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costermonger pub

P

philbee

birmingham born and bred
Could someone enlighten as to the whereabouts of a pub called the costermonger i have a memory of it being in the snow hill area behind the gaumont and i seem to remember pictures of horse racing painted on the interior walls ,or is my memory playing tricks on me.
phil
 
That sounds like The Brown Derby. Which was in the underpass opposite the Gaumont.

Only Costermonger I remember was in the shops behind Oasis.
 
If I remember correctly the Costermonger's entrance was about where the red mark is below

map_c_1970_showing_approx_position_of_Costermonger_pub.jpg
 
Hi philbee
the costamonger pub was within the corporation square market entrance
just up from dale end you would walk up to the old lewis store but before you would reach there the entrance to the market square would be on your left and just turn into it and the first door you came to was the old costa mongers
i used to go there myself regular and the place was full of the dezigned hawkers wheel barrows as tables around the room ;
a year or two later they done away with them and put proper tables and chairs in
i think the old road was up the side of bull street before they redezign the city and put a load of bus stops there
this would be in the seventy -to eightys but i was there long before that ; andseen the decline in the pub ;
because a couple of years down the line it changed to a rockers pub ; and that what done its decline then the riff started to come in ;[ meaning druggies ] the biggest reason as well across the rd was lewisis; but when it closed down and they turned it into a weatherspon pub that finised the old cosamonger ;;
best wishes astonian;;
 
A pub I never used, so I cant say very much about it other than this photo of the entrance is not a very good advertisement,
 

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I used it early 80's and remember playing the early space invader games machine in there, one night one of the charity collectors came round and I tried to ignore him as I was playing the game, he then stood on my foot to get my attention!
 
I went in the Costermonger a few times, years ago.

It's not off Union Street (as shown on Mikegee's map) but the other side of Lower Bull Street in the area of Martineaux Square and as fatfingers said, sort of behind Oasis.

I can't really recollect what it was like inside now.
 
I started dinking in there 76/77 on Friday nights, 4 pint of Double Diamond for a pound, those were the days, heaven't been there since the mid eighties.
 
I cant remember much about the pub only the decor the Brown Derby sounds familiar but the pub i remember seemed to be by the big insurance company building coming up from st chads up snow hill , any photos of the brown derby to jog my memory .
phil
 
Only went there twice, early 70's, not sure if that was the good time or towards the end, but I thought it was okay/good inside then. They had a shuffle puck type of game (unless my brains pickling with age) where you played like a mini game of kurling using small round discs about the size of a jam jar lid, on an iced table about 8 foot long. Not sure how long it lasted tho. They had a similar one in the Grapes close to the old Futurist Cinema at roughtly the same time.
 
I remember the shuffle puck game, so your brains not going off just yet !! The jukebox was also one of the best around if you liked proper music (Rock) !!
 
i also used costers in the very early 70s...that was in my wild days...ive calmed down a bit since then lol..

lyn
 
I only went in there a couple of times. Didn't they used to have a full size cart inside, I suppose a costermonger's cart? Seem to remember I didn't particularly like the place. And yes it was in Martineau Sq, modern place. Viv.
 
Used Costers in the early 80's, bit of a dive, but drinks were cheap and dwilly, that charity collector was a regular and used the trick of standing on your toes frequently - he gave up with us when e told him we were poor student nurses lol!
Last time I went in there would have been mid nineties, when I met my 2nd (current) hubby, he took me there and I'm sure the decor hadn't changed in 15 years.
Sue
 
Philbee, are you thinking of the West End Bar - that was in the area you are saying and hubby informs me they had pics of horses on the walls.
His other question for any of you is what was the name of the scooter boys pub, between the West End Bar and Lloyd House - I am assuming he knows the answer and is just testing you!
Sue
 
Reason I thought of The Brown Derby was it was decorated with a horseracing theme. Also iirc, had one wall which was all mirror,
 
hi phil
yes the brown derby was under the under pass by the wesley insurance company
and it was the underpas at the top end of steel house lane and colmore row and snow hill
and i think it was BYthe evening mail colmore row i thought it was a distasteful place and bare in colour ;
only went once and that was enough ;
when the costomongers first openend it was full of small hawkers hand carts with fixed wheel barrows of which you could not move around and you would have to have stand byand used them as tables only
and that was before the rough necksrockers taken over a year or two later and from then it was getting broken front doors
and went into disrepare
best wishes astonian
 
I used to go to the costas in the 80s and 90s it was a great pub never ever seen a fight in it a great crowd used to go there mix of rockers and punks. the decor was a bit rough but it served beer and good music what more did you want. sadly closed a couple of years ago. Never seen or smelt drugs in it used to have a good bouncer who kept things in order whilst being respectful to customers.
 
The Costers was on Dalton Way, off Priory Square, Lower Bull Street. In 1979 I used to work at the Mid Ed and nipped in for a few sherbets on the way home. A few of the Ansell's brewery lads used to drink in there. Great days.
 
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By coincidence I came past the site of the Costermonger's last night (I was on my way back from Heartlands as an accident had stopped the 28 bus taking me virtually door to door so I had to go into town and out again). I haven't thought about it for years until I went past last night. I went in the mid to late 60's but can't remember exactly. Anyone know when it was opened as it was fairly new when I went? I remember the barrows seem to remember having to go downstairs or am I confusing it with other pubs?
 
I remember it opening. Went there one evening soon after and it was packed. It's not in the 1973 Kellys, so must have been 1973 or after
 
Lady P

As I said earlier in this thread it was a pub I never used, though I didn't think it opened until the 70's, because that is when I stopped using the pubs and clubs in the City centre. Having never used it I couldn't say if you had to go down any stairs once inside. However here is another shot of that uninviting entrance.
 

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There was a downstairs bar. what I am not clear is whether there was also any upstairs bar also. My memories (fading) suggest not
 
mikejee said:
I remember it opening. Went there one evening soon after and it was packed. It's not in the 1973 Kellys, so must have been 1973 or after
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mike thats strange because i was using it before i got married in dec 72
 
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