A dining room in a pub with a wooden bar, blue walls, chandeliers, and framed artwork at The Old Contemptibles.
A pub dining room with blue walls, large arched windows, wooden floors, and vintage chandeliers at The Old Contemptibles.
A pub dining room with blue walls, wooden floors, vintage chandeliers, and round tables at The Old Contemptibles.
A pub dining room with blue walls, framed vintage art, a tufted red banquette, and wooden tables at The Old Contemptibles.
A traditional pub with a wooden bar, hanging greenery, high stools, and framed artwork at The Old Contemptibles.
A traditional pub with a red brick facade, arched windows, and corner entrance at The Old Contemptibles.

The Expedition Room at The Old Contemptibles

Dining Room in a Pub
·
Private space
176 Edmund Street, Birmingham, B3 2HB –
Birmingham City Centre
Up to 50
seats
Up to 64
standing
Venue offers catering
External catering not allowed

About this space

A Versatile space for every occasion

Tucked above the historic Old Contemptibles pub, The Expedition Room is a self-contained private space full of character, charm, and flexibility. Named in honour of The British Expeditionary Force, this upstairs room blends traditional British pub atmosphere with the comfort and privacy needed for a wide variety of event, complete with a staffed bar. Whether you’re hosting a business meeting, a private dinner, a celebratory gathering, or a creative workshop, the Expedition Room adapts to your needs. With seating for up to 50 and standing space up to 64, the layout is flexible and can be arranged for formal or informal occasions.

Usually booked for

Private Dining

Typically for 20-30 guests and costs about £500.

"The staff were also fantastic: so friendly, warm and helpful throughout, which made such a difference."

- Sam M. Sep 2026

Offers and packages

Menus

 Main menu
Drinks menu

Event offer

Christmas Party Offers

Celebrate Christmas in The Expedition Room with a Premium Festive Buffet — sliders, steak & ale pie and salmon, plus sauces and optional add-ons.

Premium Festive Buffet – The Expedition Room
£25 per person

• Premium festive buffet selection
• Served with ketchup, BBQ sauce and mayonnaise
• Optional add-ons: pigs in blankets, mini mince pies, grilled chicken breast, grilled salmon fillet, sandwich sharing board, trio of desserts

BUFFET ITEMS
1. Cheeseburger or spiced falafel (V) sliders
2. Mini British steak & Nicholson's pale ale pie
3. Padron peppers (VE)
4. Grilled chicken & red pepper skewers*
5. Grilled salmon fillet
6. Mushroom & black garlic arancini* (V)
7. King prawn cocktail cup*
8. Spiced grains salad (VE)
9. Tomato & red onion salad (VE)
10. Skin-on fries (V)

Prices

Monday
12:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Per session
12:00 – 17:00
from £500 min. spend
Per session
17:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Alcohol licence until 23:00. All prices include VAT.
Tuesday
12:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Per session
12:00 – 17:00
from £500 min. spend
Per session
17:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Alcohol licence until 23:00. All prices include VAT.
Wednesday
12:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Per session
12:00 – 17:00
from £500 min. spend
Per session
17:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Alcohol licence until 23:00. All prices include VAT.
Thursday
12:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Per session
12:00 – 17:00
from £500 min. spend
Per session
17:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Alcohol licence until 23:00. All prices include VAT.
Friday
12:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Per session
12:00 – 17:00
from £500 min. spend
Per session
17:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Alcohol licence until 23:00. All prices include VAT.
Saturday
12:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Per session
12:00 – 17:00
from £500 min. spend
Per session
17:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Alcohol licence until 23:00. All prices include VAT.
Sunday
12:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Per session
12:00 – 17:00
from £500 min. spend
Per session
17:00 – 23:30
from £500 min. spend
Alcohol licence until 23:00. All prices include VAT.
Best price guarantee
Pricing updated by venue 7 months ago
Pricing rated as accurate by 4 verified users

Capacity

  • Standing
    up to 64
  • Dining
    up to 50
  • Boardroom
    up to 30

Catering and drinks

In-house catering available Venue can organise food and drink
British cuisine
No external catering allowed
Venue provides alcohol Venue can supply alcoholic beverages
No BYO alcohol allowed

Facilities

  • Wi-Fi available
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Flipchart
  • PA system / speakers Venue provides a sound system for music and announcements
  • Air conditioner
  • Natural light Room has windows or a skylight, so daylight comes in
  • Quiet space
  • Mirrors Full-length mirrors available
  • Paid parking facilities available nearby
  • Unavailable: Projector
  • Unavailable: Whiteboard
  • Unavailable: Conference call facilities
  • Unavailable: Photo equipment
  • Unavailable: Video equipment
  • Unavailable: Lighting equipment
  • Unavailable: Greenscreen
  • Unavailable: Backdrops
  • Unavailable: Storage space
  • Unavailable: Dance floor
  • Unavailable: Soundproof
  • Unavailable: Accommodation is available on-site

Music & sound equipment

  • Bring your own DJ Venue allows bringing your own DJ instead
  • Own music not allowed
  • No noise restrictions

Accessibility

  • Unavailable: Accessible toilets
  • Unavailable: Ground level
  • Unavailable: Accessible parking spot available
  • Unavailable: Lift to all floors
  • Unavailable: Cargo lift
  • Unavailable: Wheelchair accessible

Rules of the space

Allowed events

  • No promoted and ticketed events allowed
  • No wedding licence
  • No Temporary Event Notices (TENs) available

Host rules

No smoking in the building
Damage to the space will result in extra charge

Cancellation policy: Standard 30 day

Show cancellation details

Reviews and ratings

(11 reviews and ratings - )

Verified reviews come from Tagvenue users. All reviews are checked by our team to uphold our trust and safety standards.

SM
Sam M.
Verified review
Private Dining · 20 guests · September 2026

We hired The Old Contemptibles for our friend’s birthday and honestly couldn’t have been happier with how everything went. The private room was perfect for the occasion and gave us plenty of space to relax, celebrate and enjoy ourselves. The food was really good, and there was definitely more than enough to go around — the portions were much more generous than we expected! The staff were also fantastic: so friendly, warm and helpful throughout, which made such a difference. Everyone had a brilliant time and really enjoyed themselves. A massive thank you to the whole team at The Old Contemptibles for hosting the event and for making us feel so welcome. We really appreciated everything and would definitely recommend the venue to anyone looking to host a celebration or event! ❤️

N/a

5.0
EP
Emilia P.
Verified review
30th Birthday Party · 60 guests · October 2026

Everything was great - the staff, food, drinks, speakers. Allowed to play your own music. Great sized room too.

Nothing

5.0
AP
Amy P.
Verified review
Event Space · 50 guests · July 2026

Great communication, good sized room, we didnt have to worry about anything throughout the night.

5.0
AP
Amy P.
Verified review
Excellent communication

Super helpful throughout and made planning so easy

5.0

The Old Contemptibles is a #Supervenue

#Supervenue program is based on our customers' feedback and highlights venues that are most dedicated to providing outstanding hospitality, customer service and event experience. Read more
Customers rated communication with this venue and their event experience as Superb
Response time: within a couple of hours
Response rate: 90%

About The Old Contemptibles

The Old Contemptibles is a Trusted Tagvenue Partner, validated by the Tagvenue team with a record of successful bookings on the platform.

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Location map

Meet your host

Bookings Manager
Member of Tagvenue since March 2026
11 Reviews
5 Rating
1h Response time
95% Response rate

Contact venue managers directly on Tagvenue. Keep all event communication on the platform for a secure, seamless booking.

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