RE: BIRMINGHAM PUBS as is and was - 8

June

Heres one that will give your age away, do you remember this enormous outdoor on the corner of Spark St and Long St opposite the Warwick pub. The back yard would be about where our Davids house was before he moved to Wythall.

Phil

I didn't know the Moonraker had gone but I haven't had a reason go down road in recent years.

Re the outdoor don't remember that oops had to move quickly! Do you remember the little shop just past Spark Street "Bakers"
then there was the other outdoor just past King Street.

We had our wedding reception at the Three Magpies. Posh eh!

June

I don't remember Bakers there again, we used Miles's and Creswell's in Larches St. I do remember the little outdoor just up the road from the big one. Strange that two outdoors next to each other. Perhaps the smaller one was to replace the bigger one. Did you ever spend a summer night in the beer garden at the Warwick or go to one of the Friday night dances at the Stratford Arms in Kyrwicks Lane?

Phil

I remember little Mrs Miles and her son Jack, sometimes I went behind the counter to serve you could buy loose ciggies, once or twice went to the Warwick, I suppose I was lucky Alan had a car so we used to go a bit further a field we used to go to the Flur de Lye at Lowsenford they used to have a big log fire in the winter.

June

As you will know there was no shortage of cars in our house, but we liked to use some of the local pubs as well as the ones further out. There were some good local dances, the Stratford was one and the Mermaid was another. Mind you I don't think any of them lasted very long because of the fights and trouble. But there again what was a good dance without a fight at the end of it?

Phil

Phil Did you go to the West End and Locarno and I think it was called Dolca Vita Smallbrook Ringway, My uncle was the steward of the Royal British Legion St Johns Road Sparkhill I remember going there when I was younger for New Years Eve shouting "New Years In" all the way back to his house in Fernley Road Sparkhill it took ages as people would invite you in especially if you had black hair and a piece of coal, I don't think you would invite a stranger in your house now.

June I went to La Dolce Vita many times. It was a really good place I thought. I walked seven miles home more than once.

June

Yes I did The Locarno, The West End, La Dolce Vita and a lot of other less salubrious early venues and night clubs another old favourite was The Tower. But my nightclubbing and dance hall days were over by the end of the 60's. My wife saw to that. I was restricted to working mens social clubs and pubs after that.

I used the Balsall Heath Labour Club, The Brunswick Club and Tindal St Old Boys on Moseley Road all next door to each other. I used the Post Office Club in town, The Railway Club in Nechells, Tyseley Working Mans Club, The Grange Club, Acocks Green, The Conservative Club Revsby Walk Nechells, The Gardeners Club Small Heath. Plus a whole lot of other clubs that I could go on all night mentioning. Thats without starting on the pubs, and there wasn't one pub that I used that I couldn't get locked in at the end of the night.

Phil

phil..have you got these two..found them today..

the angel inn...stratford road..dated 1870

i think the second one will be of more interest to you