My cool Freddy Krueger mask.

Me, my niece Joanne, great nephew Archie and brother-in-law Ken.

My cool Freddy Krueger Halloween costume.

Even Freddy needs to check his phone now and then, ha ha.

Me and my sister Julie.

Whatever I said it made Julie laugh out load, ha ha.

Blog Posts

Halloween Photos (Part 1).

Halloween Photos (Part 3).

Halloween Photos (Part 4).

Notes And Links

This page contains links that send you to Wikipedia and is subject to change.

The image shown above of a carved pumpkin is the copyright of Wikipedia user Toby Ord. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.5 ).

The images above are copyright of Frank Parker unless stated.

The images above of me in my cool Freddy Krueger Halloween costume and of me, my niece Joanne, great nephew Archie and brother-in-law Ken are copyright of Julie Shingler.

The images above of me and my sister Julie are unknown because I can’t remember who took them?!

Creative Commons – Official website. They offer better sharing, advancing universal access to knowledge and culture, and fostering creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

The 1922 silent film Nosferatu is in the public domain.

Halloween Photos (Part 1)

Growing up in England from a child to a teenager in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s, Halloween was an American thing you saw on the telly. There was no dressing up and trick-or-treating, not in my family home anyway. Even when my kids were younger I never really bothered much about Halloween. It was just all too American for me and just liked the English traditions I was brought up with. They had fun wearing masks, bobbing for apples etc. but we never went out dressed up knocking on people’s doors. in fact, I don’t recall ever seeing anyone else do it either.

Below are photos of Halloween celebrations of me and my family over the years.

The quality of some of these photos is not the greatest but I have tried to enhance them the best I can but they are worth reminiscing about on here regardless.

1990’s

Happy times from back in the day.

I don’t know the exact date unfortunately of the following photos but it was in the 90’s.

My lovely son Frank Jnr and lovely daughter Debbie bobbing for apples.

Frank Jnr and Debbie wearing Halloween masks.

2017

The costume I wore this year was meant to be a zombie in grey clothes but it looked nothing like the photo I ordered it from. Needless to say, I was not happy with it but I wore it anyway. It wasn’t a full over-the-head mask so the only good thing about it was it wasn’t tight and I could wear my glasses underneath it which is good because it helps me see better, especially when it gets dark.

Sadly I don’t have any other photos of it but I took it all to show Mom what I was wearing for the Halloween party at my sister Julie’s house that was in early November.

This was the first Halloween party I had ever been invited to.

This photo was taken at my mom’s bungalow on the 17th of October, 2017.

My lovely mom wearing the mask from my Halloween costume.

This wonderful photo of Mom’s fantastic smile was taken on the 3rd of November, 2017.

Mom wearing her Halloween costume at a 2017 Halloween party.

Fireworks taken on the 3rd of November, 2017.

Fireworks at a 2017 Halloween party.

Tyler loved watching the fireworks.

My lovely grandson Tyler enjoyed the fireworks with his auntie Julie, his daddy and auntie Cathy at a 2017 Halloween party.

Tyler enjoyed the fireworks with his auntie Julie at a 2017 Halloween party.

Tyler enjoyed the fireworks with his auntie Cathy at a 2017 Halloween party.

Tyler enjoyed the fireworks at a 2017 Halloween party.

2018

This is my scary pumpkin man Halloween costume and, like the previous year, the quality of it was nothing like in the photo from the place I ordered it from. Again I wasn’t happy about that but it was close so I felt OK wearing it and, due to it not being a full over-the-head mask again, it wasn’t tight and I could wear my glasses underneath it again which is as good as ever because it helps me see better, especially when it gets dark.

I wore it with black trousers and used a severed hand prop (not shown) to complete the scary look to it all.

This was my second Halloween party but sadly I have no photos from it.

The photos below were taken at my house on the 27th of September, 2018 before we went to the Halloween party at my niece Joanne’s house.

My lovely granddaughter Kasey and me wearing our Halloween costumes before a 2018 Halloween party.

Kasey proudly showed off her Halloween costume and bag before a 2018 Halloween party.

Kasey was very pleased with her Halloween nails before a 2018 Halloween party.

Kasey loved stopping at mine over the Halloween holiday in 2018.

The photos below were taken on Halloween, 2018.

Kasey loved her Build-A-Bear wig and her visit to McDonald’s.

My lovely Dog Rosie looks like Donald Trump below, ha ha.

Rosie joined in with the Halloween holiday fun in 2018 wearing Kasey’s Build-A-Bear wig.

Blog Posts

Halloween Photos (Part 2).

Halloween Photos (Part 3).

Halloween Photos (Part 4).

Notes And Links

This page contains a link that sends you to Wikipedia and is subject to change.

The image shown above of a carved pumpkin is the copyright of Wikipedia user Toby Ord. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.5 ).

The images above are copyright of Frank Parker.

Creative Commons – Official website. They offer better sharing, advancing universal access to knowledge and culture, and fostering creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth Photos (Part 2)

On Monday the 11th of September, 2023, I visited the Old Crown in High Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, for the first time in my life, as part of Birmingham Heritage Week.

Being a Brummie, born and bred, I have passed this pub a lot of times, especially as I got older and I always wondered what it would be like inside. Although as an adult I could have popped in at any time I never got around to it until now. I am pleased I saw, as part of Heritage Week, that this Medieval pub was presenting an exhibition on the 655-year history of Birmingham’s oldest pub. It included never-before-seen photos and illustrations of the Grade-II* listed venue, as well as giving away a booklet by Carl Chinn.

I couldn’t really look around and appreciate how historic it is as much as I would have liked and take better shots inside of the old features because it was packed (and noisy) but I managed to take some decent enough photos to share. Sadly, and bloody annoyingly, 19 photos didn’t turn out at all. It had been a long day for me, coming from Edgbaston after doing a lot of walking around Cannon Hill Park (also another Heritage Week event) and it was a very hot day so my phone was heating up, on charge and playing up by now so that would explain that mystery. It is just my usual bad luck but that’s a subject for another day!

I would have liked to have taken better ones outside too but there are seemingly never-ending roadworks going on and fences everywhere so the options to take decent photos, including crossing to the other side which is completely blocked off, makes it all very restricting indeed.

As someone who battles mental health problems daily, it wasn’t easy being there on my own and my anxiety was very high but it is a nice pub to go to and I am glad I went. I hope to take some better photos one day, however, at £5.50 for a pint of lager shandy, I won’t be going there that often!

The Old Crown In Digbeth Photos (Part 2)

The interior of The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

The Old Crown well in The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

The History of The Old Crown sign in The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

History of The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

Blog Posts

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth.

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth, Birmingham Photos (Part 1).

Notes And Links

The Old Crown – Official website.

The Old Crown on Facebook.

The Old Crown on Twitter.

The Old Crown on Instagram.

The Old Crown on YouTube.

Go To Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth

Go To Local History

Back To Homepage

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth Photos (Part 1)

On Monday the 11th of September, 2023, I visited the Old Crown in High Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, for the first time in my life, as part of Birmingham Heritage Week.

The Old Crown In Digbeth Photos (Part 1)

Looking towards the side of The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

Looking towards The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

Looking towards the side of The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

The Old Crown sign at The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

The interior of The Old Crown in Digbeth. Taken on 09/09/23.

Blog Posts

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth.

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth, Birmingham Photos (Part 2).

Notes And Links

The Old Crown – Official website.

The Old Crown on Facebook.

The Old Crown on Twitter.

The Old Crown on Instagram.

The Old Crown on YouTube.

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth

On Monday the 11th of September, 2023, I visited the Old Crown in High Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, for the first time in my life, as part of Birmingham Heritage Week. The pub was celebrating its 165th birthday over the weekend.

Photos Of The Old Crown, Digbeth

Click here to see photographic memories of my time there.

About The Old Crown, Digbeth

The Old Crown pub is in Deritend and is a Grade II* listed building retaining its black and white timber frame. Almost all of the present building dates from the early 16th century.

The Old Crown is Birmingham’s oldest secular building and has existed since 1368.

It is Birmingham’s oldest inn with Queen Elizabeth I staying here in 1575 on her way home from Kenilworth Castle.

Rooms are individually decorated with a mix of en-suite and shared bathrooms. Facilities include TV, tea and coffee, towels and free wifi.

The pub has a restaurant and there are various local eateries a short walk away and award-winning purveyors of street food, Digbeth Dining Club, takes place just two minutes away. The Old Crown is situated a 10-minute walk from the city centre and has many local attractions within easy reach.

Having stood the test of time during the English Civil War the pub & events garden now stands proud in the heart of Digbeth, Birmingham’s thriving creative quarter.

History Of The Old Crown

It is believed the building was constructed between 1450 and 1500 with some evidence dating to 1492 (the same year the Saracen’s Head in nearby Kings Norton was completed). John Leland visited the town during his tours of England and Wales upon entering Birmingham, in 1538 noted the building, as a “mansion house of tymber”. It is thought to have been originally built as the Guildhall and School of St. John, Deritend. This Guild owned a number of other buildings throughout Warwickshire, including the Guildhall in Henley in Arden. The building was purchased in 1589, by John Dyckson, alias Bayleys who, in the 1580’s, had been buying a number of properties and lands in Deritend and in Bordesley.

Described as a tenement and garden, running alongside Heath Mill Lane, the building remained in the Dixon alias Baylis (later Dixon) family for the next hundred years.

In the original deed, John Dyckson is described as a Caryer, which in the West Midlands at this time, when roads were nothing more than hollow-ways and bridle paths, implied that he owned several trains of pack-horses. These would have needed stabling, and Dixon would have needed warehouse space to store goods awaiting dispatch and arrived goods awaiting collection. Such facilities would be useful to other travellers, and it may well be that the use of the house as an Inn, dates from this time. Indeed, since England was in the grip of a patriotic pother over the failed Armada the previous year, it would have been opportune to adopt the name The Crown. However, the earliest documentary evidence of the building’s use as an Inn is from 1626. In a marriage settlement dated the 21st of December, 1666 it was noted by the sign of the Crowne

Heated skirmishes were fought around the building when Prince Rupert’s forces raided Birmingham during the English Civil War.

The building was converted into two houses in 1684 and then converted into three houses in 1693. It remained three houses until the 19th century. In 1851, Joshua Toulmin Smith saved the Old Crown from demolition when the Corporation proposed demolishing the building in order to improve the street. Again in 1856 and 1862, the Corporation proposed to demolish the building and Smith saved the building each time.

In 1991 a local pub company owned by the Brennan family bought the Old Crown. In the summer of 1994, Pat Brennan and his youngest son, Peter, were doing repairs and clearing out the old sheds to the rear of the property when they found the old well, which had been closed off for more than 100 years. Now restored, it is situated at the rear entrance of the pub. At the end of May 1998, under the guidance of Pat and Ellen Brennan and their sons Patrick, Gary and Peter, after the family’s £2 million investment into Birmingham’s most famous hostelry, The Old Crown was restored to its former glory and reopened.

The History of The Old Crown sign inside the pub.

Looking towards The Old Crown, Digbeth, Birmingham. Taken on 09/09/23.

The Old Crown in 2006.

Construction Of The Old Crown

The building is 71 feet, 4 inches (21.74 meters) wide and 20 feet, 2 inches (6.15 meters) deep on the ground floor. On the first floor, which overhangs the front, it is 21 feet, 9 inches (6.63 meters) deep. When built, the original building had a central hall with a length of 40 feet (12 meters) and a width of 20 feet (6 meters). Below this were a number of arched cellars. On the upper floor were just four rooms. The building had a courtyard to its rear which contained a well. It was 26 feet (8 meters) deep and surrounded by large stones. The well was excavated and deepened to produce a total depth of 38 feet (12 meters). The new section of the well was lined with square bricks. At the top, it was 2 feet 7 inches, (787.4 millimetres) at its narrowest diameter and 2 feet, 9 in (838.2 millimetres) at its widest diameter. It widened to around 4 feet (1.2 meters) at the bottom. The well was cleaned in 1863 and Smith added an iron gate to the top of it to preserve it whilst keeping it accessible.

The Old Crown well. Taken on 09/09/23.

Read more about The Old Crown here.

The above article is sourced from The Old Crown website in the About The Old Crown section. The rest is from Wikipedia and is subject to change.

Opening Times

Monday to Thursday: 12:00 p.m. to 23:30 p.m.

Food service until 9:00 p.m.

Friday to Saturday: 12:00 p.m. to 0:30 a.m.

Food service until 9:00 p.m.

Sunday: 12:00 p.m. to 23:00 p.m.

Food service until 5:45 p.m.

Bookings

The Old Crown, winner of the Best Traditional Pub at the 2019 Midland Food and Drink Hospitality Awards, has 10 bedrooms and 1 apartment available to book.

Bookings are not compulsory but highly recommended, especially for weekends, due to how busy they are. They always hold some space for walk-ins, so please feel free to come down even if your preferred date is full, and they will do their best to seat you.

Some dates will show as unavailable in their booking calendar due to events that are yet to be released.

Although they do not have on-site parking, there are a number of local car parks (2 located on the High Street, visible from the hotel), feel free to enquire with them for more details or directions.

To book a room or send them an enquiry via e-mail click here.

Address

High St

Deritend

Birmingham

B12 0LD

Telephone

0121 248 1368.

E-Mail

info@theoldcrown.com

Blog Posts

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth, Birmingham Photos (Part 1).

Birmingham: The Old Crown In Digbeth, Birmingham Photos (Part 2).

Links

Images on this page of The Old Crown are the copyright of Frank Parker unless otherwise stated.

The image above of The Old Crown in 2006 is the copyright of Wikipedia user Oosoom. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0).

The Old Crown – Official website.

The Old Crown on Facebook.

The Old Crown on Twitter.

The Old Crown on Instagram.

The Old Crown on YouTube.

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