City Centre pubs

[carruthers31]

I was a student at Aston University 1975-1978 and regularly drank in the city centre but cannot remember the names of all the pubs. Remember the obvious ones like the Shakespeare, Temple bar and the Midland hotel but there are lots of names I have forgot. Could you please look up for me in the 1974 Kelly's the city centre pubs which are listed. In particular I remember one in 1975 which had a big banner outside which said " Hey Dublin, the Fonz says cool it". I think this pub was near the new street/ corporation street junction but I cannot be certain. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[horsencart]

The problem is that there are just too many having said that here are a few from the 74 directory
Bogarts beer Keller 68 New St,
Brooks Vaults 51 Jamaica Row,
Bull Ring Tavern Digbeth,
Crusader 29 Auchileck Sq Broad St,
Eagle & Tun 46 Canal St,
Gilded Cage Stevenson St,
Golden Eagle Hill St,
Hen & Chickens 27 Constitution Hill,
Iron Horse Stevenson St,
Jester Scala Hse, Holloway Cicus,
Johnson Ben (The) 275/279 Coporation St,
Mulberry Bush Rotunda New St,
Old Bulls Head 80/81 Digbeth,
Parasol Hill St,
Parisian 6 Cannon St,
Royal George Digbeth 5,
Royal Mail Pinfold St,
Trocadero 18 Temple St,

There are many many more

 

[carruthers31]

Many thanks, this has helped. We had completely forgot about the Gilded Cage in Stevenson street and remember going into the Parasol a number of times on our way down to Samantha's. Also remember The Costermonger but cannot remember exactly where it was. Is there an address for it? The pubs we mainly went to seemed to be just off Corporation street, or below Corporation street in small underground shopping areas.

 

[horsencart]

There was of course the sack of spuds near to the Uni and all of the local pubs near to the same, but the best was The Stupids (students) Union Bar at the uni
as you say it was then down to Samantha I still have a car sticker somewhere (must find it) out of there to the chippy in Hurst St near to the Australian Bar then a night service bus where all the buses would depart on the hour after an inspector had blown his whistle if memory is correct it was 50 pence on the bus oh happy days

 

[mikejee]

The last Kellys was compiled in 1973, and I think it possible the Costermongers started about or just after that time. I think it was just off Bull st in Dalton way (though I had to look at a map to know what the name of the passage was).

 

[carruthers31]

We went back to Birmingham last year for a few days and had a good look around. It was the first time I had been back since I left Aston Uni in 1978 and I have to say I thought the city centre had improved beyond all recognition, but of course a lot of the old pubs had gone.

 

[TOPSYTURVEY]

The Cabin was poular with the students above the subway by The Oasis, and also The Pot of Beer close to The Sack of Potatoes.

 

[cookie273uk]

I remember there used to be a Holts pub attached to Holts brewery where my late Wife worked when we were courting about 1951/2 (theres a good old fashioned word). Cannot remember the pub name (Sack of Spuds ???) but we would pop in occassionally when I picked her up, it was very close to the Uni and there were always a number of students in there and i used to wonder were they got the money from. Eric

 

[A Sparks]

There IS a pub in Gosta Green called Sack of Potatoes!

 

[carruthers31]

We went to the cabin many times and had some good nights there. Near to Aston Uni we used to go into the sack of spuds,the pot of beer, the ben johnson and the general wolfe. By our final year(1978) we were sick of students and used to go into the old union mill and the black horse ( before it was a rock bar) just to meet some normal people. My everlasting memory of student life at aston was at the second year freshers week going on the " Drink a Pub Dry" trip to the Greyhound cider bar at Holloway Head. We all got absolutely hammered and one of our group threw up in an empty beer glass and put it on the table. Unfortunately another member of our group who had just come back from the toilet thought that somebody had bought him another pint and drank the whole lot. To be fair it was an easy mistake to make given the stuff they sold in there. Anyway,neither party involved were left permanently scared as they both have done remarkably well in their subsequent lives!

 

[davidfowler]

Carruthers, I remember the Greyhound well, too well! It was always a good starting point before we went down to the nurses' block at the hospital to find a good party.:emmersed:

 

[Astonian]

HI THERE ;
Yes it was the the down fall of the scrumpy house when the students started to move in on the ye old scrumpy house when it was only a stable door bar with one little seating area in the yard and one little sheltered area with two round tables under cover
and the few benches out side yard which was wide open court yard i penny a pint of the rough cider and 3d for the sweet cider
which was old tradional stuff the penny stuff when swallowed was like swalllowing glass it was sharp and it was rough and strong ;
no disrespect for students today or even of yesrerday they was well behave people and nice but the problem was if you was not there early before six oclock
you would have had to stand out on the street because any seating available was occuppyed by these students
they would talk amongest there selves and they would sit there all night with one point and sharing a joint of weed amongest them selves
that put the regulars off and as soon as the sack of pototes was built and up and running they moved there and done excatly the same you could not get a seat because of the students block being built there numbers grew; after that the grey hound was mved abit further down the rd and built a moderen pub the grey hound there was many a man whom would pull up in a flash motor and walk up the entry gate to get a quick pint and stagger back to there car
and it was opersite another pub across the rd called the bowling green a crimms pub ; astonian

 

[Stitcher]

This photo of The Grehound is from the early sixties.

 

[Astonian]

Hi stich;
nice of you to find and dig that one out it was around the 57,8.9 years there was black railing out side there on the front
right next to the entry and those gates are a knew addition prior to this pic taken ;
so have been removed to make way for a little garage for the gaffers car i supose have you not got one of the bowling green pub which was directly oppersite the grey hound across the rd thats where all the small time crooks and lags used to meet and plann there robberies and the old joe anna was always playing but when a copper in plain clothes came in or a strange face to the regulars the old joe anna would stop playing for a breif moment ; astonian

 

[wam]

Given the date (1975) the sign is probably a reference to the pub bombings of late 74. The most obvious places for it to be would be outside the Tavern in the Town or the Mulberry Bush (the two pubs bombed). The Tavern was on New St between Corporation St and High St but I don't know when it reopened or what as (it's now the Yard of Ale, if they haven't changed the name again). It would have been one of 3 closest to the New St./Corporation St. Junction along with The Cabin at the top of the ramp/under the stairs by the station and whatever the pub on Stephenson st was ((The Gilded Cage?).
I don't think the Tavern re-opened as Bogarts but I could be wrong. I thought that was up the top by the ABC cinema.

 

[carruthers31]

As you walk down Corporation street towards New Street the pub which had the sign outside was in a street off to the right hand side, so it could have been Cannon Street or Temple street, so it definitely wasn't the tavern in the town ( or yard of ale) or the mulberry bush. I think the pub itself had some sort of Irish connection and they were trying to show that they were against what had happened the year before.

 

[HATELEY]

Where exactly was The Iron Horse in Stephenson St. Was the entrance close to the Real Ale Bar at the back of the Midland Hotel. The Parasol was The Alahambra renamed.I think it was the first underground pub in the city centre. Does anyone know of a photo of The Iron Horse?

 

[Phil]

John

The Iron Horse as far as I am aware was located roughly where the red x is marked on this map.

Phil

 

[dek carr]

Phil I seem to remember a pub on the opposite side of the road from your red mark but that would have been in the 60s.Dek

 

[mikejee]

Dek
That was The Gilded Cage. The 1971 kellys shows it, with the Iron horse where Phil put his cross

 

[dek carr]

Thanks Mike I had no idea of the names.|Dek

 

[carruthers31]

Just found out that the pub near the bottom of Corporation street near new street which was subject at the start of this thread was Yates's Wine Lodge

 

[cookie273uk]

Yates Wine Lodge and the Bodega were my late Wife and I's favourite watering holes when visiting the City centre during our 'courting' days, particular the Bodega with its large barrels of Port and Sherry behind the bar and comfortable decor. When I returned off leave or 48/72 hour pass in the 50's we would always go to one of them before winding our way to platform 7 Snowhill station for my return to camp. Eric

 

[Stitcher]

I hope this stirs a few nice memories Eric.

 

[Big Gee]

Me and my boozing partner sometimes started the evening off at Yates Wine Lodge. If I recall correctly, you joined a queue, bought your drink (a 'dock' of dry sherry in my case) and drank as you continued to shuffle along in the queue until you went round in a circle and were back at the bar! What a way to spend an evening! There was, I believe, a 'better class' bar upstairs, but I never had the pleasure. We stopped going there when someone got stabbed....

Big Gee

 

[Jaffa]

Given the date (1975) the sign is probably a reference to the pub bombings of late 74. The most obvious places for it to be would be outside the Tavern in the Town or the Mulberry Bush (the two pubs bombed). The Tavern was on New St between Corporation St and High St but I don't know when it reopened or what as (it's now the Yard of Ale, if they haven't changed the name again). It would have been one of 3 closest to the New St./Corporation St. Junction along with The Cabin at the top of the ramp/under the stairs by the station and whatever the pub on Stephenson st was ((The Gilded Cage?).
I don't think the Tavern re-opened as Bogarts but I could be wrong. I thought that was up the top by the ABC cinema.

You're quite right Wam, Bogarts was right up the other end of New Street & on the opposite side of the road.
The "Tavern In The Town" re-opened as "Teddy's" for a year or so and then became "The Yard Of Ale".

 

[brumgum]

You're quite right Wam, Bogarts was right up the other end of New Street & on the opposite side of the road.
The "Tavern In The Town" re-opened as "Teddy's" for a year or so and then became "The Yard Of Ale".

The Yard Of Ale is now a Chinese Buffet joint:sour:.

 

[Jaffa]

Isn't that a sign of the times!... When I worked at the Co-op in High St we would go to the Yard of Ale or the Outrigger at lunchtimes.
Anyone remember Mr Bill's beer kellar in Needless Alley?

 

[Blaugeist]

Alberts wine bar to start the night off , hole in the wall , then round to bar St Martin , the parrot which I think was in needles alley .........me an the missus did the tour on our visits to town . Haven't been into the centre of brum for well over ten years now .

 

[Barr_Beacon]

Haven't seen this photograph before of The Ship Ashore. It became The Outrigger, anyone know when and the reason for the name change? Those stairs kept going up and up...