The Crown, the infamous pub where heavy metal band Black Sabbath performed their first gig, has received a much-needed Grade II listing from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The decision came at the behest of Historic England. The Crown’s legacy was in danger, as gentrification threatened to bulldoze the Birmingham-based building. The inclusion in the Grade II listing will grant it extra protection from redevelopment.
The Crown has been out of use for a decade. Birmingham Open Media had planned to purchase and improve the interior to bring life back into the venue. Birmingham’s council’s funding problems subsequently scuppered the plan and opened the door for a property developer to submit an offer for the site that included a plan to build housing on the land. The listing follows a petition with the signatures of more than 15,000 fans and residents of Birmingham into the site’s potential eradication.
Hundreds of international music acts have played the venue over its 140 years in operation. Along with Black Sabbath, The Who, Duran Duran, Status Quo, Thin Lizzy, Supertramp, and Judas Priest all took to the pub’s stage. The site has cultural significance, as it was also home to Birmingham’s only blues club during the pub’s formative years.
The Crown was once a hallmark of Britain’s heavy metal scene. Black Sabbath’s guitarist Tony Iommi noted, “Cities all over the UK are protecting their musical heritage, Birmingham shouldn’t be left behind… It was one of very few venues that supported the emerging rock scene with a blues club and was home to our first-ever gig.”
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