Richard Shephard
master brummie
Old Bob should know this cafe on the A5 dunchurch Bobs cafe
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Cafes in and around Birmingham
- Thread starter BobS
- Start date
B
Bernard Myers
Guest
hi everyone
does anyone remember arthurs cafe in coleshill street birmingham 4 near the gaiety cinema and next door to rentells newsagents opposite was gaskell and chambers where i worked on a capstan lathe making taps for beer barrels . in the mid sixties it became tonys cafe the sausage and egg sandwiches were delicious and if you had room for it a chunk of bread pudding was thruppence and was the size of a housebrick i was fortunate in always getting good food if it had not have been i dont think i would have taken it back as tony was one hell of a big bloke
regards bernie
does anyone remember arthurs cafe in coleshill street birmingham 4 near the gaiety cinema and next door to rentells newsagents opposite was gaskell and chambers where i worked on a capstan lathe making taps for beer barrels . in the mid sixties it became tonys cafe the sausage and egg sandwiches were delicious and if you had room for it a chunk of bread pudding was thruppence and was the size of a housebrick i was fortunate in always getting good food if it had not have been i dont think i would have taken it back as tony was one hell of a big bloke
regards bernie
Being a bit younger than most unfortunately don't remember any of the cafes mentioned.
Do remember two cafes from Constitution Hill,both there during the 70s/80s.
Rose's Cafe,and Vi's cafe.Both popular,serving good food to the local factory workers.Think they finished late 80s,or early 90s.Like many areas in the city the demand just seemed to die off.
Do remember two cafes from Constitution Hill,both there during the 70s/80s.
Rose's Cafe,and Vi's cafe.Both popular,serving good food to the local factory workers.Think they finished late 80s,or early 90s.Like many areas in the city the demand just seemed to die off.
john knight
signman
Hi Bernie,
I worked in Stafford St. between 1955-62, I knew George Rentall and his
brother,(name escapes me), do you remember the fish shop a bit further along.
We did some work for Gaskell and Chambers.
Our shop was in Stafford St. Francis Burley Central Sign Studio.
Regards John.
I worked in Stafford St. between 1955-62, I knew George Rentall and his
brother,(name escapes me), do you remember the fish shop a bit further along.
We did some work for Gaskell and Chambers.
Our shop was in Stafford St. Francis Burley Central Sign Studio.
Regards John.
A Sparks
master brummie
Yes, I remember both of those but only because I used to pass on the bus on my way to work every day. I never actually went inside. They always looked to be doing a good trade.
The whole area has changed now,and has been doing so since the factories started to shut in the 80s.
Expect the new occupiers had no real use for cafe food.Shame really,as a cafe was like a pub,got people together,helped to form the community.
B
Bernard Myers
Guest
hello john
yes i remember your shop in stafford street not far from the indian restaurant on the corner which was painted blue . the chip shop was bobs there was a garage next door it had the old sign of the head wearing the winged hat FINA or BENZOLE or something like that then there was the barbers further down the road was the rising sun pub len tolly was the landlord not a very cheerful soul as i recall i cant seem to recall much of stafford street i remember a gun shop a shoe shop and LEO . MATURI . cutlers and grinders and the queen victoria pub . can you tell me if the old stone cross was at the other end of stafford street. my memory is a little vague there i can remember a little pub at the bottom of a hill called the globe and some brick archways where the hot potatoe carts would be kept overnight. i remember james watt st. i think it was birmingham dairy,s there and the army recruiting office where my father informed them that i would like to enlist.
happy days heh. bernie
yes i remember your shop in stafford street not far from the indian restaurant on the corner which was painted blue . the chip shop was bobs there was a garage next door it had the old sign of the head wearing the winged hat FINA or BENZOLE or something like that then there was the barbers further down the road was the rising sun pub len tolly was the landlord not a very cheerful soul as i recall i cant seem to recall much of stafford street i remember a gun shop a shoe shop and LEO . MATURI . cutlers and grinders and the queen victoria pub . can you tell me if the old stone cross was at the other end of stafford street. my memory is a little vague there i can remember a little pub at the bottom of a hill called the globe and some brick archways where the hot potatoe carts would be kept overnight. i remember james watt st. i think it was birmingham dairy,s there and the army recruiting office where my father informed them that i would like to enlist.
happy days heh. bernie
sylviasayers
master brummie
Reading about the fish & chip shop I wonder if this was the same one that my g.g. aunt lived at in 1881 - the number was 51 Stafford Street, she was Hannah Birch, and two of her sisters Kate and Elizabeth also lived there, and my grandma's sister Hannah Yates aged 8 recorded as adopted, I know legal adoption didn't exist then, and as she is listed as the second child of my g. grandparents, I wonder if in reality she was Hannah Birch's illegitimate daughter.
Reg Cook
Cookie55
Does anyone have any recollections of a Cafe, that was situated on the corner of. Upper Webster Street, and Talford Street. I don't know exactly was year(s) this was but I was told its been a long time ago. I was hoping Astonian! might throw a bit of light on this for me. Apparently my Grandparents ran it.
R
Richard Brookes
Guest
My Grandparents and parents have both run cafes, one called Jones' cafe in smethwick and one called Bob's cafe that was on the corner of Camden Street and Powell Street, this was between the 1970's and 1990's
john knight
signman
All the cafesi n Birmingham called BOBS were owned by the same man, BOB NORMAN, when I was working for Pepsi-Cola, he used to ring me up and say he was opening another
cafe and wanted a sign, at the time the signs were free on condition that you only stocked Pepsi and their other products, Coca-Cola had the same arrangement with their products.
Bob always used to say call in at so and so cafe, (one of his own) and there will be an envelope for you, invariably there was always £50 in it, and needless to say I accepted it.
He lived in a big house in Edgebaston somewhere by Wheeleys Rd, I phoned him one day to verify something and the phone was answered by a lady, who said she was the housekeeper and that Mr Norman was on holiday in Jamaica, he used to drive an old green consul.
cafe and wanted a sign, at the time the signs were free on condition that you only stocked Pepsi and their other products, Coca-Cola had the same arrangement with their products.
Bob always used to say call in at so and so cafe, (one of his own) and there will be an envelope for you, invariably there was always £50 in it, and needless to say I accepted it.
He lived in a big house in Edgebaston somewhere by Wheeleys Rd, I phoned him one day to verify something and the phone was answered by a lady, who said she was the housekeeper and that Mr Norman was on holiday in Jamaica, he used to drive an old green consul.
R
Richard Brookes
Guest
yes, I remember the name, and the pepsi sign now you mention it 
james houston
Mr Sparks
Has anyone any recollection of a cafe in Northfield run by an Irishman and his wife in the 70s it was by the Black Horse,as you left the cafe his parting words would always be "Take it easy now"
horsencart
master brummie
Rosa,s cafe in Park St was the best of resent times https://my.bus.photos.fotopic.net/p48406298.html https://my.bus.photos.fotopic.net/p48406294.html
guilbert53
master brummie
Surely Rosa's Cafe was on the corner of Albert Street and Fox Street not Park Street.
Here it is BEFORE they started knocking it down (October 2009). Click on the picture to see it bigger.
https://www.panoramio.com/photo/28116692
Here it is being knocked down (December 2009)
https://www.panoramio.com/photo/29616205
And here is the site where it was after they knocked it down (March 2010)
https://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv10/guilbert53/?action=view¤t=whitewall.jpg&newest=1
This was in the area called Eastside (near Curzon Street station), an area undergoing major development.
Loads more Eastside pictures here
https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1024483
https://www.panoramio.com/user/3749097
.
john knight
signman
Re: cafés
Hi James,
The cafe you mention was John and Margarets, it was my first port of call most mornings when I lived in that area, do you remember the mural on the wall in the garden viewable from inside the cafe, they say it was a painting of the view from his window back home in Ireland.
They were both very keen dancers, and when they retired the Mail did an article called "Take it easy 30,000 times" or something similar to that.
Incidently I put his sign up in 1964, he came out and said "do you want a cup of tea lads" please we said, he came out with 3 cups of tea and charged us 2d each.
Hi James,
The cafe you mention was John and Margarets, it was my first port of call most mornings when I lived in that area, do you remember the mural on the wall in the garden viewable from inside the cafe, they say it was a painting of the view from his window back home in Ireland.
They were both very keen dancers, and when they retired the Mail did an article called "Take it easy 30,000 times" or something similar to that.
Incidently I put his sign up in 1964, he came out and said "do you want a cup of tea lads" please we said, he came out with 3 cups of tea and charged us 2d each.
If you look at the photo of Fox Street, you'll note a Blue door, this was the entrance to the Daily Express office where I worked in the early 60's. Every morning I would get the best Bacon and Tomato sandwiches in Brum from Rosa's. In fact whenever journalists came up from Fleet Street, they always insisted on Rosa's grub, either the Bacon and Tom or Egg and Bacon. Now from memory, although I could be wrong but I think that a lot of the guys who pushed Ted's Hot-Dog carts in the town used to spend there off work time here. and a few doors along was a fantastic Italian shop, again I could be wrong but I think it was called Verrachechi or something like that....
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
beamish
In the sixties all of the hot dog & hot potato carts operated from the yard at the back of Rosa's Café. The owner of the café was also the owner of the carts. They were rented out on a 50:50 basis after costs were deducted. I had quite a few mates that worked on these carts and they made a fortune. Half the time they would pay some young kid to stand in for them and they would spend the night in the Crown in Station St.
Phil
In the sixties all of the hot dog & hot potato carts operated from the yard at the back of Rosa's Café. The owner of the café was also the owner of the carts. They were rented out on a 50:50 basis after costs were deducted. I had quite a few mates that worked on these carts and they made a fortune. Half the time they would pay some young kid to stand in for them and they would spend the night in the Crown in Station St.
Phil
guilbert53
master brummie
Re: cafés
I cant find a Duddeston Row in Birmingham.
The Rosa's cafe I am referring to was near Curzon Street Station and the Woodman Pub in Eastside.
It was on the corner of Albert Street and Fox Street (I know this because I took a picture of the street signs).
Do you mean Bartholomew Row which is just along Albert Street from Fox St (where the Los Canerios Spanish restaurant was, the opposite corner from Rosa's)
I cant find a Duddeston Row in Birmingham.
The Rosa's cafe I am referring to was near Curzon Street Station and the Woodman Pub in Eastside.
It was on the corner of Albert Street and Fox Street (I know this because I took a picture of the street signs).
Do you mean Bartholomew Row which is just along Albert Street from Fox St (where the Los Canerios Spanish restaurant was, the opposite corner from Rosa's)
guilbert53
master brummie
Thanks for the map, very interesting.
Yes, I can now see it was Duddeston Row on the map, but I think that section of road is now called Albert St, it certainly says Albert St on the road signs.
I took this picture on the road right opposite Los Canariios that was very near Rose's cafe.
The road you can see in the picture going off to the right is Bartholomew St and the building you can just see in the top left is the Eagle and Tun pub.
The problem with that area is that so many roads have been chopped about, moved, redirected and so on it is difficult to know where one road starts and the other stops.
fatfingers
master brummie
These two ?
Never used cafes much during the day myself, good late night cafes in the 70s after the clubs closed were The Tow Rope, and one on Digbeth, by the lights, might have been calle the Manzil, or that might have been the Curry House next door.
A Sparks
master brummie
Re: cafés
I know the hot chestnut men came from somewhere in Albert Street as I saw them returning in the evenings when I used to go to the Railway pub in Curzon Street in the 70's. I got given some left over chestnuts one night when I was cheeky enough to ask!
I know the hot chestnut men came from somewhere in Albert Street as I saw them returning in the evenings when I used to go to the Railway pub in Curzon Street in the 70's. I got given some left over chestnuts one night when I was cheeky enough to ask!
fatfingers
master brummie
Yeah ! I think your probably right. It was here anyway..... I think.
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Yes the Manzil and the Lorica were next door to each other in the converted Morgans Sausages shop and manufactory. My fathers firm fitted out both shops in the early 60's for an Indian chap called Karashi. The original idea was to convert the space above the Lorica into a club. I was even offered the managership of it but I turned it down. The club never opened in the end.
Phil
Phil
