'Birthplace of heavy metal' pub given listed status

The building was one of the first things seen by passengers leaving New Street railway station via one exit, Historic England said

A pub dubbed the birthplace of heavy metal where Black Sabbath played their first gig has been given Grade II listed status.

Campaigners had worried The Crown, on Station Street in Birmingham, was under threat.

Concerns followed news that nearby The Electric - believed to be England’s oldest working cinema - would close; a move placing a question mark over the future of that part of the city.

Historic England said, however, that on its advice the pub had been listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Originally named the General Elliott, the venue was thought to have opened in 1876, Historic England added.

Closing in 2014 after being bought by a Japanese development company, it has remained derelict after a project to restore it as a live music venue failed.

The Crown hosted local acts that went on to become household names including Led Zeppelin and UB40.

Ozzy Osbourne's Black Sabbath, then known as Earth, performed their first gig at Henry's Blueshouse upstairs, Historic England stated.

It said the pub was a cultural landmark that "fittingly is almost within sight of Ozzy the bull", the mechanical bovine created for the city's Commonwealth Games that now stands in New Street railway station.

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi said: "Cities all over the UK are protecting their musical heritage, Birmingham shouldn’t be left behind.

"The Crown has huge significance to us and many other successful acts."

A music historian said the venue was where Black Sabbath, then Earth, "first played the songs that would appear on their classic first two albums"

Thousands of people have signed a petition as part of a campaign to protect the Station Street area, also home to The Old Rep theatre.

Birmingham City Council has said no planning applications for development there have been submitted.

Historic England said listed status for the pub provided certain protections and meant special "consent must be applied for to make any changes to that building which might affect its special interest".

The pub was likely designed by Thomson Plevins, the architect best known for the city's Grade II* listed Grand Hotel, Historic England added.

It said local legend "had it that The Crown's cellars stored the remains of fallen soldiers" during World War One before they were taken through a tunnel to nearby church, St Martin.

The Crown was a "one-of-a-kind building with history written in its walls", according to the preservation group.

The Crown was a "one-of-a-kind building with history written in its walls", Historic England said

Birmingham Music Archive founder Jez Collins said the stage Black Sabbath "first stood on is still there".

The music historian added: "We need to ensure The Crown reopens, we need to bring it back to life as a cultural venue, a music venue and a place people will want to visit."

The Crown has hosted local acts that went on to become household names