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All credit to the local residents association and Heritage Lottery Fund! From what I can see six made it to Yorks Wood, but they are large chunks of stone, an amazing survival story. And wonderful that they are still part of the landscape.

There's a thread with photos of the scout camp at Yorkswood/Yorks Wood. https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/yorkswood-york’s-wood-camp-site-castle-bromwich.2715/page-3 The griffins fitted in with large wooden carved and painted totem poles.

Welcome to BHF, Emily! Yes, I remember the griffins from camping at Yorks Wood with the scouts in the 1960s. Though I didn't count them. I didn't know they came from the roof of the old Lewises. The griffins were installed at the scout campsite about 1923 and became part of the new housing...

No basement stairs to be seen from the ground floor of Gail's.

Nor mine Richard! I wonder if the menu was written in French? Someone wanted to create an upmarket clientele. In Gails the prices are high, but it is more 'Can I get a coffee?'

'Satis' means enough. Latin as in satisfaction. You will have plenty to eat here. :)

The main entrance to Newton Chambers is in Cannon Street and seems very elaborate. [Source CC. Futurilla@Flickr]

The only smoke in our house came from two days of wood fires in the front room. The only days when a fire was lit there. But yes, wonderful Christmases as a child. We make a lighter pudding these days and don't boil it for hours. No rich fruit cake these days. I'm grateful I was taught to be a...

I make it October, so the only Christmas traditions in my childhood home would be the making of puddings and a cake. I helped, or hindered with the stirring using my grandmother's large wooden spoon. It was one of the few times that spices and alcohol were used in our house. We still use my...

A recent article published by the Museum Association: https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2025/10/outcry-after-council-signs-off-plan-to-relocate-walsall-leather-museum/ Looks like a done deal: 'Councillors last week signed off on a 125-year lease of the building to Walsall...

Yes, you can. But I don’t know if there are any staff areas. The main room has an oven or autoclave at the far end.

There are none in the public areas of Gail’s, I seem to remember some in Cannon St. The Dispatch article suggests ‘the lobby.’

Thanks Richard! It would be interesting to hear about earlier times.

I'm too young to have used the New Street Kardomah, but looking at the photos it's clear that the cafe had a corner entrance under the sign, while Gail's has a window there and opens onto New Street. Gail's occupies 42A, while the Kardomah was bigger and had the basement as well. Downstairs...

Some of mosaics which featured in the New Street Kardomah are now upstairs in Charles Tyrwhitt a men's clothes shop. When the building was refurbished some mosaics were moved to the lobby of Newton Chambers in Cannon Street. Link posted up thread, but no harm in repeating it as this certainly is...

An easy slip! But it is interesting that Fuchs was spying so early in the war 1941-1943 when he was in Birmingham and working on the 'Tube Alloys' project. (The British origins of the atomic bomb).

The Dispatch had an article 'Before Gail's, there was the Kardomah' by Ian Francis 4 Jan 2025 with some photos. (BHF gets a credit) https://www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/before-gails-there-was-kardomah/

Hope you don't mind a correction. His name is Fuchs (fox) and as he was arrested 2nd Feb 1950, he must have met his handler in Birmingham in the early 1940s. She was Ursula Kuczynski (Sonya). Fuchs went to the US at the end of 1943. While he worked at Harwell from 1946 he met his handler in...

Will try to get a better view of the sign when I can to replace this effort.

At the present, there are roadworks on the pavement there. I'll try to get a photo of the ghost sign when I can. Cafe is clear, but Kardomah less so.