The pub most closely associated with the history of chart stars UB40 in Birmingham has re-opened after more than seven years.

The Eagle and Tun, on the corner of Banbury Street, near Millennium Point in Eastside, was famously the setting for the group’s Red Red Wine video.

The single topped the charts in August 1983 and the Victorian pub was also featured on the band’s 1987 album The Best Of UB40 , featuring a compilation of songs recorded at the nearby DEP International Studio in Digbeth.

But, with most of the area having been demolished over the years, it seemed as if the pub had run out of customers – and it closed in 2008. Now, with Birmingham City University thriving nearby and apartments opening at Masshouse, it has quietly re-opened.

The man at the helm – a city off-licence trader so modest he does not want his name revealed – said: “I bought it in 2009 because I love the city and I love this building.

The Eagle and Tun pub in Digbeth, made famous in UB40's video for Red Red Wine
The Eagle and Tun pub in Digbeth, made famous in UB40's video for Red Red Wine

“I wanted it to have re-opened before now but there was a break-in in 2012 and the bar, fittings, lights and wiring were all stolen.

“I have restored the bar, which still has the original seats around the wall.

The single topped the charts in August 1983 and the Victorian pub was also featured on the band’s 1987 album The Best Of UB40 “The reaction we have had so far has been very good but I wanted to keep everything low-key.”