REACTION:
Regulars in a pub at the heart of the Gun Quarter gave a sceptical reception to the council’s plans.
They branded it “political correctness gone mad” to change the name to St George and St Chad.

The Bull pub, in Price Street, has a long association with the gun-making industry, with photographs on its walls and a stained glass window featuring the different parts of a gun. It has also been a popular watering hole for people who work in the nearby factories and workshops.

Barmaid Carole Dillon said it was “crazy” to change the name.

“It’s been called the Gun Quarter for decades and there’s no gun crime around here, it’s further away in Aston,” she said. “It’s just political correctness gone crazy. I understand where the name St Chad comes from, but what’s the significance of St George?”

Customer Jim Perry, who used to work at Aston University until he retired recently, said it was unfair to taint the Gun Quarter with crime which happened a mile away in Aston.

“I think they should leave it alone because it wipes out all the history associated with the gun industry,” he said. “It would be like re-naming Soho in London to get away from the seedy image of the sex industry.’’

Peter Finn, who works in nearby Lancaster House, said the proposal was “ridiculous”.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed of what has happened in history – we should be proud of our manufacturing history,” he said. “This is a stupid idea. I hope the council reconsiders.”

Pauline Luke, who worked for 30 years in a company in the Gun Quarter, said the re-naming was “ridiculous”.

“Making guns is part of our heritage and something we should be proud of, not ashamed of,” she said.

Her boyfriend, John Dangerfield, said: “Calling it after St Chad Cathedral makes sense but not St George – wasn’t he all about slaying and killing people?”

Another customer, Bob Jinks, said: “This area is famous for making guns, it’s our heritage and we get a lot of tourists coming here to see the surviving gun factories.

“I don’t think we should change the name, leave it as it is.”