"It was quite a dramatic scene": A brass bat has been attached to the birthplace of heavy metal in unauthorised Ozzy-themed guerrilla protest

In what appears to be a swift burst of unscheduled guerrilla activity, the pub where Black Sabbath played their first-ever live show has been embellished by a mysterious fan seeking to draw attention to the building's iconic status.

"I’ve just finished work and saw a man drilling into The Crown near Birmingham New Street," passer-by Freddie Cartwright tells Louder. "He put up what looked like a bronze or brass bat and a plaque. It was quite a dramatic scene, and he's left now. The police robot alarm is still ringing."

The plaque identifies The Crown as being the birthplace of heavy metal, ahead of the inscription, "Preserve the music. Preserve the moments. Preserve the madness. This place should be a museum."

The Crown played host to the fledgling Black Sabbath in 1968, and went on to book The Who, Status Quo, Thin Lizzy, Marc Bolan, Supertramp, Judas Priest and many more. By 2014, the building had fallen into disrepair, but it was given Grade II listed status last year to provide it with protection from development.

Historic England, the public body that advocates for historic sites, say The Crown deserves listed status "for its importance in the 1960s folk music revival, and in the late 1960s as the venue where Black Sabbath created their sound which shaped a new internationally popular genre of music; heavy metal."

The late Ozzy Osbourne – whose funeral procession passed the pub in July – talked about the possibility of The Crown being demolished in a 2024 interview, telling fans, "If you want to save something, you've got to get off your butt and protest."

Meanwhile, a petition to officially designate The Crown and several other local buildings as civic assets has attracted over 26,000 signatures.

Earlier this year, The Crown's owners, Tokyo Inns, submitted plans to extend the pub's car park, but the submission was rejected by Birmingham City Council, a decision welcomed by campaigners.

"Time for Toyoko Inns to put forward proper refurbishment plans for The Crown as a pub and music venue right now or sell up," the Save Station Street campaign said. "For what it's worth, we don't ultimately care who owns the site if it is run with integrity, for Brummies, and with respect to its legacy as one of the UK's most progressive and historic venues."

The campaign is also fighting plans by developers to build a 50-story tower on the site of The Electric Cinema, the UK’s oldest working cinema, which was closed in early 2024. Instead, the campaign envisages the creation of "Sabbath Quarter", a destination for tourists and a hub for local creative communities.

"'The Beatles Economy’ in 2016 was worth £82.7m a year and supported 2,200 jobs in Liverpool," says Save Station Street founder Darren John. "With Birmingham’s rich global musical heritage across multiple genres and the cultural importance of venues on Station Street, we expect similar economic benefits to the city from building Sabbath Quarter."

Find out more about the Save Station Street campaign.