THE oldest pub in Rubery, which has been mooted for demolition since closing, has been chosen as the cover star of a calendar highlighting Birmingham’s perished pubs.

The former Cock Inn pub, on Rubery Lane, was built in 1811, but has entered a state of disrepair after sitting vacant for the past three years.

It is believed to have been a base for local RAF officers during the Second World War, and is also thought to be haunted by a former landlord called Arthur Grimes.

Now Kevin Beresford, 65, from Redditch, has picked the pub as the cover star for his new calendar, titled the ‘Perished Pubs of Birmingham’.

He said: “The Cock Inn looked so wonderfully photogenic – a dilapidated watering hole posed an interesting juxtaposition, set before a pretty, pristine cloudless sky.

“I knew at once that it would not only feature on my May page in my calendar, but would also grace the front cover page.”

Mr Beresford blames the recession, high tax on beer, the smoking ban, and cheaper alcohol in supermarkets on the demise of pubs like the Cock Inn.

He added: “Sadly, like most towns throughout Britain over the last decade or so, Birmingham has suffered with its pubs closing down left, right and centre.

“To my mind the local British pub is the fabric of all our city’s society.

“France and Holland treasure their café’ society, Spain it’s their tapas bars, Germany boasts its beer gardens and Italy enjoy their wine bars.

“With the Brits we love our public houses - or we used to!

“The last decade or so has seen hundreds maybe thousands tragically shut down completely. Whatever the cause these pubs have gone and will not return.”

The site of the Rubery pub is owned by Unique Pub Properties and Malvern Estates Plc, who had an application to knock it down refused by Birmingham City Council in September.

Their proposals, which would have turned the site into eight detached and four semi-detached houses, were resubmitted in January this year, but have since been withdrawn.

Kevin’s calendar, which is priced at £10, can be purchased from Amazon and at roundaboutsofbritain.com.