Ye Olde Birmingham of Yore

[bickster]

Just now, Seat68 said:

I thought I saw Mighty Lemon Drops at The Powerhouse but according to a search it was with PWEI in 86 they played the venue and I don't recall seeing PWEI pre Box Frenzy

Ah that kind of makes sense. I may have gone to the PWEI gig and that was where I saw them. Lemon Drops gigs are a bit of a blur but 86 would be too early for me to have a connection to the band as Benny Profane weren’t supporting them by then.

I think the first time I saw the Lemon Drops was in some pub that put on gigs by Needless Alley but the next alley across if my memory serves me correctly

[sidcow]

I mainly used The Powerhouse for student night which I think was Tuesday nights. 

When trying to find something to verify that I stumbled across this which I'm sure will be of interest to many on here. 

https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/stories/photographing-the-birmingham-music-scene

 

[Xela]

Was browsing some old Birmingham pub sites last night and was suddenly reminded of a place I used to go - Newt & Cucumber, under the ramp! Also The Windsor, on Cannon St, which is still there. Been twenty years since I last went. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Xela

[sidcow]

19 hours ago, Xela said:

Was browsing some old Birmingham pub sites last night and was suddenly reminded of a place I used to go - Newt & Cucumber, under the ramp! Also The Windsor, on Cannon St, which is still there. Been twenty years since I last went. 

Newt and Cucumber used to be called The Exchange. It was my regular underage drinking establishment. 

Went there for my 18th, was challanged for the first time ever and didn't have any ID. 

They wouldn't let me in. The fact I'd been going in there underage for months didn't sway the bouncer. 

My work lot used to use The Windsor quite a lot till just before lockdown when they removed the jukebox.  We basically used to monopolise it and ensure we had decent tunes all evening. 

Edited November 9, 2023 by sidcow

[mikeyp102]

20 hours ago, Xela said:

Was browsing some old Birmingham pub sites last night and was suddenly reminded of a place I used to go - Newt & Cucumber, under the ramp! Also The Windsor, on Cannon St, which is still there. Been twenty years since I last went. 

There was a period when I worked in Brum city centre. We used the Windsor as our local. Every Friday lunchtime and then after work a lot from the office would be there. We’d take over “the ramp” and the quiz machine at the top. 
 

Went in recently as a one off, it’s very soulless now. 

[mjmooney]

Used to drink in The Windsor in the same time frame as The Parisian, i.e. early 70s. It was a very different pub then. Or rather, three pubs. Front bar was Irish navvies supping Guinness, back snug was little old ladies, Rover's Return-style, upstairs was young people and drug dealers. 

[meregreen]

20 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Used to drink in The Windsor in the same time frame as The Parisian, i.e. early 70s. It was a very different pub then. Or rather, three pubs. Front bar was Irish navvies supping Guinness, back snug was little old ladies, Rover's Return-style, upstairs was young people and drug dealers. 

Where were you

[mjmooney]

13 minutes ago, meregreen said:

Where were you

Usually a first pint and a chat with the old biddies, then upstairs. We were too scared to go in with the Paddies. 

[sidcow]

16 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

There was a period when I worked in Brum city centre. We used the Windsor as our local. Every Friday lunchtime and then after work a lot from the office would be there. We’d take over “the ramp” and the quiz machine at the top. 
 

Went in recently as a one off, it’s very soulless now. 

Don't know if it's the same staff as was there a couple of years ago but the (Eastern European) bar manager was the rudest most miserable landlady I've ever known. She clearly hated her job and hated people. 

I know us Brits are famous for bad customer service but she was way out in front of us. 

Once the Jukebox had got some ketchup smeared on it. I asked if they could wipe it off. She looked at me like I'd just asked her to pick up dogshit with her bare hands. Half an hour later I got a serviette and wiped it off myself. 

Honestly it was literally only the jukebox that kept us going there. As soon as it went I knew we'd never go there again.  It's just a totally shit pub. 

But I also remember when it went really up market. They opened it up so it had 3 stories of balconies. 

We went to the grand opening. The Ansells main board directors were moving around the tables asking for opinions, schmoozing with the punters. They even sold swordfish steaks on the menu! The Windsor! 

[Xela]

On 09/11/2023 at 13:44, mikeyp102 said:

There was a period when I worked in Brum city centre. We used the Windsor as our local. Every Friday lunchtime and then after work a lot from the office would be there. We’d take over “the ramp” and the quiz machine at the top. 

On 09/11/2023 at 08:35, sidcow said:

My work lot used to use The Windsor quite a lot till just before lockdown when they removed the jukebox.  We basically used to monopolise it and ensure we had decent tunes all evening. 

I used to meet up with my mate and his insurance work colleagues a lot on a Friday after work, as they were a younger crowd than the banking lot I worked with. The Windsor was one place we used to frequent, but the main place was the Trocodero. One of the places he worked was AXA, and they were based a few doors up from the Troc, in the offices above Maplin, from memory. 

[sidcow]

2 minutes ago, Xela said:

I used to meet up with my mate and his insurance work colleagues a lot on a Friday after work, as they were a younger crowd than the banking lot I worked with. The Windsor was one place we used to frequent, but the main place was the Trocodero. One of the places he worked was AXA, and they were based a few doors up from the Troc, in the offices above Maplin, from memory. 

I warn you.  I will know this person

[mikeyp102]

11 minutes ago, Xela said:

I used to meet up with my mate and his insurance work colleagues a lot on a Friday after work, as they were a younger crowd than the banking lot I worked with. The Windsor was one place we used to frequent, but the main place was the Trocodero. One of the places he worked was AXA, and they were based a few doors up from the Troc, in the offices above Maplin, from memory. 

Must’ve been an insurance thing, I was with NU (Aviva)

[Xela]

9 minutes ago, sidcow said:

I warn you.  I will know this person

1 minute ago, mikeyp102 said:

Must’ve been an insurance thing, I was with NU (Aviva)

Small world! I'm just trying to piece together the years but he worked at AXA from '02, to about '06, then at Aviva for a few years after.

When he was at AXA, he did a bit of work with the off-shoring project and had about 3 spells delivering training in Pune, India. 

I've even been out with the AXA lot in Ipswich, as they had a big office there. Not sure if they still do. Always seemed a good industry to work in if you were a young single bloke and liked a drink!

[mikeyp102]

5 minutes ago, Xela said:

Small world! I'm just trying to piece together the years but he worked at AXA from '02, to about '06, then at Aviva for a few years after.

When he was at AXA, he did a bit of work with the off-shoring project and had about 3 spells delivering training in Pune, India. 

I've even been out with the AXA lot in Ipswich, as they had a big office there. Not sure if they still do. Always seemed a good industry to work in if you were a young single bloke and liked a drink!

I was there until 09 so probably know him

[sidcow]

3 minutes ago, Xela said:

Small world! I'm just trying to piece together the years but he worked at AXA from '02, to about '06, then at Aviva for a few years after.

When he was at AXA, he did a bit of work with the off-shoring project and had about 3 spells delivering training in Pune, India. 

I've even been out with the AXA lot in Ipswich, as they had a big office there. Not sure if they still do. Always seemed a good industry to work in if you were a young single bloke and liked a drink!

Troc was always a big insurance pub. 

I may not know him unless he worked in commercial underwriting. 

I'm now trying to work out if I know @mikeyp102 though

[mikeyp102]

2 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Troc was always a big insurance pub. 

I may not know him unless he worked in commercial underwriting. 

I'm now trying to work out if I know @mikeyp102 though

I’m in claims so we may not know each other 

[sidcow]

1 minute ago, mikeyp102 said:

I’m in claims so we may not know each other 

Nah, my clients don't have them

 

[Seat68]

**** insurance nerds. 

 

 

I did 6 months on the L&G pet Insurance Implementation. 

[Xela]

Some memories for some of us

 

[Xela]

Thanks to @It's Your Round, i've spent most of the morning watching videos of people walking around abandoned nightclubs in Brum