I remember when

[ROBBO]

The old Bull Ring where my dad and I sat at a stall and ate our threpenny dish of muscles, scruffy and wonderful at the same time, Saturday matinees at the Clifton Cinema the best sixpence ever spent, think kids are missing out today.

[FrankyH]

Hopefully another poster can verify my story, as most people think this is a outlandish dream. Back in the early/mid 70's I was taken to see Santa at Lewis's department store on Corporation St. Queuing   up with my older sisters and younger brother I crawled under a big heavy curtain (which was acting as a partition) , where to my surprise there was another queue of families and another Santa. The second queue was  Black families waiting to see Black Santa. I crawled back under the curtain and asked my sisters what was going on (I thought there was only one Santa) !
I've since asked one of my sisters about this , and although she can't remember it , she has a vague recollection of my bizarre story.  I did think about writing to Carl Chinn and asking if he could throw any light on this.

[Risso]

Hopefully another poster can verify my story, as most people think this is a outlandish dream. Back in the early/mid 70's I was taken to see Santa at Lewis's department store on Corporation St. Queuing   up with my older sisters and younger brother I crawled under a big heavy curtain (which was acting as a partition) , where to my surprise there was another queue of families and another Santa. The second queue was  Black families waiting to see Black Santa. I crawled back under the curtain and asked my sisters what was going on (I thought there was only one Santa) !
I've since asked one of my sisters about this , and although she can't remember it , she has a vague recollection of my bizarre story.  I did think about writing to Carl Chinn and asking if he could throw any light on this.

I remeber going to see Father Christmas there, but don't recall it being segregated like that, but then I probably wouldn't have understood what was going on anyway. I vaguely recall there being some tiger or leopard cubs there one year as well.

[Simon Page]

I trust you told the bearded lefty that his present redistribution stinks of Corbynism.

[FrankyH]

I trust you told the bearded lefty that his present redistribution stinks of Corbynism.

Sadly not , I think I asked for a Scalextric !

[PeterWithe]

I had a recollection of there being a mini Villa shop in the foyer of what was then Carrefour (now Asda) in Minworth. No-one else I know recalls this and I too think I might have dreamed it. Would have been early to mid 80s.

[Godfrey Brian]

The old Bull Ring where my dad and I sat at a stall and ate our threpenny dish of muscles, scruffy and wonderful at the same time, Saturday matinees at the Clifton Cinema the best sixpence ever spent, think kids are missing out today.

If that's the Clifton Cinema Walsall Road I went there too. The Saturday morning kids matinee was a lawless mayhem! Historically the cinema holds a significant place in the area's history. It would throw open its cellars to local people during bombing raids in World War two. Also it's position at the top of the hill overlooking Perry Barr and Witton meant it's roof was used throughout the conflict as an observation point by the Home Guard and other organisations. Arguably more damage was done by 200  6-10 year olds running riot on a Saturday morning though!.

[montague]

The ABC Minors song - sang at the Saturday Morning pictures in Selly Oak (lovely old picture house no longer there)

[olaftab]

Sorry FrankyH but that’s a Cock’n Bull story. In them days no one had that sort of awareness and I am glad for that. It’s the wrong sort of diversification.

[maidstonevillain]

I was surprised to find out that there was even a games option requirement when I went up to Vesey 6th (wadda mistake-a to make-a) although voluntary service and table tennis were options. Cricket for summer term. The important thing was that I didn't have to do rugby or cross country

Did "Dingle Dann" still run the Cross Country team then?

[Chris Smith]

The old Bull Ring where my dad and I sat at a stall and ate our threpenny dish of muscles, scruffy and wonderful at the same time, Saturday matinees at the Clifton Cinema the best sixpence ever spent, think kids are missing out today.

For us Saturday morning pictures was the Essoldo in Longbridge, sadly it’s a gym now.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

The bit of the bull ring outside by where Mark One was later on, a two floor shop block, one of which was a doughnut shop where you'd watch the doughnuts come off the end of the conveyor belt into a tray of sugar.

You could smell the doughnuts for a radius of about a mile.

I also recall there was a mucky sexy shop on that row of shops, too.

Plus a reggae record shop, and a cafe with Space Invaders on the glass tables.

Summit Records?

Either that or Don Christie, can’t remember.

Don Christies was stuck alongside the Rag market. Are you sure you're a Brummie?

Did you know the name of it then?

*Re-reads post* No, you didn’t.

It was the doughnut shop that threw me. There was a chippy up there but I've never been a fan of doughnuts, you doughnut!

[Rudy Can't Fail]

The old Bull Ring where my dad and I sat at a stall and ate our threpenny dish of muscles, scruffy and wonderful at the same time, Saturday matinees at the Clifton Cinema the best sixpence ever spent, think kids are missing out today.

For us Saturday morning pictures was the Essoldo in Longbridge, sadly it’s a gym now.

I remember everybody having to stand at the end for the national anthem. There'd be a jobsworth with a torch checking that everybody was standing and not a chance you could just walk out.

[Hookeysmith]

The Birmingham Show in Perry Park.

Spent every year of my childhood looking forward to that - Aircraft, tanks, Dog show, flower show and the annual challenge of sneaking in via the canal.

Redingtons records for posters and err records.

The gun and hunting shop in Carrs lane.

The blue corrugated fly over in Digbeth

King Kong

Ellis ordering the mud patch of our pitch to be painted green.

My Dad asking the turnstile man if it was half price for kids only for the guy to pocket 50p and lift me over.

My first concert at Odeon New Street to see Blondie in 1978 - was 75p

Top walkway of the Bullring (that ended with a merry go round) was my favourite as when going with my parents we would always get a bag of sugary doughnuts.

All of it seems a world away now - but still fondly remembered

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I had a recollection of there being a mini Villa shop in the foyer of what was then Carrefour (now Asda) in Minworth. No-one else I know recalls this and I too think I might have dreamed it. Would have been early to mid 80s.

I worked there a few evenings a week after school around that time and can't remember there being one. Bob Carolgees's sister also worked there, you could ask her.