• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Kardomah New Street and Colmore Row

This becomes more confusing by the minute.....

39 Cannon Street was listed in Kellys 1915 as the Kaaba Cafe
----------------------------------Kelly's 1940 as the KARDOMAH ( and also in the 1966 Kelly's)
40 Cannon Street----------------Kelly's 1940 as the SATIS Cafe ! As mentioned by Smudger, and also by Big Gee in 2009 under British Restaurants.....
 
We definitely seem to have some missing pieces to the puzzle, which is why, in previous posts, I started looking at the whole site from Needless Alley to Cannon Street. But wasn't sure where it was leading, only to say that I suspect there are other connections between the different parts of that stretch of buildings. I ended up very confused !

It has an interesting history.
 
Last edited:
A basic question: Re. post #189. Can we assume that if the Kaaba, the Kardoma and the Satis cafe's are shown as having an address listed on Cannon Street, that they would have had an entrance on Cannon Street ?
 
We definitely seem to have some missing pieces to the puzzle, which is why I was, in previous posts, I started looking at the whole site from Needless Alley to Cannon Street. But wasn't sure where it was leading, only to say that I suspect there are other connections between the different parts of that stretch of buildings. I ended up very confused !

It has an interesting history.
It does seem like there are some missing connections somewhere.
 
When the lease for #42 New Street (next door to #42A) was advertised in 1956, it was mentioned that #42 premises could be approached from an "imposing arcade entrance" - see red dots on extract below. Where was this exactly? Was there an arcade area ? I've not seen one marked on a map. Or could the elaborate Newton Chambers entrance in Cannon Street (see post #182) be relevant/connected in this respect ?
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20251024_003048_Samsung Internet.jpg
    Screenshot_20251024_003048_Samsung Internet.jpg
    133.6 KB · Views: 5
Last edited:
I think there must be some sort of connection from Newton Chambers to New Street.
If you look at an Ariel view on Streetview, there’s what looks like an opening in the middle of the buildings, possibly a courtyard.
We need someone who went to the KD in the 60s to rack their brains !
 
We do Lynn.

Looking at newspaper extracts about Newton Chambers shows, over time, it's been home to a college, solicitors, staff agencies and more. All this activity must have been above street level. I believe that there was a 'caged lift' to access these 'offices'. Sounds like an old style lift, so maybe this might spark someone's memory of the entrance area going back in time.
 
Last edited:
I’ve found a reference elsewhere regarding a cafe, either in Cannon Street or Needless Alley, on the right going towards
New Street.
You entered and went down stairs to a basement area.

I wonder if that’s the basement the Mods of the 60s used?
Too be honest lmr3103 as a member of that Mod culture the basement in the New Street building the basement was the only place we used , I'm not too sure about the upstairs floor whether or not they seved meals.
 
Yes I’m sure you’d have known it if it was.
I went in Gail’s last week which is in the old KD building. I couldn’t see any stairs going down only the lovely staircase to the right going up.
I’m guessing it’s all been changed around over the years.
 
Yes I’m sure you’d have known it if it was.
I went in Gail’s last week which is in the old KD building. I couldn’t see any stairs going down only the lovely staircase to the right going up.
I’m guessing it’s all been changed around over the years.
Gosh lmr, it must have changed lmr in the 60's the staircase going to the basement was something you couldn't miss what with the big handrails
 
Next time I’m there I’ll have a good look now I know it was at the front. For some reason I thought it might be at the back but then it would have meant all you Mod crowd would have to parade past the diners haha.
 
Next time I’m there I’ll have a good look now I know it was at the front. For some reason I thought it might be at the back but then it would have meant all you Mod crowd would have to parade past the diners haha.
You should have seen it on a Saturday afternoon we were all out on the pavement meeting and greeting, making plans for where we were off to on the night the poor old public had to walk in the road to get past us. Never any trouble though every thing was above board .
 
Back
Top