Is The Garrison from Peaky Blinders a real pub? Unraveling the true story behind the Shelbys' iconic spot

A very few television locations have become as instantly recognizable as The Garrison Tavern in Peaky Blinders. The Garrison serves as the nerve center of the Shelby family’s empire: a place where deals are struck and the line between family and business constantly blurs.

Set in the smoky and soot-covered streets of post–World War I Birmingham, Peaky Blinders prides itself on a gritty realism that makes its world feel historically grounded. The Garrison is portrayed as a cornerstone of Small Heath life a working-class pub that anchors the Shelbys to their roots even as their power expands far beyond the neighborhood.

Since Steven Knight's crime series follows a fictional tale of the real-life titular gang, notoriously active in 1880s Birmingham, fans are naturally intrigued by this important location. The Garrison Tavern in the show takes inspiration from the real-life pub, located on Garrison Lane in Small Heath, a mere 10-minute walk from Birmingham City's St. Andrew's stadium.

Now that you know The Garrison from Peaky Blinders is a real-life pub, here's all about this iconic location and its recent state.

Decoding the real-life lore of The Garrison from Peaky Blinders

As seasoned Peaky Blinders fans, if you have ever daydreamed about enjoying a pint in The Garrison, while donning a flat cap and a black overcoat, you are not alone. The iconic pub, featured in Steven Knight's 2013 gangster series, is now as popular as the criminal gang who frequented it back in the day. While the BBC series is set in the 1920s, the real-life gang operated in the late 1880s and likely frequented The Garrison during that time.

The history doesn't support any evidence but the Small Heath natives swear that the real Peaky Blinders gang frequented The Garrison and eventually transformed it into their base of illegal operations, much like Knight's series. Additionally, its prime location and Small Heath being one of the industrial hotspots at the height of WWI, support these claims.

While little is known about The Garrison, according to a report by Birmingham Live, the earliest mention of the pub is in a census record before 1871. The pub rose from obscurity and became one of the hotspots in 1891, when it was run by the Trevor family. Even though it's hard to believe, this iconic pub fell into destruction and ruin in the late 1920s, after Small Heath stopped being a major industrial hub. With the changing times after the First World War, The Garrison was officially closed and remained tucked away in a little corner of Birmingham until Knight's Peaky Blinders.

Thanks to the success of the Cillian Murphy-led series, The Garrison rose from the ashes and people started showing interest in the location. Reportedly, the production even wheeled Murphy for a quick trip to the real pub, no longer the cultural hotspot it used to be back in the day.

However, in 2014, The Garrison was sold for £183,000 at a Villa Park auction, in hopes of transforming the building into a housing project. While those plans never saw the light of day, eager Peaky Blinders fans started flocking around the historic building for a quick photograph.

After years of neglect and a momentary period of fame, The Garrison was finally reopened as a Bed & Breakfast by the name of Elegant earlier this year. In a recent interview with Birmingham Live, one of the employees working at the B&B revealed:

"I know a little bit about the history [of the pub]. But not much. The building had been closed for a very long time but the shop will be open to customers by mid-June. We're already taking orders now though."

While The Garrison has seen it all, it will always remain a nostalgic and fascinating location for all Peaky Blinders fans, a spot that witnessed the rise of Tommy Shelby's coveted business empire.

Trending

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback