Does anyone recall the Café on the Coventry Road, near Bordesley Bridge ?
It directly faced New Bond Street. The rear of the café was Birmingham smallest park ! This was almost on the corner of Sandy lane near the traffic lights
The Café’s main windows were boarded up and painted brown with just top part of the window showing to let in some light. This had to be boarded due to missiles being thrown with football crowds walking past on their way to and from the Blues ground. This was in the 1960’s and early 1970’s long before metal shutters that we see today.
The café did not have a name , but was often referred to as The little Brown Café.
Long before microwaves, mod cons or cling film , food was bought in fresh everyday and cooked to order. Besides breakfasts, a lunch time roast meat and two veg was also cooked fresh, with various puddings, besides sandwiches to take out in grease proof bags. The bread pudding was delicious.
There were many industries /factories in the area during that time , they used to telephone their orders through. However, I suspect that the outside appearance of the café put many of the general public off. Yet inside was spotlessly clean.
My relative had to leave the café in 1973 due to the widening of the Coventry Road and to make way for the large Island.