THEN & NOW on the Outer Circle – stage 17 | Outer Circle Bus

As we go up Stechford Lane to the Fox & Goose, behind the houses on the right is Stechford Hall Park. At one time, in the centre of the land occupied by the park, stood Stechford Hall, which had its main entrance off Coleshill Road. However, Stechford Hall has been demolished and there are no traces of the building in the park. Indeed, I’ve not yet found any photographs of Stechford Hall.

As we reach the top of the hill, at the junction with Washwood Heath Road & Coleshill Road, on the right we will see a grey box which contains a supermarket and a gym. This was the site of the magnificent one and a half thousand seat Beaufort Cinema that opened in 1929. The Beaufort apparently boasted one of the finest cinema organs in the country, an eight octave Compton that was moved to EMI’s Abbey Road studios in London. The cinema closed 50 years later.

On the diagonally opposite corner of the junction is the Fox and Goose pub which gives this location its name. From 1680-1760 the pub stood here called the Golden Cross. The original building had stables at the rear, which suffered a fire in 1913. It was demolished and re-built in 1914. It survives and still operates as a pub and restaurant. This is a recent quote from tripeadvisor: “… friendly staff not a bad meal for £2.00 I can recommend the home maid steak pie…” (sic)

The number 10 tram route was extended to the Fox and Goose on 20th Dec 1913, and the terminus was right outside the pub. The route was closed in 1950.

Shops at the foot of Stechford Lane, near to the junction with Stechford Road – 1950

Shops at the foot of Stechford Lane, near to the junction with Stechford Road – 2018

Stechford Hall, Bulls Head and Fox & Goose – OS map 1921

Stechford Hall Park – looking from the north from above where the entrance gate was next to the supermarket (bottom centre) – 2019

Fox and Goose from Coleshill Road post 1953

Fox and Goose from Colehill Road – c1930s

View of the Fox and Goose tram terminus and pub from the Beaufort cinema with a policeman on point duty at the cross roads – probably taken around 1930

Dowson’s Corner – opposite the Fox and Goose on Washwood Heath Road – 1950s

Close up of Dawson’s in 1959 – with a milk vending machine outside!

“Dawson’s Corner” – now an American Diner – October 2018

Fox and Goose on the left from Washwood Heath Road – 1930s. the tram is on route 10 and is standing at the terminus. Note that the junction beyond the tram is a crossroads, often controlled by a policeman on point duty

Fox and Goose tram terminus, in Washwood Heath Road outside the Fox and Goose. Probably around 1950 – note that the junction has by now got a roundabout

Aerial view of the Fox and Goose junction around 1950 after the roundabout was built and before the trams stopped running. Probably taken from the Beaufort cinema. I think that’s a council dustcart parked by the pub (dustmen nipped in for a quick pint)!