Historic Telford boozer to reopen in time for Jubilee

Former binman Shane Rutherford, aged 55, and his licensee wife, Tammy, are taking over the Bull's Head in Wrockwardine Wood, Telford.

They they plan to officially reopen on Thursday in time for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Tammy, a teaching assistant at Wrockwardine Wood Junior School in Trench specialising in work with pupils with special educational needs and behavioural disorders, said they have decided to return to work behind a bar.

The couple previously ran The Duke of York in Trench but decided to hang up the towels on the pumps when the pub trade hit a decline.

Shane returned to his former job as a binman and Tammy trained for work in a school, and plans to continue in this role.

However, they both missed their customers, the banter and atmosphere of pub life and decided to take on The Bull's Head.

Shane said: "Going back to my old job saw me going to work at 3am and come back late at night.

"I decided I wanted a new challenge and drove by and saw this pub, which used to be our local, was to let through Inglenook Brewery.

"It is a Grade II listed building owned Inglenook Brewery and has been renovated with new windows but with the original stained glass in new frames."

Tammy, a mother-of-four with two grandchildren, said: "There is a metal plaque outside the pub that states that it was established in 1838.

"But the colourful display of tiles and glazed bricks probably dates from about 1904.

"The ceramics are by Maw & Co, whose Jackfield tile works in the Ironbridge Gorge were the largest in the world at the end of the 19th Century.

"It is the only pub that is tiled both inside and outside with the original ceramics and is the only one of its type left in Telford.

"It is listed in the National Heritage book and the bevelled glass in the building is thought to have been made in the The Glasshouse Factory in Furnace Lane, which disappeared many years ago.

"An extension was added at some point and was built on a pig slaughter-house that closed down many years ago.

"I am really looking forward to getting back into pub life and love to sing and have a lot of friends who are musicians and in bands so there will be live entertainment every weekend.

"Real ales will be served and both the bar and lounge will be open daily, also dogs will be welcome and we have treats at the ready.

"We have an established darts team who in the previous three years have won the league and already more than 2,000 followers on Facebook.

"We cannot wait to welcome old friends and punters who we have not been in touch with for a long time as well as new faces."