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the cedar club

Please some help I remember the Ceder Club but I think I was to scared to go in or to young as I recall it had a moody rep, was it on the right hand side going up the hill ?
 
Used the. Club every Thursday and weekend from58 onwards .My cousin and ChrissyFewtrell were good friends even held his stag night there.What a night it was.
 
Robert Ensor (bob) said:
Please some help I remember the Ceder Club but I think I was to scared to go in or to young as I recall it had a moody rep, was it on the right hand side going up the hill ?
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Yes, it was on the right hand side going towards Hockley from town.
The building was demolished years ago, not quite sure why as nothing has ever been built on that piece of ground.

I went a couple of times to see a band I knew - seemed fine. I think it had been surpassed by the Fewtrell's other two clubs, Rebeccas and Barbarellas by then.
 
During the late 60’s, until 1973, my particular group of mates included a lovely lad who worked for Mr. Fewtrell (no names!) - he was actually a sandwich-course student, studying for a BSc in glass manufacture; so a bright lad. He was a big, handsome fella, and quite a good boxer, and was also into Ju-Jitsu. Mr. Fewtrell called him his “intelligent muscle” - and took quite a shine to him. I recall one occasion when I overheard the two of them discussing medieval stained glass! My mate’s job was to visit all the Fewtrell clubs, and ‘assess’ the security staff/bouncers; reporting back once a week, and discussing any issues arising. He was also required to instruct/demonstrate how to diffuse situations, by virtue of charm and politeness - a ‘charm school’ for gorillas! Mr. Fewtrell disliked thugs - either as employees, or as customers.

Although always very discreet regarding his work, he nevertheless had a great regard for Mr. Fewtrell (as he always addressed him, as I do now) and often said that we’re it not for him, and his brothers, Birmingham would have been a far more dangerous place than it was. He was good for the city, and was both trusted and respected by the police. Mr. Fewtrell utterly loathed drugs, and did all he could to keep Brum clean. One of his mottos was “a safe Brum is a rich Brum.”

As for being any sort of a gangster, he said himself that if he was, then he was a very “reluctant one” - but to be in the business he was in, he had occasionally to ‘break rules in order to enforce rules.’ A bit like a frontier sherif of the old Wild West - the Earp brothers spring to mind!

He loved Brum, and only ever wanted the best for the city and its people.
 
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There's a trilogy of books called the accidental gangster written about Eddie and his rise to fame, tells you all about his family and the club empire plus all the so called stories about the krays etc. I'm not sure but I think his daughter had something to do with them which resulted in them not speaking anymore
 
Hi Lyn, do you still have the picture of the Cedar Club please as mentioned in your first post? I went there a lot but doubt if I could get up the stairs now!
 
Thank you for the picture A Sparks. It's funny, I can remember the inside, climbing the stairs and even walking up Constitution Hill but not the outside. Did you enter by the door leading from Constitution Hill? Oh, those far off days of hair-pieces, false eyelashes and hot pants! (no not the men before anyone asks....).

We went to a talk a couple of weeks ago at the Kitchen Garden Cafe with Des Tong and Bev Bevan about the bands and clubs of Birmingham in the 60's and 70's. It brought back a lot of memories. Try and catch it if they repeat it.
 

This is a clip with Roy Wood talking to Jim Bowen from 1998 where he takes him to where the Cedar Club was, thing is though that it's not the right place!
The Cedar was demolished years before and is still just a plot of overgrown land!!
Either Roy has forgotten where it was or they just preferred to show the buildings in the next block!
 
A Sparks said:

This is a clip with Roy Wood talking to Jim Bowen from 1998 where he takes him to where the Cedar Club was, thing is though that it's not the right place!
The Cedar was demolished years before and is still just a plot of overgrown land!!
Either Roy has forgotten where it was or they just preferred to show the buildings in the next block!
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Had not thought about Roy Wood in years, the bassist Rick Price would come and see his mum along with the rest of the band in a limo his mum would run over to my mum grocery store for a loaf of bread when they showed up
 
I read Pat Roach's biography recently and the Cedar Club is mentioned in it, relating to George Cullen & Paddy White having the club for a few weeks, and that George Cullen's son & daughter managed it for a while, would that be correct? Does anyone have any historical info?
 
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My friend, married name Chris Hannon, now deceased, we also worked together in the 80's & 90's, used to tell me nice stories about the Fewtrells as she had known them for years and even went to the same school. We lived inStirchley Birmingham at the time and from time to time she'd bump into them. Can't remember much else, other than talking with my oldest daughter recently, she said Edward No 7, where she went as a teenager, belonged to Eddie Fewtrell.
 
A Sparks said:

This is a clip with Roy Wood talking to Jim Bowen from 1998 where he takes him to where the Cedar Club was, thing is though that it's not the right place!
The Cedar was demolished years before and is still just a plot of overgrown land!!
Either Roy has forgotten where it was or they just preferred to show the buildings in the next block!
Click to expand...

really enjoyed watching that...what a great band...thanks for posting it

lyn
 
Pat Sattar-Jennings said:
My friend, married name Chris Hannon, now deceased, we also worked together in the 80's & 90's, used to tell me nice stories about the Fewtrells as she had known them for years and even went to the same school. We lived inStirchley Birmingham at the time and from time to time she'd bump into them. Can't remember much else, other than talking with my oldest daughter recently, she said Edward No 7, where she went as a teenager, belonged to Eddie Fewtrell.
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Yes, Edwards 7 in Severn Street was also run by the Fewtrells.
 
A Sparks said:
Yes, Edwards 7 in Severn Street was also run by the Fewtrells.
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Went one Tuesday night to the ceder club do asked audience if the fancy ed a joke commpation I went up wither others stayed on for over half an hour I still have the bob marley live album I won that night from er skin t the d j asked to og on again the next week
 
paulray said:
it was mentioned about possibly some sort of grave yard there.
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yes we believe there was a small graveyard at the back of the cedar club...below is the thread...i have emailed the council about this to see if there are still bodies buried there which would explain why that ground has lain empty for so long but as expected i have received no reply from them

Bond Street Baptist Chapel/Meeting House

The Baptist Union Corporation may be worth a try too to see if they have archives. Don’t know if they had a predecessor, but any sales of Baptist property are supposed to be notified to them. Viv. thanks viv...i can see a tel number but was there an email add please lyn
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
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