Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee has formally agreed to add The Old Windmill, a long-closed pub on Dudley Road in Winson Green, to the city’s Local Heritage List. The decision, made on August 13, marks a significant step in recognising the building’s historical and townscape value, though it does not provide statutory protection.
The pub, which has been boarded over for much of the last decade, stands unoccupied opposite the former City Hospital. It is one of the last surviving remnants of what was once Birmingham’s ‘Golden Mile’ – a stretch of Dudley Road that served as the main route between Birmingham and the Black Country in the 19th century and was home to 30 public houses.
Five historic sites added to the list
Alongside The Old Windmill, the Planning Committee approved the addition of four other historic city sites to the Local Heritage List: Cherry Reds on John Bright Street, The Gazette Buildings on Corporation Street, the medieval moat and Yardley Ridge and Furrow Earthworks in Old Yardley Park, and The Electric Cinema.
The Electric Cinema, which closed in 2024, was the oldest working cinema in the UK before its closure. Councillor Deborah Harries, Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “It’s great to see such a variety of sites being added to Birmingham’s Local Heritage List, which reflect the city’s architectural, cultural, social and industrial history.”
Heritage status and its implications
Birmingham’s Local Heritage List now contains more than 400 sites. While this listing does not offer the same level of statutory protection as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s National Heritage List for England, the council states that it ensures a site’s significance becomes a material consideration in planning decisions that may affect it.
In 2021, Historic England assessed The Old Windmill and concluded that it was of local interest and illustrative of the historic development of City Road, but that it did not meet the threshold for statutory listing. The council, however, says the prominent landmark “possesses strong local, historic, communal and townscape value”.
History of The Old Windmill
The pub was originally built as a farmhouse in the mid-to-late 18th century. A tithe map from 1847 shows a nearby windmill from which the boozer took its name. Despite being closed since before the Covid pandemic of 2020, the building remains standing, surrounded by new-build flats and developments.
While the listing offers no certainty for the future of the pub, it provides fresh hope that it might be preserved in the neighbourhood for years to come. Councillor Harries added: “I’m especially pleased to see The Electric cinema being added to that list as, until it closed in 2024, it was the oldest working cinema in the UK so played a vital role in our city’s cultural heritage. Today’s decision further underlines the council’s commitment to recognising the significance of our city’s heritage.”
