The Fiddle and 'Bone is a pub in Birmingham, England. It was given its name by the founders of the pub, who play the violin and the trombone in the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, CBSO. I'm sure it is no coincidence that the location of the pub (Sheepcote Street) is within a three minutes walk of the CBSO's regular venue, The Symphony Hall.
The F&B is keen to remind you that it is not just a pub. Along with your expensive beer you can buy some expensive pub food, for the F&B boasts a restaurant on its ground floor. The other main attraction of the F&B is its music. Every night a different band plays at the pub, and the upper floor is usually pretty packed because of this. During the summer the bands may move out into the cobbled courtyard to play under the cover of the arches of The Roundhouse. The type of music is varied in that it goes from jazz for the middle aged right through to folk for the middle aged.
If you're after a bit of peace and quiet, it is only a couple of minute's walk to the Prince of Wales, a tiny pub tucked discretely behind the International Convention Centre (the ICC.) Of course there's always the Flapper and Firkin, but that's another story.
The F&B sells it's own brand of beer called Fiddler's Pluck, which sounds like a rude Spoonerism, but it doesn't quite work. I've never tried this homebrew, having learnt my lesson years ago in the Black Horse in Leominster.
The Fiddle and 'Bone is housed in a converted schoolhouse and alongside it is The Roundhouse, which originally was a rather grand stable for the horses which worked on the canal that passes by the F&B. The Roundhouse now contains various small businesses and has venues used for arts and crafts stuff. The conversion of the buildings started in 1996 around the time the whole Brindley place area was being rebuilt as the new heart for Birmingham's economic businesses and nightlife. The pub itself has now become engulfed by a series of expensive apartment buildings.
The best thing for me about the F&B is the atmosphere. It is a friendly pub. I've never felt threatened there and although it is a pub which could be said to have pretentious leanings it is by no means exclusive. If forced, I would concede that the F&B is my 'regular,' though it is by no means my local. It is only 15 minutes walk from my house along the canal, which makes for a pleasant walk during the summer months.
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