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Dingley's Hotel

Michael_Ingram

gone but not forgotten
We are spring cleaning at home and yesterday I found a forgotten photograph album; the two photos below were in it. They show Dingley's Hotel in Moor Street on the corner of New Meeting Street. What worries me is that I took the photos sometime in the late 50s, early 60s and I knew that I called it 'Dingley's' not 'Dingley's Hotel'. In fact the name 'Dingley's' rings a clear bell deep down in my memory. I can't, however remember being inside but that bell tells me that it was part of my social life at the time and I possibly knew it well. Up the road from Dingley's was the Stage Door coffe bar which I do remember, very well.
Does anyone out there remember Dingley's and can give more information or describe their memories to help open my locked box?
 

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Sorry Michael but it doesn't ding(ley) any bell with me at all. Could it be they retailed over-strong beer that led to permanent amnesia? Like you, I can remember the Stage Door very well. I can recall practically falling into that coffee bar after visiting some nearby hostelry which I can't remember the name of. ???
 
Well, here's the Stage Door Club. We may have shared tables or a stall. Do you remember Dereck Watts the blues singer. Other members I remember: me, Kevin Donaldson, Brian Tipper, Spencer Davis, Stevie Windwood, Christine Perfect, Dave Ingram, Tan (another singer who alternated nights with Derek Watts), Dave Crockett (flamenco guitar), a tall thin chap who served coffee, someone called Pablo, Luke Kelly (of the Dubliners), Lorna Cambell (Graham Cambell's sister, Graham Cambell, a bloke who always wore a suit and a trench mac, loads of other people who I can see but have forgatten there names
 
I don't remember either of them Michael, but the photo's are yet again more reminders of Birmingham as it used to be. :)
 
Another picture of Dingleys. O0
 

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Luvly pics. I was always impressed by Dingley's Hotel - such an elegant, dignified building. When I finished my course as a student in 1955, I took a girl student there for a lunch, but we found the atmosphere rather stuffy (same old business geezers every day no doubt), not cheap. and the food not memorable. No score - just part of life's adventure. That straight-on few of the facade shows just how elegant the proportions were, but a pity about the rainwater pipe. And as for those chimney pots!!! (A fetish of mine, you understand).
The Stage Door Club (or Cafe?) I can only dimly remember, but I left in 1959.
Incidentally, My Bartholomew's Street Atlas is dated 1945 and also cost 4/-, so the rate of inflation was not constant. I have obliterated most of the road with coloured lines to indicate where I had been and with which girl friend. Bloggers hadn't been invented in those days, or I would have been one.
Peter
 
Michael_Ingram said:
Well, here's the Stage Door Club. We may have shared tables or a stall. Do you remember Dereck Watts the blues singer. Other members I remember: me, Kevin Donaldson, Brian Tipper, Spencer Davis, Stevie Windwood, Christine Perfect, Dave Ingram, Tan (another singer who alternated nights with Derek Watts), Dave Crockett (flamenco guitar), a tall thin chap who served coffee, someone called Pablo, Luke Kelly (of the Dubliners), Lorna Cambell (Graham Cambell's sister, Graham Cambell, a bloke who always wore a suit and a trench mac, loads of other people who I can see but have forgatten there names





Yes I remember Spencer Davis Group my friend who used to work in Burton's the Tailors was lead guitar
with the group he also played at my late sisters engagement party just 14

Later he would tour with Gene Vincent
 
Well, here's the Stage Door Club. We may have shared tables or a stall. Do you remember Dereck Watts the blues singer. Other members I remember: me, Kevin Donaldson, Brian Tipper, Spencer Davis, Stevie Windwood, Christine Perfect, Dave Ingram, Tan (another singer who alternated nights with Derek Watts), Dave Crockett (flamenco guitar), a tall thin chap who served coffee, someone called Pablo, Luke Kelly (of the Dubliners), Lorna Cambell (Graham Cambell's sister, Graham Cambell, a bloke who always wore a suit and a trench mac, loads of other people who I can see but have forgatten there names
I too remember the Stage Door,Jimmy Smith Walk on the Wildside was on the Jukebox. One Ian Gibson played a Robert Johnson song there one Wednesday night if i recall.Do you remember a girl called Carmen.
 
No, I can’t recall a young lady by the name of Carmen. Can you remember two sisters from a town in South Wales one of whom was called Jan? Mind you I'm referring to '65/'67.
Most people that frequented the Stage Door in my era also went to The Greyhound and drank “Blood” - very, very rough cider with a dash of blackcurrant juice. Did you go there? The pub was on Holloway Head, not far from what was then the old Accident Hospital.
 
I can remember what that drink used to be called my friend used to drink it (Leg Over) I stuck to gin and orange in those days.
 
I have an interest in the Dingley's Hotel. The 1891 census shows one of my ancestors Annie Emma Talkington as head of this establishment. Would that be unusual in those days for the manageress to be a woman. She married a Corn Dealer in 1905 a Mr. John Millward and as far as I can tell was still there until her death in 1924. Unfortunately non the photos of this hotel can be viewed, if anyone still has any I would love to see what this hotel looked like. Many thanks
 
Here are some more pictures, 4 later ones, probably around 1960 judging by mini
, and the first one which is marked 1932

moor_st_1932_showing_dingleys_hotel.jpg



dingleys_hotel_MoorSt-1960_.jpg



stagedoor.jpg


dingleys2.jpg


dingleys1.jpg
 
Jules65 - This is from The Birmingham Daily Post Friday 5th December 1890.
License Transfers - Dingleys Hotel, Moor Street to Annie Talkington (this was from a very long list so I have edited it to just show the person you are interested in) The large majority of people on this particular list were men but I don't know how common it was for women to hold beer/establishment licenses.
 

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I don't think it was uncommon Polly. Obviously there were more men than women, but quite a lot took over when their husband died, and sometimes then moved pubs. I think in a lot of the cases where a man is listed as the licence holder he often had another job and it was his wife who actually did most of the work round the pub ( no sarcy comments from femanists please ). Therefore it would be no extra effort for her to take over
 
Thanks Mike - that's exactly what I have found in my own family research but wasn't sure how typical it was.
 
My memory is still just as bad but I have just reread this and my bell is ringing with the name Carmen. Wasn’t Carmen a he. There was a group of transvestites who were not to be messed with who were regulars at the Trocadero; wasn’t Carmen part of that group?
 
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