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British Restaurants

I think the Library was next to the British Restaurant Big Gee. I used the library as a child in the 40's, and then when I worked at the ICI in the 50's we used to go into the BR as we called it after an evening at the ICI Youth Club or the Sports Pavillion. It was the only place open after 10pm, and we would sit with cups of coffee, sometimes shared if we were short of cash.:)
 
Di's right, the BR was next to Birchfield Library. I used to go to the restaurant with my dad in the fifties. On Saturday mornings, after the sixpenny crush at the Odeon, I'd walk to the library and station myself at the desk, waiting for any Enid Blyton books that I hadn't already read to be returned so I could grab 'em!
 
Re: "British Resturants"

The church hall in STIRCHLEY was our B.R. across from the British oak pub!
 
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The B/Restaurant in the Upper Priory was run by Kunzles and it was in an old priory, it was still open in the early 1950`s, here was also one in Bournville close to Cadburys Factory.
 
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Yes You ARE Right Kunzles Was Around For ManyYears And There Service Was Excellent ,And Carried OnAnd On Long After The Joe Lyons Empire Finished
I Don,y ThinkThereAre ManyChains Left Now ,There Are Lots Of Coffee Shops Opening Up Now Every Where But The Services And Attidtude Are Terrible , I Don,nt
Know Of Any Where You CanGet A Good Well Mannord Greeting A nd A Certainly Decent Cup Of Coffee I Certainly Don,t Rate Marks And Spencers / Woolworths .
 
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There was one down a side street leading towards New Street Station. Frequented by mostly solicitors barristers and business men. My sister and i used to go there, the food was good and not expensive, as one would expect it to be.
 
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pmc1947 said:
I think the one on Stratford Rd was roighly opposite the Mermaid and if I remember rightly you had to climb sime stairs as you entered the door. There was another one on Gooch St, Highgate if my memory serves me right.

I also seem to remember one in town on High St or it may have been Dale End.

Here are two interesting sites on the subject of British Restaurants.

https://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/War/londonRation.html


https://www.worldwar2exraf.co.uk/Online%20Museum/Museum%20Docs/foodrationpage9.htm

pmc1947
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Is it possible some of the British Restaurants carried on as Birmingham Civic Restaurants because I recall one opposite the Mermaid that was the Warwick Restaurant with stairs inside to it.
 
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Ref; British restaurants.
I well remember the one in Moseley Village, you could get a very good basic meal and a pudding for not much more than 2 shillings, (24 old pence). even in the early 1950's.
I loved the mince also the bread and butter pudding!.
Barney Martin
 
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dony know if this place counts as a British resturant but you got a good english dinner there the Civil servants resturaunt in New street and most of em used luncheon vouchers :)although it was later? late 50s early 60s:)
 
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Any one remember the one at ELLEN KNOX MISSION HALL in TOWER ROAD ASTON.
It later became the ANNEX for UPPER THOMAS STREET SCHOOL.
 
There was the Vittoria Restaurant in Frederick Street. I never went there for a meal, but I did once go to an evening wedding reception in March 1967. I thought it was very posh at the time, but looking at photos now it seems a bit bare. I think it was one of the British Restaurants at one time, possibly still was in the 1960's, good fare at reasonable prices.

Shortie
 
HI SHORTIE
Yes yo are quite right it was a posh place 24hrs not just put up appearances for any paricular venue or funtions lunch time for the excutitives was allways full by company directors
and they was expensive i always went to the albion street cafe to grab my nosh for dinner
when i worked around the corner in electro plating firm ;
have a nice day best wishes astonion ;
 
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Alf's memory is playing tricks if he thinks he remembers British Restaurants as late as the 1960s. The brief history is that they were set up by central government during WW2 (c 1940) partly to facilitate people going to work, as most small businesses and factories did not have their own canteen. The BRs therefore provided a nutitrious meal at virtually cost price, as the restaurants were subsidised. Central government withdrew support fairly soon after the war, but Birmingham City Council took over many of the Birmingham ones and ran them as Civic Restaurants until about the mid-1950s, when they all closed.
 
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The British restaurant in Gooch St Balsall Heath was open in 1962 and closed that year, if you had free dinners at school you could go there with your dinner ticket in the school holidays, or to your school, i always chose the restaurant, it was opposite Conybere St and lay back of the road,i was 11 when ir closed.
 
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I remember one in the jewellery quarter as late as 1974/75 used it quite often - remember the starched table cloths and waitresses in uniform.
 
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I don't remember the one's in Birmingham but we had one in Petty Curry, Cambridge in the early 70's my wife and I used it regulary and good value it was too.
paul
 
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I am writing a book on Billesley so the obvious question is , was there a British Resturant in the area, if so where was it. Thanks Pete
 
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I grew up in or near Billesley and am pretty certain there was not one aound. In fact I am not sure that there was one in Kings Heath but not certain.
 
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pistonvalve said:
I remember one in the jewellery quarter as late as 1974/75 used it quite often - remember the starched table cloths and waitresses in uniform.
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Pistonvalve,

British Restaurants (i.e those set up and subsidised by the government) did not have table cloths, starched or not, and were not waitress service. They were very basic and self service.

Old Boy
 
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Chris,
I didn't know they were still around in the 70s.The last one I remember was Northfield c1951...chips peas and gravy was sixpence.:)
The one we used in Tower Rd.Aston was very basic,used to go there with a basin and collect your own.:rolleyes:
 
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This is the one in the Jewellery Quarter and the building is still there.:)

British_Restaraunt_Jewellery_Quarter.JPG
 
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Bernie.
I have been told there was one in Billesley on the corner of Trittiford Rd & Braceby Avenue.
Pete
 
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Pete, Kelly's 1949 lists a "Civic Restaurant", on Trittiford Road, no number but by Braceley Grove, not sure if thats a misspell for Braceby.


Colin
 
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That's interesting Colin. I seem to recall a sort of canteen that supplied some local schools being there. Yes it would be a mispelling for Braceby - I used to walk along it between home and bus stop. Never knew of folk eating there but then I would have been quite young and not very interested in what adults did.
 
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Ray Barrett said:
Chris,
I didn't know they were still around in the 70s.The last one I remember was Northfield c1951...
Hello Ray,

They were not around in the 1970s. I agree with Rowland (Post 39) Some of the restaurants might have been bought and run as private businesses but they were not subsidised British restaurants.

Chris. (Old Boy)
Click to expand...
 
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The one on the corner of Braceby would have been a single story building (pre-fabricated maybe?) on the right hand side looking towards Braceby. The alignment of the road was I think changed when the pre-fabs were removed and replaced.
 
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Thanks all for the info, now all I need is to find a picture of it. Bernie when you say on the right hand side do you mean the same side of the road as the school or the right hand side as you enter Braceby Ave?
 
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Hi - Opposite side to school and a low building. On right as you entered Braceby from Trittiford. As said I only recall it as a place that prepared dinners for distribution. I am pretty sure that the entrance to Bracebey was some few yards south of where it is today. I am struggling to recall if there used to be a vehicular entrance to Braceby of if it was simply pedestrian. My Dad was friends with a family name Bush (I think) who lived some way into the Pre-Fabs and I had a friend who lived pretty well straight in from Trittiford Rd but cannot for the life of me recall any names - can recall how the interior was though.

BTW - The Buildings Museum at Avoncroft is well worth a visit and not only for the preserved Brum Pre-Fab..
 
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