Opinions about Birmingham nightclub impressario Edward ‘Eddie’ Fewtrell are rarely non-committal or ‘on the fence’. What is incrontrovertible is that Eddie Fewtrell did more to nurture and develop Birmingham’s nightlife culture over three decades than anyone else in the City’s history.
On the back of the runaway successes of the Bermuda Club, Cedar Club, Barbarella’s and Rebecca’s – Birmingham nightclub pioneer Edward Fewtrell identified a niche in the market for an upmarket dining and cabaret club in the City catering for the more affluent residents of and visitors to Birmingham. He identified the run-down Savoy Hotel […]
Opened by Edward Fewtrell in 1966 as Rebecca’s – named after his eldest daughter – the premises operated along similar lines to later opened Edward’s Number 7 and Edward’s Number 8 bar and nightclub which were housed in an adjacent building in opening in 1979. On the ground floor accessed from John Bright Street was Rebecca’s […]
Pre-Broad Street ‘Golden Mile’, John Bright Street was one of the places, if not THE place, to be for for a night out in Birmingham City Centre. Originally opening in 1979, Edward’s Number 7 bar and Edward’s Number 8 nightclub above it were the 7th and 8th clubs/bars to be opened by Birmingham club impresario […]
Aimed at a slightly more upmarket crowd than Boogies and Edward’s nightclubs and bars just around the corner, with the opening of Goldwyn’s nightclub in 1989 – along with Paramount bar beneath it in 1988 – Edward Fewtrell aimed to tap-in to the theatre-going public (the Alexandra theatre being next door) and to present live […]
Opened by Edward Fewtrell a year before selling-up to Ansell’s Leisure, Paramount was a single-room bar around the corner from Edward’s and Boogies in the heart of the John Bright Street nightclub and bar scene of the 1980s. Subject to an intervention from Paramount Studios over the name, the bar proved quite a popular venue […]
As was noted elsewhere in this section, my youthful pubbing and clubbing experiences were based around the ‘Rock’ scene of the mid-1980s, such as it was in those days. This consisted of shuffling from the Costermonger at the back of the Oasis Market to Mr Bill’s on Needless Alley on a Sunday and Wednesday night […]
A potted history and recollections of Birmingham City Centre’s pub and night club scene during the 1980s.