Blog: a building site full of spirits

April 11th, 2013

Published on April 11, 2013

By Matt Wright

Today I visited a building site full of memories. The Church Inn in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter has been stripped and is about to be transformed into a buzzing new pub, and I was there to talk to the people behind the project.

Wandering around the bare pub was fascinating and slightly eerie – you can feel the history of the place stretching back over the decades – all the good times, the arguments, the Christmas parties, the fags smoked, the beers pulled…

There are some wonderful original features inside too, including stunning windows, a classic back bar, a door window saying ‘smoke room’ and a fabulous fireplace.

The Church Inn is one of Everards‘ latest ventures. They’ve bought the pub in partnership with Carl Finn, a creative 27-year-old Birmingham entrepreneur behind Soul Food Project, and a friend of Tom Baker who founded Loaf Community Bakery and Cookery School. Carl also runs the Secret Dining Society and a music business, among other things. He’s not your traditional pub licensee and has plenty of plans for the Church. Everards is keen to grow its presence in Birmingham and work with talented, energetic entrepreneurs like Carl.

Carl Finn (left) with Everards’ Mike Brown

At a time when there is so much negativity about pubs closing and pubcos milking them dry, it is uplifting to see that there is another side to the story. Carl is full of positivity and plans, and a pub that has seen better days being given a new lease of life by a very progressive pub company.

This is the start of an exciting new journey for the Church Inn, for its licensee and its owner.