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The Grapes Hotel Hill Street

Astonian

gone but not forgotten
Can Any body Tell Me If The Grapes Pub Is Still At The Bottom End
Of Hill Street City Centre B,ham I Remember Going There With A Couple oF
Friends Of Mine Way Back In The Sixties We Used To Go On The Pull For WomenThen There Used To Be A Divorced And Seperate Club , Meeting Place
Up Stairs , You Had To Pay Three Ppounds To Get Through The Door , But It Was Full Of Women Pretending To Be One Or The Other TheyJust WantedA FreeNight Out On The Fellers , We Cotonend On And Moved Around The Town And ThenWe Would End Up At The Tower Until 2 Oclock In The Morning
With A Woman , Garrenteed And Then Make Our Way To The Tow Rope ,
 
Pete delivered there when he was a drayman. He said the building is still there but not sure if it is still a pub. Will ask our neighbour who is still on the delivery side. Jean.
 
Astonian i used the grapes in the 60s they used to put cheese and bits on the bar me and my brother usedto go there sunday morning on my scooter
and as for the D&D club upstairs i would not know about,that:DMossy
 
HI MOSSY ,
The Divorced And Seperates Used To Be On Thursday Evening ,
Thursday Was My Pay Day When I Worked At Avery Scales ,Me And The Myattes Brothers Whom Lived Up The Top End Of Icknield Port Rd By The Pub By Dudley Rd Nick . And Another Friend From Shakespear Rd By The Name Of Paddy Used To Go There Every Thursday Evening ,
In The Sixties , Best Wishes ASTONIAN ,;;
 
Astonian,

My memories of the Grapes are few, other than it being a short walk from the Crown. It seemed to be frequented by a lot of luvies from the Alex. The only time I ever went upstairs was to a stag night organized by the market lads. I have to say on that evening I was disgusted. I was disgusted that the lads at the front of the tables were getting all the attention from the girls who were performing and I was stuck at the back.

I also have to confess to spending a lot of time at the Tow Rope It was the ideal place to finish a night out off in the 60’s. cheap reasonable food and the chance to click if you hadn’t already done so, That sounds very sexist today, but true nonetheless.

Phil
 
I wonder does anyone have any information on location of this The Grapes Hotel in Hill Street c1911 or even any photos or illustrations of it....I know if at all possible....it will be possible on this website.........thanks for any contributions
 
mikeflan

According to 1913 which would be the listing for 1912, Kelly's Directory lists the Grapes Public House at 78 Hill St, which was the corner of Severn St. The Landlords name was Frederick J Clarke. I have cone back to 1863 it is always listed as a Public House and never a Hotel.

Phil
 
I managed to find this, I don't think its as early as you wanted but a little later. Its not a very good photograph but it will do until someone comes along with a better one. I do know they demolished the original Grapes in the 60's and replaced it with a new pub of the same name.

Phil
 

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The building is still there, its a 24hr supermarket now, next door to what was the futurist cinema (think thats what it was called, now a erm gentlemen club!) , don't know if it will survive the new street redevelopment as its right in front of what will be the main entrance. I remember going to see a guy at work play in a band there it was a pub by then and spread over three floors
 
Hi, guys,is this the pub i have been searching for a long time, i vaguely remember a pub called the Grapes was it used for bikers who parked them outside in a side street? the entrance was on a corner and the side street went up a hill,does anyone else have any info or even a picture to put my mind at rest, pleaseee:)
 
There used to a Grapes pub on the corner of Lower Severn St. and Hill St. A view of the area in picture. There was an entrance to the pub in both streets.
 

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the grapes is at the bottom of hill st but is now a corner shop. used to go to the grapes in the late 70s and early 80s when there would be a rock disco upstairs.
 
HI PHIL;
Yes indeed i recall the tow rope very much indeed i spent many a night in there me and my cronnies
till six in the morning ; well i was young and good looking and always pulled a bird or two
and yes the meals was to bad either the price as well do you remember a big tall guy with long blonde hair
he was gay and also his attractive wife whom was also gay do you remember mick the greek whom ran a joint across the rd i think it was next to the register office that was twenty four hour that one we spent many a nights in there as well and if we missed the last bus we would skip on those old benches within the hall of memory aftre haveing a shin full a copper would come along and asked us what are we doing and we would tell him we have missed the last bus home
and he said okay behave your selfs lads but do not be here next week [
but we was and hopeing it was not the same copper from the week before and it never was thank god
yes it holds alot of memos to me and the old lads whom i knew many years ago and sadly over the years the lads have all but me have passed away through some kind of illness
take care phil ; best wishes alan ; astonian
 
The name of the guy who ran the tow rope was known locally by us kids as Barrie the queer.


HI PHIL;
Yes indeed i recall the tow rope very much indeed i spent many a night in there me and my cronnies
till six in the morning ; well i was young and good looking and always pulled a bird or two
and yes the meals was to bad either the price as well do you remember a big tall guy with long blonde hair
he was gay and also his attractive wife whom was also gay do you remember mick the greek whom ran a joint across the rd i think it was next to the register office that was twenty four hour that one we spent many a nights in there as well and if we missed the last bus we would skip on those old benches within the hall of memory aftre haveing a shin full a copper would come along and asked us what are we doing and we would tell him we have missed the last bus home
and he said okay behave your selfs lads but do not be here next week [
but we was and hopeing it was not the same copper from the week before and it never was thank god
yes it holds alot of memos to me and the old lads whom i knew many years ago and sadly over the years the lads have all but me have passed away through some kind of illness
take care phil ; best wishes alan ; astonian
 
hi pete
i knew barie and sue his wife [ partner ] they had a flat in mosely or should i say kings heath
but i think it did come under mosely hewas very well known up and down the country
he used to tell us about the wild partys he used t go to including ena sharples party i n manchester
i knew he was a frequently in there but did know he ran the place
best wishes alan ; astonian
 
The "grapes" I'm thinking of was perhaps older,"The Bunch Of Grapes" was on the junction of Hill St.And John Bright St. in the 1950s which is long gone.Across the road was laura Dixons Dance studio ( only tea was served ) so the "Grapes" was the closest port of call for the drinking classes,during intervals.Two weeks ago was the first time I had been in that area for 50 years,so I wouldn't have known the Sam Wellar pub.
 
Just up from the Grapes was the Gluepot ( later Sam Wellers) and next door was the Parassole.
ragga :unconscious:


:unconscious:
 
Hi Pete

You must have used the Tow Rope at a much later time than myself (66-68) as Barry was only a regular customer in those days. I think he used to come in at that time to see a friend of his Danny who was a barman at the Rum Runner.

Phil
 
HI PHIL;
Barry was a full of beans character within the city of brum he was one of brums old trade fair mark if you
get my drift ; him and his other half used to come out late sleep by day and party by the night life lights was
his life and his partner whom i beleive they was married and some times he would carry his little white poodle around with him yes danny was of the same making to a degree ; and danny looked after him at all times
but barrie came out for pick ups if you get my drift ; i can say that as i know it to be true as we have been with him when he as met clients and gone and came back ; i say no more than that barrie and sue was both quite open about there sexuality even today if he was around he would not hide the fact and tell you straight
but i would only presume that he as long gone and left this plannet by pasing over unless he his drwing his pension or may be gone back to manchester where he his also well known ;
when he dressed in is out fits and all his glamour frocks and jewerely he looked the bussiness
he could have done dear old danny larue out of his proffession and so could sue she was a true good looking woman
in her glitz you would not think they was both gay people the grapes pub was a matter of about 100 yards from
the old crown pub ; the grapes ran the thursday night divorced and seperat clubs and beleive me the woman
was on the pull and only out to sponge of the men folk for a free good night out and a meal and it was back to there hubbys and you never seen them again for two weeks the beast place to pull for the older dears and women whomwas looking for toy boys was down at the albany hotel bat you could not go wrong they would buy you the meals and the drink just to be escorted thats where we used to go; i remembe sam wellers very well and the parosole
best wishes astonian alan
 
Alan

I knew Barry from Balsall Heath long before the Tow Rope, when he used to come in the local cafés and pubs with a cross dresser by the name of Paul or Pauline as he preferred to be called. You had to be very smart to know that he wasn't a woman because unless you looked very closely you couldn't tell.

To be honest I saw no harm in any of them, even if what they were was against the law still then. I always found them to be of a very generous nature and good fun to be in a company with.

Phil
 
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