Black Country Living Museum is calling out for donations of furnishings and objects to set dress the recreation of a once-treasured pub – The Elephant & Castle.

As part of their brand-new Forging Ahead development, the museum are recreating The Elephant & Castle pub, which will be set in the 1960s.

Built in 1905, the Elephant & Castle was once a grand Edwardian pub on the corner of Stafford Street and Cannock Road, and a magnificent landmark for those coming into Wolverhampton. In 1910 it became part of the Banks’s estate who were rapidly becoming one of the largest breweries in the Midlands. Typical of its era, it had a public bar for the working class and for the middle class it had a separate smoking room with slightly higher prices.

The pub’s clientele was known to be diverse, with Wolverhampton being home to many thousands of Irish immigrants during the 19th century. After World War Two, both the Irish and Commonwealth citizens from India, Pakistan and the Caribbean could be found enjoying a drink in the Elephant & Castle.

The pub’s sad decline in later years was capped by its unexpected demolition in 2001 – shortly before it could be considered for listing.

The recreation of this popular building is now almost complete. Its famous landmark Elephant statue, which once stood prominent on the exterior of the pub, is being skilfully reproduced by local company A Studio. Local heritage craftsmen at Craven Dunhill are working on the beautiful decorative tiles for the exterior, however, its interior is still looking bare.

To complete the pub’s journey back to its former glory, the museum are asking for your help to fill the rooms with furniture and items that would have traditionally been there in the 1960s. 

The collections team are interested in bar items from the 1960s specifically: wooden tables and dark mahogany spindle back chairs, beer, wines and spirits bottles and promotional glasses. To help set dress the walls and tables, they are also looking for promotional materials such as wall plaques, mirrors, coasters and in particular, items that were marketed to women such as Babycham, Cherry B and Golden Godwin. 

If you think that you could help with any of the above items, please get in touch with the team at collections@bclm.com or call 0121 557 9643.