The traditional Black Country pub that is a hit with locals and customers from afar
As pubs continue to battle the cost of living crisis, the Express & Star continues its Love Your Local series which celebrates our local inns.
The Vine Inn is a traditional pub set in a Grade II Listed building on Lichfield Road, Wednesfield, and it has been described as a rare, intact example of a simple inter-war, urban working-class pub.
It is owned by Black Country Ales and run by Richard and Laura Wilkes, a couple who took over in March this year.
It is the first time that the couple have run a pub but they are loving life, and enjoying making the Vine Inn a great success.
The pub dates back to the 1930s, it still has the fixtures, design and layout of the original building and it also retains the original tiled fireplace built that decade.
Richard, 41, from Wednesbury, said he is proud to run The Vine Inn.
"I have been a DJ for 20 years, and Laura has worked in childcare for 16 years, but during Covid we sort of stumbled upon this job.
"So I have always been around pubs but never ran one before. During Covid there was no night clubs open and so I started working behind a bar in a pub to earn some extra income, and I sort of fell in love with it and knew that we would be good at it.
"We knew that running a pub requires a good personality, people who make their customers feel welcome. So myself and Laura took over this pub in March this year.
