{"id":201972,"date":"2025-06-21T07:35:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T07:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/201972\/"},"modified":"2025-06-21T07:35:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T07:35:12","slug":"first-look-at-birminghams-most-central-pub-gets-timely-facelift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/201972\/","title":{"rendered":"First look at Birmingham’s most central pub gets timely facelift"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Crown pub on Station Street in Birmingham has been given a facelift ahead of Black Sabbath’s final show on Saturday, July 5\"Jim(Image: Central BID)<\/p>\n

One of Birmingham’s most central pubs – ten steps from New Street Station – has been given a makeover.<\/p>\n

The Crown, famed for being the inaugural performance venue of Black Sabbath, has undergone a revamp ahead of the band’s final gig.<\/p>\n

While the pub remains closed, the Station Street venue has seen its graffiti-ridden exterior spruced up and the boarded-up windows replaced with images of Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi.<\/p>\n

The original band members will reunite for a final performance on Saturday, July 5, an event hailed as ‘the greatest heavy metal show ever’.<\/p>\n

Read more: Story behind two boarded-up shops in city centre<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The pub is owned by Japanese firm Toyoko Inns and has remained vacant for the past 11 years, despite campaigners advocating for the preservation of the now Grade II-listed establishment.<\/p>\n

While there have been no concrete plans to rejuvenate it during this period, an architect collaborating with the company did confirm to BirminghamLive on June 5 that transformation works would commence.<\/p>\n

Justin Risley, from Manchester-based architects Stephenson Hamilton Risley (SHR) Studio, confirmed that improvements to the facade would be completed in time for Black Sabbath’s final concert.<\/p>\n

This promise was fulfilled yesterday (Wednesday, June 18) when photographs supplied by Jim Simpson were installed in the pub’s windows.<\/p>\n

Jim Simpson, the promoter of Henry’s Blueshouse where Black Sabbath held their debut gig, also served as the band’s initial manager. He played a pivotal role in their early career, including suggesting the name change from ‘Earth’ in their formative years.<\/p>\n

The pub’s revamp was coordinated with Central BID, who confirmed that the refurbishment was financed by Toyoko Inns.<\/p>\n

Central BID is also responsible for the massive Black Sabbath mural currently under construction on Navigation Street.<\/p>\n

Additionally, they are collaborating with Birmingham<\/a> Museum and Art Gallery to curate a unique Ozzy Osbourne exhibition and an outdoor photography and artwork showcase, both slated to open next week.<\/p>\n

An estimated 200,000 visitors are anticipated in Birmingham during the weekend of Black Sabbath’s final show, with major events lined up in the realms of food, drink, sport, and music.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Crown on Station Street has had a Black Sabbath makeover(Image: Central BID)<\/p>\n

The Crown is expected to be one of the most photographed locations in the city that weekend, alongside the Black Sabbath bridge and Ozzy the bull at New Street Station.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, hospitality establishments across the city that remain open and flourishing will host heavy metal-themed events and live screenings to honour the genre’s founding fathers.<\/p>\n

The future of The Crown beyond its new facade remains uncertain.<\/p>\n

Justin Risley informed BirminghamLive that plans would be unveiled in due time, leaving those dedicated to preserving and celebrating Birmingham’s musical heritage eagerly awaiting updates.<\/p>\n

We’ll pass them along as soon as we receive them. Subscribe to our lifestyle newsletter, CityLife, so you don’t miss out when we do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Crown pub on Station Street in Birmingham has been given a facelift ahead of Black Sabbath’s final…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201973,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,983,10845,19160,748,393,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-201972","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-birmingham-city-centre","10":"tag-birmingham-pubs-and-bars","11":"tag-black-sabbath","12":"tag-britain","13":"tag-england","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114720206256871439","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}