Pigeons, bowls and the number 29 bus

The Kingstanding pub took up the whole corner of the road (Kingstanding Road to King’s road) where the library is. It had a brick arch on the front. It had loads of rooms, smoke rooms, and bars. There were loads of rooms; rooms galore! At the front, over on one side, there were steps up to a grassed area with hedges. We used to play hide and seek there. There was the bowling green and an area of seating out the front. The busses from town stopped (terminated) at the pub like the old no. 29. Then they had the 29A which went to the ‘Warrior’s club’ and the Pheasey estate. I went in it as a kid because my dad used to fly pigeons and that is where they used to go. They (the pigeon racers) used to take the pigeons down in the baskets and then they would be taken off to the (railway) station.