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Leach Green Lane, BIRMINGHAM, B45 8DR

Leach Green Lane runs at two levels here; I'm standing on the pavement beside the upper level, with the cars parked below me.

A public house well known to everyone who travelled to the Lickeys for a day out on the tram. Now run by Ember Inns, part of the M&B Group.

Lickey Road here is a dual carriageway. Opposite the no right turn sign is a sign saying Welcome to Birmingham. Just south of here is the boundary between the City of Birmingham and the Parish of Cofton Hackett, part of Bromsgrove District. In between the two carriageways of the road is a grassed reservation, which today has many trees growing in it. This originally carried a double track tramway, which terminated a short way south of this view. It carried vast numbers of visitors to the Rednal terminus, which was convenient for the nearby Lickey Hills. The tramway was a late extension to Birmingham's original tramway system and a rare example of a tramway replacing a motor bus service. It opened in 1924, closed in July 1952 and was replaced by a motor bus service.

Taken in August 1971, this photo shows a Daimler Fleetline bus at Rednal terminus on route 62, the vehicle being operated by West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive. However, the notice to the left of the bus says "Reserved for Birmingham City Transport buses only", which operated this bus service from Sunday 6th July 1952 until Tuesday 30th September 1969 when the WMPTE took over. Previously, it was tram route 70 via Bristol Road from the 14th April 1924 until Saturday 5th July 1952. National Express West Midlands now operates this route as X62 to Rubery nearby, this location no longer being used as a bus terminus. The Lickey Hills can be seen behind this vehicle.

The sign is on top of a concrete pillar outside the pub. Image

A popular pub which is part of the Ember Inns chain. Many decades ago it was much used by people visiting the Lickey Hills, who came by tram to the nearby Rednal terminus. Today the hills have less visitors, and they mainly come by car. To compensate, the pub has less competition as a number of pubs in the vicinity, who received much of their trade from visitors to the hills, have long closed. Image

All that remains of the original tram track that took Brummies from the City centre to the Lickey Hills.