Hurst Street from Smallbrook Queensway

SNOBS NIGHT CLUB

Snobs is one of Birmingham’s oldest nightclubs having occupied its original location in the basement of Beneficial House on Suffolk Street Queensway and Paradise Circus for 41 years. It closed on the 21st of September 2014 ahead of its relocation to a new, larger venue on the corner of Hurst Street.

The Hurst Street building has previously accommodated several nightclubs, La Dolce Vita, Romeo and Juliet’s Steptoe’s, Pagoda Park and The Vudu Lounge.

The Dolce Vita was the first nightclub to occupy the premises, opening in 1967 . The ceremony was performed by Lance Percival, who was a big celebrity in the sixties. The club was mainly a cabaret venue, where the patrons could enjoy a meal (chicken in a basket) whilst watching a show.

Many great stars of the time appeared there including Bob Monkhouse, Dave Allen, The Shadows, Bobby Vee, Englebert Humberdink, Shaowadywaddy, The Baron Knights and many more. The cabaret room had three bars including the Long Bar. There was a disco half way up the stairs, between the Latino Lounge where meals were served whilst a trio played.

HURST STREET – Smallbrook Street/Queensway to Ladywell Walk

Our walk along Hurst Street first takes us down the east side taking in the changes since the 1950s. This photograph shows the east side of Hurst Street from Smallbrook Street to Ladywell Walk in the 1950s. The following shops would have been here, from left to right: George Hull – Drysalters; Bob Walters – Outfitters; Waring and Co – Picture Framers; William Day – Tobacconist; Bruckshaw’s – Jewellers; SR Products – Bakers’ Sundriesmen; “Ann” – Milliners and finally The Cross Keys pub on the right.

On the site of the shops in the 1950s photograph are Snobs and Santorini’s Greek Restaurant – the latter stood on the site of the Cross Keys pub.

Beyond the Cross Keys were more shops: Solomon Grossman – Kosher Butcher; Simeon Barnett – Tailor and the Unitarian Chapel, which had become a synagogue by the 1950s. Then, Hilda Cox – Confectioner; CF Marlow – Wine Merchants and Hippodrome Motors had a couple of units. Then on the corner of Ladywell Walk were premises that appeared to be used for warehousing occupied by Brooks and Hawes – Hardware Merchants and Altendorf & Wright who were Export Agents.

The whole of this side of Hurst Street as far as Ladywell Walk was cleared in the 1950s and by 1957 a new building had arrived. This was called Baylis House and it was occupied by newspaper wholesaler WH Smith. By the turn of the century the “Circus” Casino was occupying the first floor of the building and the ground floor on the north “wing” was occupied by “Ming Moon” chinese restaurant. Genting had taken over the casino by 2012.

Mr Egg

One of the occupants of Baylis House that has been known since at least the 1990s is Mr Egg, in its heyday it was the king of the “greasy spoon” cafes. It was named twice in a nationwide poll as the Greatest Greasy Spoon Cafes in Britain. Due to environmental and social problems the café was closed in 2010.

It traded as The Chicken Cottage for a short time, then Mr Egg reopened in 2017 in a new guise and smaller premises as a chicken wrap and fruit tea business.

Maybe we could try a chicken wrap and some fruit tea, while we take a look at some of the trades that would have been found over the years in Hurst Street.