Not having much call to check out Hotels in Birmingham, I hadn't really had an excuse to visit the Plough and Harrow before this weekend just gone. I'm pretty familiar with how it looks from the outside (being on Hagley Road, a main thoroughfare in and out of Birmingham Central), but wondered if the interior matched the grand aesthetic of the exterior.
On Saturday night myself and Dan G. got our finest gladrags on and hoofed it down to the Plough and Harrow for the wedding of two of our lovely Birmingham Yelpers (Gem R. and Renfield C.). We jumped in a cab and after a very short journey, pulled up to the venue within about 5 minutes. The Plough and Harrow is a twenty minute walk from the Jewellery Quarter or around 25 minutes from the centre of town (making it an ideal venue for weddings or events).
The blue plaque outside the venue exclaims that JRR Tolkien once stayed there, however, I'm pretty sure there are quite a few places in Birmingham that also share that boast. The interior of the venue boasts a timeless elegance, with dark wood and brass fittings oozing gentle sophistication.
Before we headed into the actual function room (it's probably a dining hall on normal days), we rocked up to the bar to grab ourselves a drink. As you can imagine with this being a hotel, drinks weren't cheap; however they weren't too bad. A pint of strongbow was £4 and most pints ranged from £4 - £5 (even for something a little more exotic). They had a fine range of single malt's on sale for around £4.50+ a dram, so around what you might pay at a fancy wine or cocktail bar in the City.
The function room was fairly large, bright and airy (with double doors leading to a small patio area for smokers and sunny days). There is also a largish garden area, although this is mainly just grassed and could have done with a few embellishments. The venue is well looked after and maintains an air of "crisp efficiency" and neatness throughout. The toilets were very well looked after and were spotless throughout our visit.
This was the perfect choice for Gem and Renfield's wedding and I could see why they selected it. The food on the buffet was good, the staff were friendly and the venue was accomodating and just the right size. If I was around this area again, I wouldn't hesitate to pop in a grab a pint. read more