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Restaurants In Birmingham 1960s

Hi Astonian, I forgot to add this to a previous post - the Vittoria is still in Frederick Street. Not a restaurant, however, but a jewellery company.

Shortie
 
HI Shortie
How are you today ;?. fine i hope ;
many thanks for letting me know that the restuarant a gone its been many years since i was up there
i have planned to go up there to warstone cem some time this week to get a snap shot of a certain grave monument
for m,y daughter whom lives in acocks green so i will have a good walk around there in the week to see and
remamis of yester years and see how its all gone and changed
is the jewlers arms still there ?. that holds alot of old memorys for me during my growing up
and i remember alot of old names that used to drink in there the good guys and the bad guys ;
so i shall have alot of memories as i am touring around the old area ;
many thanks shortie speak to you again take care and have a nice day ; best wishes astonin ;;
 
Astonian: Yes the Jewellers Arms is still there - and pretty much unchanged over the years.
 
HI CHARLIE;
Hope you are well;and many thanks for letting me know that its still there and its nice to know it ain,t changed in any form or shape that makes a real change and knowing it ain,t been closed down and sold to a
restuarant like most of them these days i do not understand why these people buy these old pubs after closing and turning them into a chinise or indian ; or what ever they do not make any more money
they tried that ith my aunt ivy shop holly lane years ago tried a fish and chip then a pizza shop
after a couple of weeks they just created a fire and left it gutted and claimed the insurance
and demolished itas the shop had been there for decades tyburn rd as long been finished with the industrial scene and the local commutity ;even the planning department said what made them think its gonna make money in an
area like that its ghostly the old king edward down long bridge was the same it openend up as a chinise
and that end of long bridge is the same now factorys have gone even the bookies long gone
commutity as gone
and as the oldarea of hockley as gone i presume especial he bottom end of warstone lane
charlie would you know if the old red lion pub as gone fom warstone lane that was one of my haunts along with the gate ,?. many thanks charlie again for telling me .best wishes astonion ;;;;
 
Hi Astonian

The Jewellery Quarter has changed a bit, but there is still quite a bit of the old left. The Rose Villa Tavern is still there, the Red Lion building is (but it might be closed now, not sure), and as Charlie said, the Jewellers Arms is. The old Smith and Pepper building in Vyse Street is now a museum and worth a visit (it's free and you get a proper tour) and the old Wylie Pen Factory is now a pen museum. If you are going to spend a little time there, you might be able to see both museums, but the Pen Room is at the end of Frederick Street, near Legge Lane, so a bit of a step from the other museum. I love it round there, my family came from Key Hill, and another line lived in Crabtree Road, which is the other side of Icknield Street.

Best wishes

Shortie
 
HI Shortie;
many thanks for your further input of info regarding my question to you about the jewlers arms
yes i know legge lane very well indeed and i know that part of brum very well
and of course the old crab tree rd i used to work up there and i knew quite afew people in the old houses in those days the hagans ; my mate graham frisby ; he died ;i think it was eighty seven the house he lived in and a couple of nice ladies one worked at aston soliticer and another lived in he frst house as you hit crab tree rd on the left
her name was carol i have an old mate whom as been my mate for the best fifty years from school
he lives at 35 crab tree , still there dave ;
i will try and get some pics tommorrow whilst i am down there also i have got to nip into the cem
there is a monument just inside i beleive i have to get it for my daughter
well shorti ; i will sign off for now and catch you later ; take care , astonion ;;
 
Although I don't remember myself I have been told this was Birmingham's oldest Indian Restauraunt on the corner of Stafford Street and Coleshill Street.

Brums_first_Indian_restaraunt.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You may well be right Wendy, but I remember going to one in Station Street in 1962 near the Tatler Cinema.
 
Wendy said:
Although I don't remember myself I have been told this was Birmingham's oldest Indian Restauraunt on the corner of Stafford Street and Coleshill Street.
Click to expand...
I used the Shah Jahan until it got demolished,but I know of one curry house that has been open in the same place with the same name for about 50 years and thats the Bombay on the corner of Essex St and the Horse Fair. Dek
 
Hi I am amazed that no one has mentioned `Mr Egg` in Hurst St. Open until 4am,finest Egg & Chips in Brum ! Still going as far as I know.
 
Interesting link Maurice! I spent many hours in both the Kardomah in New Street and the one in Colmore Row in the late 50's/early 60's!! And they definitely were places to socialise.
 
I haven't read all through this thread, but I'd have thought that one of the oldest, if not the oldest Indian restaurants is The Shah Bagh on Bristol St. Politeness prevents me from mentioning what it was usually referred to. I don't know if it's still there, but I have a memory of eating there when I was still at school, and I left in December 1962.

Big Gee
 
I seem to remember reading somewhere that the name "Kardomah" was inported from India during the empire period, and ment a 'tranquil place' but may be wrong.
 
I can remeber meeting my Aunt in the Kardomah on Colmore Row when I was allowed to travel into Brum on the bus alone!! It was always busy and I'm sure it's where I got my people watching skills from as there was a very eclectic mix in there all the time!!
Mom and da both think it was a coffee company who owned it too.
Sue
 
Big Gee said:
I haven't read all through this thread, but I'd have thought that one of the oldest, if not the oldest Indian restaurants is The Shah Bagh on Bristol St. Politeness prevents me from mentioning what it was usually referred to. I don't know if it's still there, but I have a memory of eating there when I was still at school, and I left in December 1962.

Big Gee
Click to expand...

Big Gee, you're not alone in that memory! Many a late night (2am onwards) curry there several years ago. And too many memories which shouldn't be repeated here on a family forum.
 
Here's a architectural heritage website photo of the Kardomah restaurant in Central London, picture taken during the war, thereby indicating how long by the 1960's the chain had been going (there was another venue in Central Manchester). The banner from this photo describes the business as 'Tea and Coffee Merchants' which fills in some of the background info.

The Kardomah I remember during the 1960's was the site in Colmore Row at the entrance to the North-Western arcade and a very glitzy place it was too! Some of the outdoor photos on other threads of the old Snow Hill Station where it was opposite might include the Kardomah Colmore Row frontage.View attachment 66199
 
Doug & Wendy you mentioned Mr. Egg, there was a lot of trouble there sometime last year with the owners and staff spraying customers with undiluted vinegar causing injuries, I believe they were sent to prison and the place closed down on police advice, can't remember all the details, perhaps another member can correct any errors.
 
Big Gee said:
Does anyone remember the original Happy Gathering Chinese restaurant near the Markets?

Big Gee
Click to expand...

Yes, I think I do.
Was it on the first floor of a building?
I remember going for a lunch time meal at a Chinese restaurant near the markets with work colleagues, probably 68 or 69.
 
That's the one, A Sparks. I think the street it was on was Jamaica Row, but not 100% sure. I remember going there with a bunch of people from work on a very busy Friday evening and the waiters didn't bother with menus - they just shoved us down onto a long trestle table and started bringing food. I don't think anyone was disappointed.

Big Gee
 
I'm pretty sure it was in station st, a bit further up from the later New Happy Gathering. I went there with a crowd also, The owner was very good and helped me with my first chop sticks. As I remember it there were menus, but no English ones, only ones in Chinese, and you had to ask what they had or just take what came. As you say I was never disappointed.
mike
 
Mike - I remember going to my first ever Chinese Restaurant and that was in Station Street. I wonder if it was the one you are talking about. I can't remember the name but it was virtually next to the Tatler/Jacey cinema. You didn't go upstairs to it. I remember going through New Street Station, across the bridge, and out into Station Street and it was almost opposite. I didn't know what to ask for from the menu and just asked for the first item on the menu - No.1. It turned up a pile of rice and meat etc on a plate with a fried egg on top. As I had just come out of Yates Wine Lodge with my boyfriend, I must admit it turned my stomach - but didn't put me off Chinese food.
 
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