Nicholson's Old Contemptibles, The Expedition Room (Private, Upstairs)

About Venue

The Old Contemptibles is one of Birmingham's most storied pubs, a handsome Victorian red-brick on the corner of Edmund Street and Livery Street in the heart of the Colmore Business District. The building began life as the Adelphi Wine Vaults in the late 1700s, became the Albion Hotel in 1880, and was renamed in 1953 to honour the British Expeditionary Force of the First World War - the soldiers whom Kaiser Wilhelm II reportedly dismissed as a "contemptible little army" and who wore the insult as a badge of honour. That history lives on throughout the pub in the form of wartime memorabilia, vintage artwork depicting WWI soldiers, and a sense of occasion that is hard to manufacture and harder to replicate.

Inside, the pub is a proper wood-panelled single room divided into distinct drinking areas, each with its own character. Seven handpulls at the bar serve a rotating range of real ales alongside Nicholson's Pale Ale, brewed by St Austell Brewery and a fixture across the Nicholson's estate since 2012. The gin selection is extensive, with a particular nod to Nicholson Gin - a brand with its own 19th-century link to the pub group's founder, William Nicholson. Classic British pub food runs through the menu with pies a particular point of pride, from breakfast through to dinner.

A recent refurbishment breathed fresh life into the building while keeping its character firmly intact. The Campaign Room - the cosy rear snug that has long been a favourite of regulars - has been redesigned as a warm, semi-private retreat for smaller groups. Above the bar, an upstairs space unused since the mid-1980s has been transformed into The Expedition Room: a self-contained private room with its own bar, natural light, air conditioning, and a flexible layout that works as well for board meetings as it does for birthday dinners.
The Old Contemptibles is steps from Birmingham Snow Hill station, which sits on the Chiltern Main Line and Cross-City Line and provides direct services to London Marylebone, Oxford, and across the West Midlands. Birmingham New Street is a 10-minute walk. There is no on-site parking, but Snow Hill Station's NCP car park and several other paid car parks are within easy walking distance.

About this space:

The Expedition Room sits above the bar on the first floor, a recently restored private space that had been unused since the mid-1980s before the pub's recent refurbishment brought it back to life. Named in honour of the British Expeditionary Force, the room has its own staffed bar, blue-painted walls, original arched windows flooding the space with natural light, vintage chandeliers, and framed WWI-era artwork throughout - all of it combining to give the room far more character than a typical hire space at this price point.

The layout is flexible enough to adapt to most events, whether that's a round-table boardroom setup for up to 30, seated dining for up to 50, or a standing drinks reception for up to 64. A PA system and flatscreen TV are included, making the room well suited to presentations, team away days, and private parties alike. In-house catering is available from the kitchen below - classic British pub food including the venue's well-regarded pies. The alcohol licence runs until 23:00. External catering and BYO alcohol are not permitted.

- Capacity: 30 boardroom / 50 seated / 64 standing
- Pricing: from £500 minimum spend per session (all prices include VAT)
- Sessions: 12:00–17:00, 17:00–23:30, or full day 12:00–23:30
- Alcohol licence until 23:00 (no extension)
- Own bar in the room, staffed
- PA system and flatscreen TV included
- Natural light, air conditioning, Wi-Fi
- No projector, no external catering, no BYO alcohol
- No wheelchair access or lift (upstairs room)
- Paid parking available nearby; Snow Hill Station 2 minutes on foot

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