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the beehive pub soho hill

Astoness

Astoness

TRUE BRUMMIE MODERATOR
Staff member
hi all. passed yet another pub yesterday that was closed and in a sorry state. ive walked past many times when i lived in the area but never noticed the little beehive on the wall. i suppose when we are young we dont really pay much notice to detail. wales :(
 

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Lyn Thanks for posting the pics such a shame to see it in that sorry state:(
I lived just over the road from there in the early 60s when i went to Lozells girls school..It was a really busy pub at the time wonder how long it will be till it has one of those mysterious fires that seems to happen to a lot of our old pubs
Maggie
 
hi maggie. it really pains me to put on these type of pictures on but just in case there are no decent ones about i take them anyway. cant see it opening again though. lyn:(
 
Hi Wales

Here's one of the Beehive in slightly better condition.

Phil

HandsworthBeehiveSohoHill.jpg
 
Phil

Your photo of the Beehive pub really took me back to when I was young. I grew up in Soho Avenue, which is directly opposite the pub. My dad used to drink in there, and I used to occasionally call in at the Jug & Bottle to take all the bottles back that I had collected to collect my pennies!

The gates to the left led through to a court of houses with brewhouses at each end, and I often used to walk through here as a short cut on my way to Hampstead Road/Villa Road.

My old school, Soho College, was also opposite. The factory to the left hand side was Dennisons Watchcase factory.

Like Maggie, that is just how I remember it. How sad to see the photo that Wales has posted.

Judy
 
nice one phil. thought you may have a good one lurking about. we got talking to one of the local chaps and i am sure he said that the house you can see next door is where rusty lee the tv personality started out. i think it must have been changed into some sort of restaurant if memory serves me right she was known for her cooking skills. but dont quote me on that. wales.:)
 
Re: The "Beehive" revisited

Hello, I am a new member of the site and noticed there had been some posts about the "Beehive" pub on Soho Hill. I lived there from approx. 1948 to 1955 and was pleasantly surprised to find that other people were disappointed about it`s current state. I have attached a copy of a photo that would have been taken in the early 1950`s showing a number of customers just before they went for a frequently organised Sunday morning coach ride, out into the countryside to visit another pub or probably two. My Father, the licensee, is the person 9th from the left. Regretably now although many of the faces are familiar I can only name the two on the far left of the group. Allanbrum.


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hi alanbrum and welcome to the forum...when myself and member keith acton took these pictures we were indeed very saddened at the state of the beehive as we are by many pubs...schools...buildings etc...which are just left to rot away and crumble...thank you so much for posting your pic..its an absolute gem and please post more if you have any....if you need any help with anything please ask as there are a lot of folk on here only too happy to oblige....

astoness:)
 
Hi Allan

My Dad used the Beehive regularly. I wonder if I knew you. I did used to take bottles back to the 'outdoor' there for the pennies :D I lived in Handsworth until 1956, so it is more than likely that I would have seen you as I lived only a couple of minute's walk from the Pub. There used to be a cut through at the side/rear of the pub which took you into I think it was Terrace Road and you could get into Villa Road from there. You went through the gates at the side and it led into a Court with brewhouses each end.

Judy
 
Hello JUDY, I asked the question as a way of introduction hoping you may recall a surname. My sister would probably be the one you may remember. Her name is DENISE. I spoke to her last week mentioning that someone I remembered as JUDITH TUCK was a prolific "poster" on a website listing genealogy inquiries and local information. I said it could only be you as two posts referred to SOHO HOUSE HOTEL and the BEEHIVE in the early 1950`s. She commented, "she remembered you very well". Unfortunately she is not connected to the internet but if you should wish to make contact I can give you the details. Yours, Allanbrum (Allan).
 
lol judy... when i lived in villa st we used to have a bunk up over the wall of the vine inn..take a few empties out the crates then take them round to the front of the pub to the outdoor and claim the pennies off them:D:D:D

lyn
 
Well Lyn, I am surprised at you :rolleyes: Mind you we used to collect bottles from wherever we could to collect the pennies for them!
 
lol judy..we also use to go tatting on the bomb pecks for the copper wire then dad would burn off the plastic casing let it cool off then a trip to the scrap man:rolleyes::rolleyes:....case of needs must in them days...

lyn
 
Never did that Lyn, but used to be forever on the bombed out sites down in Hockley looking for what we called 'jewels' - they were usually bits of pearl buttons. We used to climb under the barbed wire to get in. My sister remembers going into one building when she was about 7, and climbing over the upstairs ceiling with just joists and no floor. We then came home with our bits of treasure. It's a wonder we didn't kill ourselves!!!
 
How precious those glass pop bottles were. We would spend a lot of time looking for them as that was our only source of income for extras. We used to look inside people's garages at the back of houses when they left the doors open. You had to be really careful though because people would put things like turpentine and paraffin in the pop bottles. :(
We used to hear stories about the soda siphon's at the back of pubs. Did anyone ever "find" one of those to return?
 
judy i am sure we kids had no fear when we were young...jennyann i never took the soda syphens back for the pennies but mom and dad used to have one in the glass cabinet along with a bottle of peach wine for mom and a small scotch for dad....i used to chase me brothers and sisters round the house squirting it at them dad could never work out why it used to go down so fast..still havent told him....lol..of what fun.....

lyn:)
 
Don't mention soda siphons - I'd pester for a drink of soda water whenever my dad had the drinks cabinet open, I loved the fizzy water.
One day I found the cabinet unlocked, and fancied a drink without him knowing. I lifted the nozzle of the siphon to my mouth and pressed the plunger hard - the resulting jet of soda filled my mouth and could only go one other place - down my nose!!
I didn't get a smack, dad was laughing too hard!
 
i took pics of this pub about 3 or 4 years back...im afraid its in an even worse state now...what a crying shame as i know quite a few of our members used this pub...

taken today


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I never went into The Beehive, but do remember it. Am I correct in thinking that next door to The Beehive was Rusty's Jamaican Restaurant?

Sad to see it in such a condition. Nice pix, though.

Big Gee
 
hi big gee yes i seem to remember something in the back of my mind that rustys was next to the beehive if so this would be it..

oldendtues21st025.jpg
 
Lyn, that picture breaks my heart! Mind you I did know what state the pub was in as I have seen similar pictures before. I lived in Soho Avenue which was opposite the pub, and my Dad was a regular and used the pub every night. I remember as a young girl taking bottles back to the 'Outdoor' to collect the pennies for them. The double doors which have the Fire Exit sign over, used to be open and lead to a Court of several houses with a brewhouse at the end. I used to cut through there often to get to Villa Road, via Terrace Road. I wish you hadn't posted these now as the Beehive is such a sorry sight.

Judy
 
hi judy yes i know you have an interest in this pub and im so sorry the pics upset you...they upset me too and i posted them more to vent my anger not just at the buildings we have lost in past but also the buildings that we still have but they are just being left to fall down...i really do have to hold my tongue and sit on my hands when i see images like this because if ever i let rip i would surely be banned from the forum..

lyn.x
 
forgot to say judy if you think the beehive is bad you want to see the palladium cinema further down..didnt take any pics of it this time as i had seen quite enough...

lyn
 
Agreed Lyn. I have seen pictures of the Palladium as well. Another sad story and another memory destroyed for me. I know someone who helped in fitting out the gutted auditorium of the Palladium when it was to be an amusement arcade. All the machines were put into the foyer which became the arcade. Looks as though this was around 1964.1965. These are the photos which he sent to me.

Palladium.jpg
 
thanks for the photos judy...i think i have seen them before..maybe it was you who posted them..ive saved them now...the one thing that will never be taken from us is our memories and you are so lucky that your childhood home of soho house is still there for us all to enjoy...thank goodness for that

lyn
 
It really is very sad to see those images of The Beehive. My dad was the publican there in the early 60's. It was the only Birmingham pub we had which had a garden. It is a great pity to see it in that state. Wouldnt it be nice to see it restored!!
 
hello macqueen yes its very sad indeed..ive passed the pub a few times this year and its looking even worse now...cant see anyway of it being saved but having said that i never say never

lyn
 
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