Littleton Arms and adjacent buildings, Walsall. Desk-based Assessment and Building Recording

In August 2006, Birmingham Archaeology undertook a programme of archaeological desk based assessment and archaeological building recording at the Littleton Arms and adjacent buildings, Walsall, West Midlands (NGR SP 0151 9900) (SMR 6658). The work was commissioned by Norwest Holst Ltd. in order to fulfil a condition attached to planning permission to demolish the site in advance of continuing works on the Walsall Ring Road. A desk based assessment of all readily available published and unpublished documentary sources was carried out. The building recording work was carried out to a degree equivalent to the Royal Commission of Historical Monuments of England's Level 3 (RCHME 1996/English Heritage 2006). The Littleton Arms was constructed between 1851 and 1861 on former tithe land belonging to the Littleton/Hatherton families. It is a reasonably well-preserved example of an open fan shaped-in plan mid-Victorian public house on a corner site. It retains some interesting and appealing features such as a wooden pilastered shop/pub frontage, a U shaped bar counter, and segmental vaulted beer cellars. The adjacent buildings include a former brew house, a stable block, and a late 19th/ early 20th century commercial/residential premises. In addition, a level 1 building recording was carried out on Bridgeman House, Pleck Road, Walsall in advance of the same works.