In the last remaining pub in Sparkhill, the after-work crowd is beginning to gather. If the Guinness signs weren’t enough to guide you towards an afternoon thirst quencher, the message painted in gold above the door should be. “Licensed to sell intoxicating liquor of all descriptions.” That’s clear then. “There used to be 23 pubs in Sparkhill and this is the last one that remains,” says the landlord Mark McDwyer.