History
Welch Gate relates to the old toll gate entry in to Brewdley from Wales which was located a few yards in front of the Woodcolliers.The border with Wales was much closer than at presen; for many years the main road from the Valleys to Birmingham passed outside the pub until the by pass was built around the town.
At one time every 6th house in Bewdley was an ale house and records show the Woodcolliers was in existence as far back as 1780 although earlier foundations make it almost certainly much older.
The property is made up of 5 buildings; the front of the pub was called the Black Boy, the Welch Gate side was probably called the Squirrel and was joined then to No. 74; the brick part at the Sandy Bank end was a cobblers shop and the central part a cottage.The main house has an internal window which was clearly built as an outside one showing how the property has developed and changed over the years. The cellar underneath the snug has an end wall built of grey stone a side wall of brown stone and another of brick whilst the front has been rebuilt to allow barrels to drop down intimating significant change over the years and strong possibilities of the present building replacing an earlier one on the same site.
The pub changed its name in the early 1800's when the owners were both publicans and wood colliers which is a local name for charcoal burners.
At one point the narrow road on the corner of Welch Gate was much narrower until a corner of the pub was cut off to widen the road.
A 1930's photograph shows an additional 3 storey building where the current parking area is. This probably has something to do with the loss of one of the bedrooms until the mid 1970's when it was rediscovered during renovations.T his room is now known as the secret room.
The pub has many pictures of Bewdley and Welch Gate on its walls; also see the fine Mitchell & Butlers glass doors (pictures shown to the right).