The Britannia Public House

The Britannia Public House is a large public house dating from 1898 to 1900, designed by Wood & Kendrick for Mitchells & Butlers Ltd. It is a good example of an ambitious turn-of-the-century Birmingham public house with an impressive facade and rich tiled interior.

The building exhibits an eclectic Jacobean Renaissance style. The front of the building is arranged with a 1:2:2:2:1 bay arrangement, where the central six bays project forward in a wide, canted bay. The ground floor is faced with brown glazed brick with inset panels of embossed tiles in the base course. A large elliptical wooden traceried window with leaded panes containing original glass is prominent. The doorways feature overlights with etched glass displaying the name 'Britannia'. Terracotta balustrades with large brackets and urn finials adorn the first floor. Straight-headed windows with transoms are on the first floor, with a two-light centre window featuring pilasters and a pediment. The second floor has an arcade of round-headed windows with keyblocks and nook shafts. A terracotta balustrade sits above this, leading to an attic window in the centre, finished with a truncated gable surmounted by a seated figure of Britannia.

Inside, the public bar, passage, and staircase have walls entirely covered in tiles. The brown tile dado features vertical strips of pale blue-grey embossed tiles depicting flowers emerging from pots, a design by Lewis F. Day and made by Maw & Co. of Jackfield. Above this are pale brown tiles with stylised foliage, a frieze of grey-blue and brown tiles with stylised foliage patterns. The original bar back includes etched glass mirrors and is separated from the passage by a glazed wooden screen, incorporating a doorway. A mosaic floor is present in the passage near the stairs. A door to the back room has etched glass showing Britannia and the words ‘Smoking Room’. The Smoke Room contains a black and white marble chimneypiece and bell-pushes. The staircase features moulded balusters, large newels, and finials. A meeting room upstairs contains original fixed seating; a central seat with armrests was provided for the chairman of meetings of the Royal Ancient Order of Buffaloes.

The building initially began as the Aston Hall Tavern in 1867 but was renamed The Britannia in 1872. It was bought by Henry Mitchell & Co. in 1896, who obtained a 99-year lease and agreed to rebuild within ten years. The building was subsequently rebuilt by Mitchells & Butlers in 1899–1900.