“We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel or turn a Grade II listed masterpiece into a theme bar. The ethos from day one has been simple: The Anchor Digbeth — Just a Really Good Pub. Cold cellar, immaculate lines, six real-ale handpulls, the best pint of Guinness in Birmingham, and a warm welcome for everyone.”
The restored walled beer garden features bespoke hand-painted signage celebrating Digbeth’s timeless pub wit alongside covered timber booths, festoon lighting, and matchday screens.
Dedicated short-run pythons and a 12°C cold room deliver creamy, dome-headed pints of Guinness across both bars.
Honouring The Anchor’s three-time CAMRA Regional Pub of the Year pedigree with Attic Brew Co., Church End, GlassHouse, and Titanic Plum Porter.
Every beer line, remote cooler, and traditional swan-neck handpump was stripped and rebuilt during the ten-week autumn 2025 restoration.
Hundreds of Digbeth regulars, former Midland Red drivers, musicians, historians, and civic leaders packed the Grade II listed rooms on Halloween night 2025—welcomed by a ceremonial bagpiper, speeches from West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Prof. Carl Chinn MBE, and members of Birmingham reggae legends UB40.
Surrounded by family, bar team, and longtime regulars, custodian Peter Connolly paid tribute to the Kennedy and Keane families and pledged to keep The Anchor a fiercely independent community local.
A sea of freshly poured Guinness and real ale raised in salute as The Anchor officially reopened its doors at 5pm on Friday 31 October 2025.
A live piper led the ceremonial procession from Bradford Street into the packed public bar to herald the new chapter.
West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, city historian Prof. Carl Chinn MBE, and members of UB40—who filmed ‘Red Red Wine’ here in 1983—joined the celebrations.
Live acoustic musicians filled the saloon into the small hours, launching The Anchor’s weekly Sunday Folk & Trad residency.
Generations of Brummies returned to reclaim their favourite corners beneath the crimson walls and brass lamps.
Properly conditioned stout served in heavy branded tulip glassware—no gimmicks, just immaculate cellar craft.
“The Anchor is a fantastic heritage asset, a statement asset for Birmingham and the West Midlands. Seeing it restored and buzzing with life again is a triumph for Digbeth.”
“When UB40 filmed ‘Red Red Wine’ right here in 1983, The Anchor was the beating heart of Digbeth. Tonight proves that real pubs with real soul never go out of style.”
Explore regional newspaper reports, hospitality trade press, statutory heritage listings, and social history features documenting the £100,000 rescue and reopening of The Anchor Digbeth.
“One of Birmingham’s oldest and most cherished pubs has officially reopened its doors following a major £100,000 restoration. Custodian Peter Connolly and building owner Gerry Keane welcomed West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, historian Professor Carl Chinn, and members of UB40 to celebrate the revival of the 1793 Digbeth landmark.”
“The future of one of Birmingham’s most iconic Grade II listed pubs has been secured. Following a period of closure, Norton’s Digbeth owner Peter Connolly has stepped in as custodian of The Anchor on Bradford Street, pledging to preserve its Edwardian heritage, real ale pedigree, and community spirit.”
National drinks trade reporting examining the economic pressures facing Birmingham’s historic hospitality venues in 2025—and how independent operators are fighting to keep landmark wet-led community pubs like The Anchor thriving.
Professor Carl Chinn MBE traces the deep social history of Digbeth and Bradford Street as the heart of Birmingham’s Irish Quarter—where pubs like The Anchor served as community pillars for generations of builders, coach workers, and families.
Official statutory listing citation for 308 Bradford Street (James & Lister Lea, 1901): documenting the Hathern buff-red terracotta ground floor, curved keystones, leaded glazing, L-shaped mahogany bar counter, and Minton ceramic tilework.
Explore CAMRA’s official pub guide entry for The Anchor, Birmingham—documenting its unspoilt Edwardian multi-room interior, real ale credentials, and cultural legacy as the 1983 filming location for UB40’s ‘Red Red Wine’.
Before the first pint was poured on October 31, specialist tilers, French polishers, traditional signwriters, and cellar engineers spent ten weeks restoring 308 Bradford Street from cellar to roof.
Custodian Peter Connolly overseeing exterior masonry, roof drainage, and lantern restoration along Bradford Street and Rea Street.
Low-pressure conservation cleaning lifted decades of urban grime from the Hathern terracotta blocks and Victorian corridor mosaics.
New pythons, remote cooling equipment, and vintage stout founts were installed beneath the freshly French-polished 1901 counter.