The Anchor Inn (now just 'The Anchor') is one of the oldest public houses in Digbeth, Birmingham, England, dating back to 1797. The current building was constructed in 1901 to a design by James and Lister Lea for the Holt Brewery Company. The terracotta on the façade is believed to have come from the Hathern Station Brick and Terracotta Company of Loughborough.
On 10 December 1991 the building was designated Grade II listed building status, along with other nearby pubs such as the White Swan. The pub won the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) award of 'Regional Pub of the Year' in 1996/7, 1998/9, 2003/4 and again 2007/8. The pub was taken over by Julian Rose-Gibbs in 2016, after being in the hands of the Keane family who ran it for 43 years. It closed in June 2025 due to financial constraints, but is set to reopen at the end of October, under Peter Connolly, owner of Nortons Digbeth, a nearby music venue.
Licensees NameTenureJohn Bancroft1797–1807Samuel Oakley1807–1807 Richard Hadden1807–1815Samuel Tidmas1815–1822Elizabeth Tidmas1822–1823 Thomas Tidmas1823–1828Josiah Cox1828–1835 Benjamin Hunt1835–1838Henry Peake1838–1848Benjamin Palmer1848–1867Thomas Burton1868–1888Thomas Joseph Davies1888–1892Jane Ainge1892–1895Edward Charles Spall1895–1899Albert Jeffs1899–1901George Edwin Benwell1901–1903Richard Sutton1903–1904Frank Steans1904–1905Joseph Huddleston1905–1911Albert Simmonds1911–1913Joseph Finnemore1913–1916Kate Finnemore1916–1919Joseph Finnemore1919–1932Frederick James Shaw1932–1942Thomas Chell1942–1953John Henry Wade1953–1954William Henry Lee1954–1958Reginald S. Brown1958–1960Anthony P. Kaine1960–1963Horace Masters1963–1965George V. Godwin1965–1970Finiane Gargan1970–1971Norman J. Egan1971–1972William B. McKenna1972–1973Thomas Gerard Keane1973–1983Gerard Keane1983–2016Julian Rose-Gibbs2016–2025Peter Connolly2025-
References
External links
Detailed history of this Public House