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Birmingham Nightclubs of the Past - Memories

  • Thread starter Thread starter mazbeth
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maxwell bullivant said:
Has anyone memories of "The Parisian " Pub in town ?
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I used the Parisian a lot between '70 and '74.I was in there the night they bombed the Tavern.Divine intervention or what,any other time I would have gone to the Tavern first.Still dont know why I did'nt that night.Never been back inside either pub since.
 
hi paty and mossy
the brum caven was the orinigialy one that opened up was in summer lane
it first opened up as as a all night coffee bar and the building ajoining it was a complete different bussiness
and between the two building the was an arch way and when that building became available
the owners snapped it up and joined it and made all in one in place
i cannot just think of the named building next door . mossy you would have been in there that i know
with your feather hair cut like rod stewarts style along with midnight . you know whom i mean don,t you
the brum caven had tex playing regular there it was up the top of the old summer lane
which is now known as summer hill from the old sand pitts
if you recall the sand pitts or the lyric picture house
walk to the corner and turn to walk up to town
and if you can recall the brow of the hill as you walking up it was on your right hand
you had the cannal running across the road so the humpie part of thehill was the cut
there was alot of shops [ small ones then ]and thats where it was just short of town
and there was a big ware house across the rd called hoods general ware houseing and hard ware
i think most of the kids from lady wood worked there on there first job of leaving school
well the i.st brum caven opened there way back in the late fifties it started as a late all night coffee bar
and the only ones in those days doing that was the pink elephant night club
and it was years before the rendavous on broad st and even the tow rope was not thought on
before that
all of the west midlands band started and played there in there early days of performning
from coventry and and brum they made there first debut
some have gone on and made there names and records but a lot have failed but Tex was a regular
patty the caven came to wordsworth rd many many years after the caven was demolished
Mossy do you remember a pub down along and across the rd grom the king edwards pub at the parade
it was as you come out the lyric and to the corner next to a little shop
incidently i do recall mid night saying that you and him had popped into the caven whilst i was in his house
so think back to those pubs at spring hill and work your way up the hilltowards town
it had alot of hoardings on the wall out side it with a opening to walk in for entrance
i must meet up with you in august when i come down brean
best wishes to every body Astonian ;;;
 
Astonian said:
hi maxi
was,nt that the pub down under the sub way down next to Lewisis
you had two exits in order to get to it
or should i say three now i can cometo think of it
come down from steele house lane side , or snow hill exit. or from the kardoma and lewisis
and down those three exits down into the sub way it was abit iffy ; if you don,t mind me saying so
but saying that it was a shoppers day time pub mainly evening it was dire straights [ Dead ]
we use to go to the cosmonga or the cabin before going to the up market pubs and clubs for
picking up talent
have a nice day best wishes Astonian ;;;
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The Brown Derby ?
 
Thanks Astonian,it sounds from your description as if The Brum Cavern club was on Summer ROW and not Summer LANE.
Moss.
 
Hello Astonian,

Many thanks for the detailed information on the Birmingham Cavern. I was beginning to think I had dreamt it.

I spent some happy hours there. I find it of interest because at that time there seemed to be so many " Big Boys " jumping on the bandwagon, opening clubs everywhere and it was good that not everyone was an " entrapenuer " ? ? >

Betty
 
The Parisian ,was opposite the Windsor i think !!! or was it Yates wine lodge . I know it was in an alley type passageway and you went downstairs. Max
 
The back entrance to Yates' was in Cannon St, opposite the Windsor.

Name rings a bell, but I cant place the Parisien at all, must've been in there, spent half my life in pubs and clubs up town in those days. Usually the Ringway club, Samamthas and Barbarellas. Depending on what night and who I was with.

All three are clubs I have'nt seen mentioned here much.
 
col h said:
The back entrance to Yates' was in Cannon St, opposite the Windsor.

Name rings a bell, but I cant place the Parisien at all, must've been in there, spent half my life in pubs and clubs up town in those days. Usually the Ringway club, Samamthas and Barbarellas. Depending on what night and who I was with.

All three are clubs I have'nt seen mentioned here much.
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Oh they have Col this is a massive thread the only club I have not seen is The 59 Club before my time but Michael went there. The clubs you mention I went to you forgot Rebecca's.
 
Didnt like Rebeccas much.. The girls were a bit too rough.. LOL.

Barbs had bands, Samamnthas and Barbs both let girl students in free certain nights. Ahh to be young eh !

The only 59 club I remember was in London, Hackney I think. There was also the 1621 on Hemel Hempstead high St,where I did go a few times, while I was living near there. but both were Rockers club in churches, much like the Double Zero. Not really night clubs, or am I rambling and your you talking about a different 59 ??
 
Still not heard of anyone admitting to going to The Dolls Club !!!!! I did !!! has the Gary Owen been mentioned ? i would have thought so .Max
 
The Parisian was on the opposite side of Cannon St to The Windsor,but further down towards New St.
I would guess the lower floor of the Parisian was where they used to print "The Birmingham Mail".The Mail office used to be on the corner of New St and Cannon St.You could look through low windows in Cannon St and watch The Mail being printed in the basement.
Moss.
 
Hi Betty,According to the book Brum rocked on there was a club on Summer ROW called "Brum Beat Cavern".
Moss.
 
If i remember Stitcher, Tabascos was opposite the Holt pub by the Villa Ground , i never went in there , was it a gay club ? Max
 
It was all along time ago Maxwell and not being a clubber I can't be certain. I am pretty sure you are correct with the location but I don't know about it being a gay club. My son seens to think it may have had carribean connections.
 
I mentioned on this thread sometime back ,a great theatre club " The Penguin Club " Live Penguins and all , some top acts of the day appeared there , including
Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent . The owner was a self made Brummie ,Jonnie Kirkbright . It was situated on the site of the old "Fairlanes" bowling alley ,opposite Aston Hall and adjacent to Villa Park , anyone remember it ? , hey and what about "The Nightout" !! Max
 
Yeah Stitcher it was certainly frequented by the west indian community .
 
Wasn't Tabascos off the Lichfield Road Aston,in Church Rd?The same side of Lichfield Rd as The Britannia.
Moss.
 
the tasbasco club was along the rd from aston parish church
heading towards the villa and it was painted all black with blacked out windows
and it was on the oppersite corner facing the holte pub on the very corner
and that corner was the very last rd next to the church
i should really be able to say the road but my brain is tiring this time of night
but thats where the tasbasco club was and yes it was frequented by the handsworth mobs
best wishes Astonian ;;
 
I dont know if you all have this wrong. I lived in Holte rd,is that is the rd you are thinking of Astonion? The club was on the corner of there and it went round into witton lane. It was the Labour club for many many years and my dad was a member and drank and played snooker there. I did put a picture of him standing outside having a pint on a thread about working men's clubs I think it was , I will try and find it. Anyway when it closed down it was taken over and called the nightingale club, I believe they had a club in brum too. It was a big thing then as it was a gay club and to my dad and hid friends it was the worst thing that had ever happened especially to their MENS club. It caused a lot of argument between me and my dad, being a hairdresser i knew a lot of gay people and socialised with them but the older generation didn't want to understand,
He used to say when he was walking up to the Holte, " I'm going to walk on the other side of the road incase any of them are about and drag me in that club" I couldn't get it through to him that they didn't want straight men anyway and only mixed with their own friends.
I'm glad things have changed for the better today.
 
It was certainly called Tabascos in the 70s , i used to drink at the Holte on Villa match days , the door i used was directly opposite the club , so saw it on a regular basis. Max
 
Max I left in 65 so perhaps it changed hands then?? can anyone remember it being nightingales I'm sure I'm not imagining it?
 
I cant help there Patty , but how wonderful to live by Aston Hall .Max
 
Yes Max but you don't realize till you leave the area what you had there. Dad used to take me round when I was very young and i used to go to the park to play as you could in those days but i didn't realize how wonderful it was till later
 
maxwell bullivant said:
It was certainly called Tabascos in the 70s , i used to drink at the Holte on Villa match days , the door i used was directly opposite the club , so saw it on a regular basis. Max
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I was a night-time streetwalker and first-gear driver in that very area during the 1970's (employed as an upholder of the law might i say!) and can confirm that the Nightingale Club took over from Tabasco in or around 1978.

*The name 'Tabasco' refers to the brand-name of a now older-fashioned make of hot Caribbean sauce, and consequently was West Indian owned/run.
 
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patty
it was on the corner of trinty rd
tasco was painted all in black as i said it was the first corner you come to passing aston parish church
i was a choir boy there and done my poppy day parade out side the church every poppy day
with the life bouys brigade .and the scout moment and the boys brigade [ 1st Company ]
with captain roberts all from dyson hall . in park street aston ;
i could not think of the named rd , last night or should i say early in this morning because
i was worn out and burnt out i am fresh now after a good sleep
and its come to my mind [ trinty rd ] next afew yards past the church ] i am born and bred aston
also another place i was thinking of was alf said in handsworth was the gay lords
the revenue bar . and along with the continental club where you went down the steps
and banged on the front door and handed your old style fiver to gain entrance through the hatch with grills on if only you was known you would get past the door
then the big heavy bolts would be drawn and inyou come . but getting back to tobascos
some one said the litchfield rd and church lane [ close may i add ]
once down the church lane bear left to the church passing the parks main gates and cross over to the churck and continue to the corner bang on it
have a nice day best wishes Astonian ;;;
 
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