"the old crown" public house, a black and white timber-framed building, is said to be the oldest secular building in birmingham, dating back to 1450 to 1500. it is situated in deritend and is documented as serving as an inn from 1626. birmingham corporation proposed its demolition in 1851, 1856 and 1862 but it was saved by the efforts of joshua toulman smith. it is still used as a public house which serves food. "the saracen's head" in kings norton dates from the same period as the old crown and is now a visitor's centre with a snack bar. the work to restore the saracen's head came as a result of it being chosen for financial assistance by a vote of the viewers of the bbc television programme "restoration" in 2004.