Step in to discover a traditional pub of unique character, revered for its eclectic range of real ales and its quality pub food, which are served, as they should be, with a generous measure of famous British hospitality.

A fascinating past

This glorious red-brick Victorian pub with its grand arched windows is where the goldsmiths and silversmiths from the nearby Jewellery Quarter once quenched their thirsts. In the mid-19th century, Birmingham’s jewellery trade was the biggest in the land. In 1861, 7,500 people were engaged in the business. They were the best-paid workers in the city. By 1880, Birmingham contained 700 workshops. It was the heyday of the city’s jewellery trade. At The Shakespeare they found laughter, fine beer and a moment or two of privacy in the pub’s separate rooms. The rooms in many similar pubs from the era have since been opened up. But not at The Shakespeare where a moment of quiet peace over a pint and a good meal is as delightful as it was in the bustling days of Birmingham’s well-paid metalworkers.