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The Anchor Digbeth · Est. 1793
← All Events & Trad Sessions The Anchor Digbeth · 308 Bradford Street, B5 6ET
Birthday Week • Mon 26 Oct

Mon 26 Oct • Doors 7:00 PM • Main Bar

Carl Chinn: Round About the Bull Ring

Friend of the pub, and Professor of all things Birmingham, Prof. Carl Chinn hosts a signature event from behind the bar! An illustrated talk exploring the Bull Ring markets since 1166, Digbeth, Deritend, Bradford Street, and the history of The Anchor.

Ticketed • £10 + Booking Fee
Carl Chinn: Round About the Bull Ring
Mon 26 Oct • Doors 7:00 PM · Main Bar

Grade II Listed 1901 Terracotta Public House · Corner of Bradford & Rea Street, Digbeth.

Event Dispatch & Lineup

About the Night & Running Order

Friend of the pub, and Professor of all things Birmingham, Prof. Carl Chinn hosts a signature event from behind the bar!

If Birmingham had a heart, then it would be the Bull Ring. The site of the markets since 1166, it was because of those markets that traders and smiths flocked to the town. And it was they who laid the firm foundations for Birmingham to launch itself on to the world stage in the Industrial Revolution as the Workshop of the World, the City of a 1000 Trades.

But why did the markets have such a tremendous effect? What was there before them? Why are they where they are? What do the names Bull Ring, Digbeth and Deritend mean? How did they develop? For what reason is there a Bradford Street when Birmingham is a long way from the Yorkshire city? And what is the history of the Anchor pub on the corner of Bradford Street and Rea Street? These and other historical questions will be answered by Carl Chinn in his illustrated talk, ‘Round About the Bull Ring’.

The Markets Since 1166

Est. 1166

Why did the Bull Ring markets have such a tremendous effect, what stood there before them, and why are they sited where they are?

City of a 1000 Trades

Workshop of the World

How traders and smiths flocking to the Bull Ring laid the firm foundations for Birmingham to launch itself onto the world stage in the Industrial Revolution.

Bull Ring, Digbeth & Deritend

Origins of Birmingham

What do the historic names Bull Ring, Digbeth, and Deritend actually mean, and how did these ancient Birmingham quarters develop?

Bradford St & The Anchor

308 Bradford St

Why is there a Bradford Street so far from the Yorkshire city, and what is the history of The Anchor pub on the corner of Bradford Street and Rea Street?

About the Speaker · Professor Carl Chinn MBE
Professor Carl Chinn MBE is a social historian, teacher and writer. He is the author of 36 books, many on Birmingham and the Black Country, and of the Sunday Times number one bestseller, Peaky Blinders. The Real Story (2019). His latest book is Peaky Blinders. The Real Gangs and Gangsters. The true story of Britain’s most notorious street gangs (Blink Publishing, 2025).
Social Historian, Teacher & Writer · Author of 36 Books · Hosted From Behind the Bar at The Anchor
“Walk-ins are always warmly welcomed at the bar. For groups of 6 or more wishing to reserve seating in The Snug, The Galway Room, or the Beer Garden, simply RSVP below or ring the bar directly.”
House Policy · 18+ After 9:00 PM · Six Rotating Cask Lines · Dogs Welcome
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