“Birthplace of heavy metal” Birmingham’s The Crown secures listed status
The historic Birmingham pub where Black Sabbath performed their first gig has secured listed status, following fears it may be knocked down.
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The Crown venue, also regarded by some as the “birthplace of heavy metal” was one of the buildings at risk on Station Street. It is based on the same street as the Electric – the UK’s oldest working cinema which was shut down last week.
Now, it has been listed as Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, helping to secure its future on the street.
The iconic space has been empty for 10 years now, and initially, Birmingham Open Media had planned to buy and restore the pub. That being said, in light of Birmingham Council’s funding crisis, the organisation lost its funding and faced competition from a developer wanting to use the site for housing.
The listed status comes after more than 15,000 people signed a petition, calling for the street to be saved and regarded as “a site of civic pride, cultural value and historic asset” (via The Guardian). The new status gives the venue more protection from re-development.
The venue has been on the street since 1881 and has played host to performances by some of the biggest names in rock. Not only did Black Sabbath famously play many of their first shows at the site, but it also saw acts including Thin Lizzy, The Who, Supertramp, Duran Duran, Status Quo and Judas Priest headline earlier in their careers.
“Cities all over the UK are protecting their musical heritage, Birmingham shouldn’t be left behind,” said Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi of the new listing. “The Crown has huge significance to us and many other successful acts. It was one of very few venues that supported the emerging rock scene with a blues club and was home to our first ever gig.”
Jez Collins, a music historian and founder of the Birmingham Music Archive, shared a similar sentiment too, adding that the Crown “holds a special place internationally for the music industry” (via Guardian). He added: “But we need more. We need to ensure the Crown reopens, we need to bring it back to life as a cultural venue, a music venue and a place people will want to visit.”
Concerns that the historic site would be facing closure come following the Music Venue Trust (MVT) confirming that 2023 was the “worst year for venue closures” in the UK.
It also came after reports emerged that the UK was set to lose 10 per cent of its grassroots music venues in 2023, and that grassroots gig spaces in the UK were “going over a cliff” without urgent government action and investment from new large arenas.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
