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Birmingham Nightclubs of the Past - Memories

My husband says it was on the Hagley road Edgbaston although it was one of the few places he's not been to. Will ask his older brothers, they should know. TTFN. Jean.
 
Mossy as you know my dad used to train the boxers at the Holte and I used to go with him sometimes to have a drink in the Holte. I am sure Mr Morrell the father used to be one of my dads friends and used to bring one of his sons ,Frankie rings a bell, I think he used to do a bit of boxing.
 
HI Stitcher,
Yes You Are Correct Regarding The Morrells ,And Old Kennrdy, The Rainbow Club As Always Been On The Corner
For Many Years And In The Very Early Days They Had An Extention Put On Bringing It Closer To The Corner, On The Subject On The Portlnd Hotel Which Was On The Hagley Rd Further Towards Gillot Rd Well Passed The Rain bowAnd Portland Rd This Hotel Was
Owned By Mr George ,AWell Known Millionare Whom Had The Time In The Eighties
Owned The Portland Hotel And Afew More Hotels And Also The Private Members Club In Moseley Called The Gables Which Was Men Only Club ,And One More Hotel
Which I Forgot To Mention At The Time And He Still OWNS iT The Very Plush Hotel Called The Eaton Which Is Just Along From The Eaton George Sold ThePortland Hotel In The Early Eighties And Eventualay Sold The Gables Off To A Indian Consortem
With in A Year Of Selling The Portlands I Have Socialy Mixed With George And His Emediate Family And Have Worked For Him He As Got Two Sons But They Did Not Want The Hotels Nor Clubs ,One
 
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The Rainbow Casino was on the corner of Portland Rd and Clarendon Rd fronting Hageley Rd. To my knowledge it has always been owned by Harry Morrell.

In the late sixties we demolished two houses for him, to make his car park bigger. One in Portland Rd and one in Claredon Rd. He had a great deal of grief given him by "Shelter" (the homeless charity) over the demolition of these two houses and because of this we had to start work on a Sunday.

The one thing I remember about the man was, he was a gentleman. He came on site one day and asked me how we were being treated by his staff. I told him that "we hadn't seen any of them". Ten minutes later two waitresses came out with two trays of teas and sandwiches. It was the same each day for the rest of the job.

Phil
 
Phil still got 2 packs of Playing cards from there Green Back & Blue Backed I try and find them out.:)

The No 7 Portland Rd Bus went from the Bus Stop near our house, very handy in those days.
 
Patty i didn't know the Morells personally,an old girl friend at the time went for a job as a a trainee croupier,she didnt last long lest said the better, in the job i mean
Also i said an old mate of mine worked the door there in the 60s i put the wrong name it was Bobby Kennedy and you would not mess with Bob

Astonian mentioned a club in Mosely it reminded me of the Oxford Cub it was owened by the sister of Don Partridge the busker (ROSEY 'O' ROSEY''
i met don in Brixam when he first moved down there about 20 odd years ago i have been down to see him a few times and some friends of mine in Brixam tell me he is still there:)...Moss
 
Hi Stitcher - I have been away for a couple of days and have only just caught up with the replies to the question of where the Rainbow Casino was. I am really confused now as I was sure I was right, however from the replies it looks as though I am outnumbered, so please accept my apologies if I was wrong!

Portland House Hotel was on the corner of Portland Road and Hagley Road, and was on your right coming up Hagley Road from town. pmc1947 says that the Rainbow Casino was on the corner of Portland Road and Clarendon Road facing Hagley Road. So, perhaps the two houses were on opposite sides of the end of Portland Road - at least that's all I can think.
I do know for definite that I stayed at the Portland House Hotel for one night in February 1964 and it was somewhere near the corner of Portland Road (not near Gillott Road as Astonian says).
 
Mossy

I used the Oxford Club in Moseley, occasionally. I stopped going there, after I lost two mates in there one night because it was that dark.

Phil
 
Hi all

Yep, the Rainbow Club was on the Hagley Road, was on the corner on the right hand side coming out of town.
Think it is still some type of Casino, but haven't been up that way for ages.

Chris:)
 
Before I visited the Rainbow Club I had only been to the Cedar Club on Constitution Hill. I remember the Rainbow being exactly where everyone
says it was. It was quite different to the Cedar Club I remember. I suppose originally it was a residence.
 
Hello to everyone taking part in this discussion, I was sure about my facts regarding The Rainbow, but now I am not so sure. I have spoken to three retired cabbies and a bus driver who worked the Hagley Rd years ago. They all agree with me. Another one is not sure and someone who has worked for the club for many years says it used to be where the Masonic Hall now stands. I think that was the corner of Clarendon Rd. I have made arrangements to see someone from the club in the next few weeks and It will be cleared up then. I will apologise now as I said I would,;) because I think it is correct that it was on the corner of Clarendon and not Hagley and Portland.
 
I have been trying to find out what I can online re the position of the Rainbow, and I am still not sure but can tell you that in the 1964 and 1966 Kellys Directory, Portland House Hotel was owned by William Mellor and was at 221 Hagley Road.

I haven't been able to find an entry in the Kellys for the Rainbow Casino until 1967 when the Rainbow Casino Restaurant is listed at 1 Portland Road, but there could have been an earlier entry and I just haven't found it. It would be great if you could find out more Stitcher as I am really intrigued to know the answer now. I am beginning to wonder if my memory has been playing tricks :rolleyes:
 
Judy 39, thanks for trying. Initially I said what I thought was correct then someone said different so now I am not so sure but I will find out for sure in a couple of weeks time. If the person I am going to see o/ks it, I will put his/her name in the thread but they may not agree. :)
 
I will look forward to hearing what you find out Stitcher. Let's hope we can solve this question once and for all :) Judy
 
JUDY
I Can Tell You That The Portland Hotel Is On The Hagley Road
And To What Definion You Want To Access The Distance FromGillot Rd
I Said Before You Get Topo Gillott Rd The Portland Hotel Is I Know TheHotel Very Well
AndI Also That Part Of The Reason Why Mr George Sold The Portland , By The Way Mr George Is Not Is Surname Its Is Christian Name But Every body ThrougH Out The
City Calls Him Mr George And It Was Another Guy WhomWas An Italian And Family
Member Whom Was Is Hotel Manager WhomTryed To Rip Him And In The End Replaced HimAnd EventualySold It Off I Occasionaly Vist George At Home In Mosely
Mr George ,S nAME iS A Very Long Italian Name Which People Cannot Spell Or Pronounce
 
Astonion - Yes I agree, there is a Portland Hotel on the Hagley Road which is very near Gillott Road. This is an up-to-date modern building, but the hotel that I was talking about was the old Portland House Hotel, also on Hagley Road but on the corner of Portland Road. This was a large old Victorian detached house which was still there in 1964. As I left Birmingham in this year, I don't know when it stopped being a hotel.

Portland House Hotel (221 Hagley Road) is no longer there as far as I know, but the Portland Hotel at 313 Hagley Road, that you are talking about, is.
 
Hi there Anyone remember Bonkers at the back of Central TV studio?? We used to see male strippers....everything off......and snakes wrapped round their shoulders and they gave sweets out.....

And Millionaires, Faces, Peppermint Place and Burberrys on Broad Street...those were the days...really they were........
 
A.Willoughby said:
Dolls Club..‚..
Challenge taken Postie..‚.. Anyone recall Monique an Afro stripper who used put on a show there in about 1966?.‚.. The girls used to float between the Dolls and the strip club up Handsworth - forget its name
Click to expand...
I remember her, that was my era. I think the dolls club might have belonged to Alan? Fewtrell, Eddies brother. I worked in the Cedar Club. Does anyone remember Johnny Deakin? He owned a house in Portland Road where I went to a party after the Cedar closed and The Rolling Stones (with Brian Jones) came to it!
 
Have still got the top and bag the stewardess's wore. Sequens and pearls. It belonged to a friend who gave it to me. She was about eight years my senior. Her name was Sheila Turner. Bye. Jean.
 
In the very early 60s we used to go to a dance on Satuday lunch time. It was usually Carl Wayne and the Vikings or Denny Laine and the Diplomats. Was that at the Tower? It was down the street on the opposite side of the road from the Hall of Memory.
 
anna60 said:
In the very early 60s we used to go to a dance on Satuday lunch time. It was usually Carl Wayne and the Vikings or Denny Laine and the Diplomats. Was that at the Tower? It was down the street on the opposite side of the road from the Hall of Memory.
Click to expand...

Anna60

The Tower was in Edgbaston/Ladywood, so that wasn't the place you used to go to. The street opposite the H.O.M. could have been Bridge St I suppose, but I can't think of any clubs there in the early 60's.

The only clubs I can think of in that area at that time was The Rum Runner & The Opposite Lock was it one of those?

Phil
 
It wasn't the Rum Runner, they never had lunch time dances. But just round the corner was the West End and they did have them.

Ann
 
Was that the 'opposite lock', in Gas Street I think, run by Martin Hone who campaigned long and hard to get the Birmingham Grand Prix under way?
 
I'm sure it was the West End. Always punch up there on Saturdays. They also had a lunchtime dance during the week. Didn't think much of the place. Jean.
 
Lloyd said:
Was that the 'opposite lock', in Gas Street I think, run by Martin Hone who campaigned long and hard to get the Birmingham Grand Prix under way?
Click to expand...

Thats the one, down at the bottom of Gas Street just before the bend. I also think you are right about the Grand Prix. I never used the place myself I just knew of it.

Phil
 
Gee Gee Jean said:
I'm sure it was the West End. Always punch up there on Saturdays. They also had a lunchtime dance during the week. Didn't think much of the place. Jean.
Click to expand...

Jean

you could be right, I wouldn't know I didn't frequent such violent places. Well not after I got kicked out for fighting. I suppose the best way to find out is to ask anna60 if it was this place.

Phil
City Suffolk St West End .jpg
 
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I can't imagine you getting into a fight Phil?. That's the place I didn't like it at all. Everytime I went there was a fight and we would have to jump on the benches to escape. Bye. Jean.
 
Phil - You've done it again!! You always come up with the photos:thumbsup:

What a lot of memories you bring back with them. The old West End Ballroom - wow! I used to go with my sister sometimes on a Saturday night if the Locarno wasn't up to much. We then found that the West End was always worse, and mostly empty, so we made our way back to the Locarno again. Good to see the photo.

Judy
 
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