Bartons Arms
Encyclopedia
The Bartons Arms is a pub in the High Street (part of the A34) in the Newtown
area of Aston
, Birmingham
, England
.
Built in 1901 by noted pub architects partnership James and Lister Lea
for Mitchells & Butlers
, it is a grade II* listed building, famous for its wall-to-wall Minton-Hollins tile
s and its snob screens, which allowed middle class
drinkers to see working class
drinkers in an adjacent bar, but not to be seen by them.
Laurel and Hardy
once stayed there, after appearing at the adjacent Aston Hippodrome
(now demolished, replaced by The Drum Arts Centre), and were photographed serving beer from behind the bar.
The pub features in the 1999 Atom Egoyan
Birmingham-set film Felicia's Journey
. It also features in the 2006 novel by Ron Dawson
, The Last Viking: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Heist; the gang of robbers meet in the pub.
It was purchased in 2002 by Oakham Ales
who restored the building to its former greatness. On 28 July 2006, the pub was damaged by fire, reportedly caused by an electrical fault.
During the 2011 England riots
, the pub was looted, windows were smashed, and fires started, albeit quickly doused by the manager, Wichai Thumjaron. Up to eight shots were fired at police who attended the incident.
Newtown, Birmingham
Newtown is an inner city area of Birmingham, England, to the north of the city centre. It is located in the Aston council ward, in the council constituency of Ladywood. The housing in the area is made up of a number of tower blocks, maisonettes and terraced houses.Newtown is centred around the busy...
area of Aston
Aston
Aston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Built in 1901 by noted pub architects partnership James and Lister Lea
James and Lister Lea
James and Lister Lea was an architectural and property consultancy firm active in the England between 1846 and 2001. Established by brothers James Lea and Lister Lea, the partnership was initially focussed only on architecture...
for Mitchells & Butlers
Mitchells & Butlers
Mitchells & Butlers plc runs around 2,000 managed pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the United Kingdom. The Company's headquarters is in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom...
, it is a grade II* listed building, famous for its wall-to-wall Minton-Hollins tile
Tile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
s and its snob screens, which allowed middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
drinkers to see working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
drinkers in an adjacent bar, but not to be seen by them.
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
once stayed there, after appearing at the adjacent Aston Hippodrome
Aston Hippodrome
The Aston Hippodrome , also known as The Hipp, was a popular theatre in the Aston area of Birmingham, England.It was opened to the public on December 7, 1908 after the completion of construction at a cost of £10,000...
(now demolished, replaced by The Drum Arts Centre), and were photographed serving beer from behind the bar.
The pub features in the 1999 Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
Birmingham-set film Felicia's Journey
Felicia's Journey
Felicia's Journey is a 1999 film starring Elaine Cassidy and Bob Hoskins, based on a prize winning 1994 novel by William Trevor. It was directed by Atom Egoyan...
. It also features in the 2006 novel by Ron Dawson
Ron Dawson
Dr. Ronald Leslie Dawson, . Special Educational Needs educator, psychologist, researcher and author. Author and co-author of numerous books and articles concerning the education of pupils with SEN...
, The Last Viking: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Heist; the gang of robbers meet in the pub.
It was purchased in 2002 by Oakham Ales
Oakham Ales
Oakham Ales is a brewery now based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England but first established in Oakham, Rutland. Its headquarters is the largest brewpub in Europe, The Brewery Tap.-Notes:2006...
who restored the building to its former greatness. On 28 July 2006, the pub was damaged by fire, reportedly caused by an electrical fault.
During the 2011 England riots
2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
, the pub was looted, windows were smashed, and fires started, albeit quickly doused by the manager, Wichai Thumjaron. Up to eight shots were fired at police who attended the incident.