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TUDOR CAFE HOCKLEY BROOK

Jackeen said:
Hi Lyn & Carolina, thank you for the Soho hill link, I have as you said, had a good look and really enjoyed zooming around the area. Thank you also for the photo of the Miami coffee bar, unfortunately the Miami wasn't there during my 4 years living in that area between 1954 and 1958, its possible it was where the Tudor café was ??,it was on that side of, but possibly lower down the Hill? but the Tudor café was a Tudor style front, there is no indication of any Tudor style on the Miami, unfortunately I am not aware of when the Tudor café disappeared after I moved to Small Heath, or when the Miami came along, be good to find out? The Tudor café was very popular with teenagers in the early 50s, it had a Juke box with all the latest 45s on. I would be so grateful if someone might have any photos of the Tudor café from the early 50s...The other café on the right hand side on Hockley Hill going into town was owned by a Welsh lady we all knew as Edith. Be great if someone would have any photos of that?

In reply to your question about Key Hill Drive, the address I had was" BK/56 Key Hill Drive" BK meaning back of, it was a 2 bed attic type with living room flat above a Jewelry work shop who's frontage was on the corner of Key Hill with Key Hill Drive, we had to have a wash in cold water in the outhouse at the back, that would indicate that it was a house at one stage and the downstairs of the house was at some stage converted into a Jewelers work shop with access on the front in Key Hill with an address of 56, hence " BK/56 Key Hill Drive" therefore before the possible conversion the house number would have been No1 Key Hill Drive, does this make any sense?
Regards
Matt...(Jackeen)
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hi matt just going back to back of 56 key hill drive where you lived...it was as i suspected back of 56 key hill because key hill drive did not go up to no 56...all gone now but the map below shows its location in red..also below todays streetview of where no 56 would have been..

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lyn

key hill back of 56 1950.jpg
 
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Hi Lyn. Many thanks for link etc. You are correct about number 56, yes it is on Key Hill as you say, myself and my family friends who I lived with for about 12 months always used the postal address as BK/ 56 Key Hill Drive B18, when in fact its was BK/ 56 Key Hill, our post always arrived safely, the benefits of having a local postie, I guess. The red marking on the map indicates I think? number 54, any significance in that?, we lived on the top of number 56 and our entrance was round the back of 56, the entrance gap is still there in Key Hill Drive, but all the old house/work shop are all gone....
Thank you for the cracking photo of the Brook Café on right side of Hockley Hill going into town, we knew it as Edith's café, great meals there, proper dinners...A few times I helped to tidy up the stock in the cellar, got extra veg on my plate for that, and once chalked up the menu board for Edith, you can see the menu board outside on that photo, I well remember once the dessert was Rhubarb & custard, which I had spelled correctly and Edith rubbed it out and spelled it RUBARB, which of course was wrong, a slight disagreement later, and that was the end of my voluntary signwriting on the menu board, I handed in my notice, Ha-Ha...Happy days.!
As for the Tudor Cafe, I agree with you that it was nearer down the hill, it was a nearer the passageway that led between the Brook and Hunters road in front of the Bridge Tavern.. Thanks for everything.
Hopefully someone will have some photos of the Tudor Café.

Matt- Jackeen
 
Hi Lyn
I have looked very closely at the areal view 1948 of the Brook, yes, that where the Tudor café would be, I would say that it is in the block from the corner of Hunters road up to where the 5/6 shop blind is down, its a pity they didn't do google street view then to be able to zoom in on the frontages?, but I am hopeful one will crop up soon,
Incidentally the shot of Hockley Hill which shows part of the Benyon and shops going up the hill, I remember it well, the shop next to the Benyon with the blind down, is a butcher shop? the windows above the blind was in fact my late wife's granny and granddads place where they reared their family from, my wife who lived with her parents in Small Heath visited and stayed with at her granny's every weekend along with her own parents...The Brook café that we knew as Edith's place would be on the right hand side of that photo...Hope this is of interest?
Matt- Jackeen
 

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hi matt thanks again for your lovely memories...i agree with you about the location of the tudor cafe will keep searching...just going back to the map...if you look again some of the properties show a number and key hill went up in ones not twos the very end one corner of key hill drive was no 54 then 55 and next to that is 56 so the red dot indicates the back of 56..i thought the entrance would be in key hill drive but as you say its all gone now...thanks again for your memories and a look at your families history we are always interested and is what makes this forum so great...oh i have a photo of the bridge tavern would you like me to post it for you?

lyn
 
If only he had walked a little bit more before the photo was taken we may have got the cafe in.
 

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A good photo ob GOE 490 (1490) on the 29 route on its way through the city and beyond to Highfied Road, Hall Green.
1490 was one of the city's first post war buses.
 
Astoness said:
hi matt thanks again for your lovely memories...i agree with you about the location of the tudor cafe will keep searching...just going back to the map...if you look again some of the properties show a number and key hill went up in ones not twos the very end one corner of key hill drive was no 54 then 55 and next to that is 56 so the red dot indicates the back of 56..i thought the entrance would be in key hill drive but as you say its all gone now...thanks again for your memories and a look at your families history we are always interested and is what makes this forum so great...oh i have a photo of the bridge tavern would you like me to post it for you?

lyn
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Hi Lyn, Thank you for the correction, Number 54 looked at first to me as 56, sorry, the red mark that indicates 54 I can see at the back which the outline that was the outhouse, that is where we had to enter around the back, and up a flight or stairs, I had the attic room at the top, those were the days...Yes please to your offer for a photo of the Bridge tavern, thank again, and here hoping someone will come forward with a photo of Tudor café ?
Matt --Jackeen
 
hi matt as promised a photo of the bridge tavern and another one showing the buildings next to it..the spire visible in photo 2 is i am sure that of st saviours church corner of bridge st west and villa st

lyn

bridge tavern hunters road buildings next to it.JPGbridge tavern hunters road.JPG
 
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Astoness said:
hi matt as promised a photo of the bridge tavern and another one showing the buildings next to it..the spire visible in photo 2 is i am sure that of st saviours church corner of bridge st west and villa st

lyn

View attachment 158293View attachment 158294
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Hi Lyn. Thank you for those 2 photos, I remember them well, sad to see that they were due for demolition then, but I have never been down the side of the Bridge Tavern, I would love to see and photos from around the 50s period? thank you... Any luck with photos of the Tudor café?.
Regards
Matt --Jackeen.

Ps. I posted some 9 photos on another history site in 2015 of where I worked in 1954 to 56 and wrote about my earlier life and how I found my way to Birmingham in 1954, but would like your private advice first about this? you will have access to my contact details, happy to talk first, I could possibly be able to send to you first, and if you think its ok, then maybe you might wish to put them on the BHF site to generate interest/discussion??. The members may be interested. What do you think?
Matt--Jackeen.
 
hi matt no luck with a photo yet but if one turns up i will post it for you...

i am sure our members would love to see your photos and read about your earlier life and how you came to live in birmingham.. its things like this that help to keep the forum running...i have no access to your private contact details the only way that we can exchange our email addresses is by using the forums private message system so i have sent you one giving you my email address

lyn
 
Was the Bridge Tavern in Hunters Road just before H Samuel ?.My mother worked at the Tudor Cafe, the cafe was in the group of premises between Len Waterhouse and Goodlass Wall on the corner...
 
Lyn, is there any way to find out what happened to Beacon Tools? I was very surprised to see that name as I was very close to the owner and his family! I have been looking and looking and could never find anything!
 
Beacon Tools are in 1963 phone book but had gone by 1968 unfortunately interim years are not online so I can't check exactly when it went.
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hindlip said:
Was the Bridge Tavern in Hunters Road just before H Samuel ?.My mother worked at the Tudor Cafe, the cafe was in the group of premises between Len Waterhouse and Goodlass Wall on the corner...
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yes it was hindlip

lyn
 
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