The Woodman Pub is one of my favourite pubs in Birmingham because its history is so palpable, and it’s not too far from where I work! Walking into the red-brick building, you are immediately greeted with a sense of past, a sense of history, with the famous Curzon Street Station acting as a beautiful backdrop to its red-terracotta facade.

The Woodman was built in 1897 for Ansell’s Brewery, designed by James and Lister Lea. It was a corner pub with attached terraced housing running along Duddeston Row and New Canal Street, which has sadly since been demolished. In fact, many pubs were built on corners because they were often the showcase site for new properties, so prospective buyers could see what the rest of the homes would look like. Importantly, they also acted as a watering-hole for the workers constructing the new homes, a place where they could relax during lunchtime. And today, The Woodman still acts a watering-hole for the many people who work in the local area. If you haven’t been, it’s well worth a visit and is situated right next to the Rugby World Cup Fan Zone in Eastside Park, so you can kill two birds with one stone.