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Cafe under Lewis's

H

H hauzar

Brummie babby
Hi - can anyone help solve a question that has been puzzling my elderly dad for weeks. What was the name of the cafe that was based in the Bull Street / Corporation Street subway - close to the basement entrance into Lewis's. All ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed.
 
If there was I can't recall visiting it. There was a large food hall. There is a thread and quite a few references to the store on the Forum.
 
H hauzar said:
Hi - can anyone help solve a question that has been puzzling my elderly dad for weeks. What was the name of the cafe that was based in the Bull Street / Corporation Street subway - close to the basement entrance into Lewis's. All ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed.
Click to expand...
There is mention of a Snack Bar in the Corporation Street subway in the Lewis's thread click link below ... :)

Lewis's Department Store

They seem to have had fingers in various pies. Here's an advertising card for Lewis's Removals and Storage. Viv.
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
There is a thread 'Subways' and a pic of the subway but they have cleared out all retail outlets by the time the pic was taken .... :rolleyes:

Subways

hi all just finished watching the grand prix (good result for lewis and jenson) but what i want to know is does anyone remember the carpark entrance that you used to use coming up digbeth and went under ground to the car park on the right above the outrigger pub i ask this question after seeing...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
oldMohawk said:
There is a thread 'Subways' and a pic (post#25) of the subway but they have removed all retail outlets by the time the pic was taken .... :rolleyes:

Subways

hi all just finished watching the grand prix (good result for lewis and jenson) but what i want to know is does anyone remember the carpark entrance that you used to use coming up digbeth and went under ground to the car park on the right above the outrigger pub i ask this question after seeing...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
Click to expand...
 
If it was today I would have said it was a "greggs" - that sort of place. I rememebr going there quite often as a student.
 
Just before you emerged from the subway by Lewis's there was a sort of circular section (a bit like a traffic island - several subway paths met). From memory there were a couple of shops at least. One was the cafe and I vaguely think one sold records (although in my mind perhaps it sold clothes and played music? ?)
So it was underground so to speak.
 
oldMohawk said:
There is a thread 'Subways' and a pic of the subway but they have cleared out all retail outlets by the time the pic was taken .... :rolleyes:

Subways

hi all just finished watching the grand prix (good result for lewis and jenson) but what i want to know is does anyone remember the carpark entrance that you used to use coming up digbeth and went under ground to the car park on the right above the outrigger pub i ask this question after seeing...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
Click to expand...


Thank you so much - the photos of the old subways are great
 
I tried looking Wimbush up in old phone books but didn't see an address I thought right. Will try earlier books later.
Barrows was above ground as far as I recall and in a slightly different place.
 
pjmburns said:
I tried looking Wimbush up in old phone books but didn't see an address I thought right. Will try earlier books later.
Barrows was above ground as far as I recall and in a slightly different place.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for checking the old phone books ❤️ great idea - really appreciated
 
There was a Lewis's record shop in the subway, I knew the manager there who eventually became the CEO of Betty Barclay and then a well known maker of high class lingerie whose name escapes me!

Frank Sinatra visited the Lewis's record shop to promote an album although I am not sure of the date or whether the record shop was in the subway at the time. The Lewis's food hall was in the basement of the main store.

Barrows was above ground and on a packet of tea I have thes address is shown as Bull Street & Corporation Street. No surprise, it was on the corner!
 
Penns said:
There was a Lewis's record shop in the subway, I knew the manager there who eventually became the CEO of Betty Barclay and then a well known maker of high class lingerie whose name escapes me!

Frank Sinatra visited the Lewis's record shop to promote an album although I am not sure of the date or whether the record shop was in the subway at the time. The Lewis's food hall was in the basement of the main store.

Barrows was above ground and on a packet of tea I have thes address is shown as Bull Street & Corporation Street. No surprise, it was on the corner!
Click to expand...
What fantastic memories - thank you!
 
lento said:
Op
Click to expand...
,
The soda fountain
H hauzar said:
Hi - can anyone help solve a question that has been puzzling my elderly dad for weeks. What was the name of the cafe that was based in the Bull Street / Corporation Street subway - close to the basement entrance into Lewis's. All ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed.
Click to expand...

H hauzar said:
Hi - can anyone help solve a question that has been puzzling my elderly dad for weeks. What was the name of the cafe that was based in the Bull Street / Corporation Street subway - close to the basement entrance into Lewis's. All ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed.
Click to expand...
It was the soda fountain it was snacks and knicker. Bicker glories the main restraints were on 5th floor the oak and the Tudor room the soft ice cream was private owned by 2 bros
 
I don't think the place referred to in this thread was inside the Lewis store. When you went down the subway towards Lewis's you came to a space where several subway paths joined. Between each pathway was a shop - and one was a cafe, I think another might have sold records.
 
pjmburns said:
I don't think the place referred to in this thread was inside the Lewis store. When you went down the subway towards Lewis's you came to a space where several subway paths joined. Between each pathway was a shop - and one was a cafe, I think another might have sold records.
Click to expand...
hi Janice before the subway was built the entrance to lewiss was street level with bull street you went in went down half the stairs then down a second half stair into the basement soda fountain on left side
 
The place I am thinking of was very small - there was a counter and a few 2/3 seater tables with stools along the window and that was all. It was more of a takeaway sandwich bar. If you carried on up out of the subway then you still had to walk a bit before reaching Lewis's which is why I was convinced it was not inside the shop.
 
Maps, of course, don't show the subways but on this 1970s map it would have been below street level about where the red marker is.
1615043597272.png
 
pjmburns said:
The place I am thinking of was very small - there was a counter and a few 2/3 seater tables with stools along the window and that was all. It was more of a takeaway sandwich bar. If you carried on up out of the subway then you still had to walk a bit before reaching Lewis's which is why I was convinced it was not inside the shop.
Click to expand...
no as I said this was definately inside lewiss kids loved it
 
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