A historic former Birmingham pub that was once part of Dudley Road’s celebrated “Golden Mile” is being sold, giving a buyer the opportunity to restore, convert or redevelop a prominent local landmark.
The Old Windmill in Winson Green will be auctioned by Bond Wolfe next month with a guide price of £250,000-plus.
A 19th century former pub in Winson Green, Birmingham is being sold
The Old Windmill, at Old Windmill Hill, 84 Dudley Road, closed in January 2021 after trade was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is being sold on behalf of Birmingham City Council as a vacant freehold property, with completion subject to the auction terms.
Bond Wolfe chief executive Gurpreet Bassi said the building was the last surviving historic pub from Winson Green’s 19th-century “Golden Mile”, a stretch of Dudley Road that once had around 30 pubs.
“Sadly, trade was badly hit by the Covid outbreak, and it was forced to close,” he said. “But now there is a chance to bring this site back into positive use, with a number of options available, subject to planning permission.”
The pub’s history gives it particular local significance. It is believed to date back to 1856 and takes its name from a nearby windmill shown on an 1847 tithe map; Birmingham City Council has also agreed to add it to the city’s Local Heritage List.
What is for sale
The property occupies a prominent main-road position roughly two miles west of Birmingham city centre, on a site of about 0.12 acres, or 5,393 sq ft.
It includes adjoining land and a car park, with frontage onto Dudley Road, a busy route linking the city centre with the western suburbs.
The building spans three floors and includes a bar, restaurant or reception area, kitchen, function room and four bedrooms or offices. Refurbishment is required throughout, while the sale also includes adjoining land and a car park.
The property is being offered freehold with vacant possession on completion. It has existing A3, A4 and A5 use-class rights, broadly covering food and drink, drinking establishments and hot-food takeaway uses, although any alternative scheme would require the relevant planning permissions and consents.
A chance for renewal
The auction presents a potential turning point for a building that has stood vacant and boarded up for much of the past decade.
Its location opposite the former City Hospital site, alongside newer residential development, could make it attractive to buyers considering a mixed-use, residential or community-focused scheme provided planning and heritage considerations can be addressed.
Heritage campaigners have previously warned that the pub’s historic and townscape value makes its retention important.
The Victorian Society said the building reflects the development of the area and urged the council to work towards bringing it back into use rather than allowing it to deteriorate or be lost.
For Birmingham, the sale is more than a routine disposal of surplus land. It is an opportunity to decide whether one of the last physical links to Dudley Road’s pub-filled past can be given a sustainable future or whether another chapter in the area’s architectural and social history disappears.
