Grant Arms

I’m a fan of traditional ‘old man’ boozers but Grant Arms falls a bit short. Maybe it’s because it’s so huge and it’s such a good looking pub that it just seems like a wasted opportunity.
Since The Breedon Bar burned down years ago it’s pretty much the only pub in the immediate area (you need to go for a walk towards Stirchley before you come across the next one) so it kind of has the local market covered. Also, as I mentioned, it’s a huge old boozer, it really looks great from the outside too. It has a really big car park (a real bonus in this day and age) so to me all of these things should add up to a good traditional pub. But it doesn’t.
It’s not very well kept (that part doesn’t bother me too much) but just a little bit of love and it could be great. Whenever I’ve been in it’s not too busy, another good thing in my opinion, but with the size of the place it gives it a real derelict kind of vibe. It doesn’t have a very good selection of drinks and the locals who drink in there (at least the few times that I have been) haven’t been the most welcoming bunch.
The Grant Arms is an ok old pub when it should be a really great one.

Cotteridge is a bustling shopping area, but one thing that is conspicuous in its absence is a pub. For one of those, you’ll have to head a little bit away from the main area around Pershore Road and Watford Road to the Grant Arms. The first thing that strikes you is the size of the place; it’s absolutely massive, and it certainly looks the part, very much appearing in the traditional pub mould. There’s a very well sized car park, which is always important in a pub (if you’re going to condemn someone to a night as the designated driver, you should at least go somewhere where parking won’t be too much of a hassle, right?). Another selling point of the Grant Arms is their pool area, which almost always has tables available for playing, so if you’re looking to shoot a few frames, then you could do a lot worse. Their drinks are well priced, and the interior matches that of the exterior. Whether you’ll like it or not will largely depend on if you view this kind of place as ‘musty and old’ or ‘traditional’, but I’d recommend giving it a try.

This is pretty much the only pub in Cotteridge and it’s not a great one, I’m afraid. This is a shame as the building itself is a great looking, traditional urban pub that could be so much better if a bit of time, love and cash went into the place. That said, these are tough times for pubs so it is perhaps understandable that The Grant Arms is a little run down
I’ve only been in the main bar and it’s fairly poorly furnished and not all that welcoming. There are a handful of locals propping up the bar and the rest of the place is fairly cavernous. I’m also always wary of pubs that only seem to sell Carling or Stella, both of which are awful beers. I’m not expecting every pub to become gentrified, far from it in fact, but a wider selection of ales would not go amiss.
If you’re in the area and in desperate need of a pint then you could drop in for a swift half (any port in a storm, and all that), but I wouldn’t recommend it.