mej coventry All posts by this member | 1 of 16 Sat 5th Feb 2011 11:42pm Member: Joined Feb 2011 Total posts:1 Hello, I was wondering if anybody could help me locate the area of where my grandfather's club/casino was that he owned. All I know is that the name of the place is called the Blue Bimbo (I could be mistaken) and that the owner would have been known by the name of Bob Joynes (George to family) and that it was in the city centre
If anybody knows of or has heard of this place before, I would love to know more about its history
Thanks, mej |
Coventry casinos | |
Midland Red Cherwell All posts by this member | 2 of 16 Sat 4th Jan 2014 11:24am Moderator: Joined Jan 2010 Total posts:5604 An unanswered query from nearly three years ago - anyone help? ![]() |
Coventry casinos | |
mickw nuneaton All posts by this member | 3 of 16 Sat 4th Jan 2014 12:37pm Member: Joined Oct 2013 Total posts:439 Hi all, I`m really putting the grey matter to the test here. I can recall a gambling club in Victoria Street, Hillfields, it was between Vine Street and Canterbury Street where the new houses are now. I remember this because as kids we could get round the side or back of it and there was always bags of used playing cards there - we used to sit there and try to sort them out into packs. When I used to walk past it with my mum shopping she always said it was a bad place as casinos had a dodgy reputation in those days. It would have been about 20 to 40 yards from the entrance to Vine Street, the Bamba or Bambi or Bimbo, something like that rings a bell, this would have been in the early 60s ![]() ![]() |
Coventry casinos | |
Primrose USA All posts by this member | 4 of 16 Sat 4th Jan 2014 3:21pm Member: Joined Sep 2011 Total posts:191 It was the Bimbo. |
Coventry casinos | |
mickw | 5 of 16 Sat 4th Jan 2014 3:31pm |
Primrose USA All posts by this member | 6 of 16 Sat 4th Jan 2014 3:38pm Member: Joined Sep 2011 Total posts:191 You are right about the location, on the left side of Victoria Street as you were heading towards the town. It was always closed during the day so it seemed very mysterious to me as a child. I think the frontage was white at street level, with black trim and perhaps some long narrow windows too high to see in. Possibly dark red curtains too. Tricia or Mayjan will probably remember better than I do.
Mum has just added that there was never any trouble there and that before it was a casino it may have been a wet fish shop (she's not sure about the fish shop, though)
Edited by member, 4th Jan 2014 3:42 pm |
Coventry casinos | |
Midland Red Cherwell All posts by this member | 7 of 16 Sat 4th Jan 2014 4:04pm Moderator: Joined Jan 2010 Total posts:5604 From the www, I find that Bimbo Restaurants Ltd were the licence holder for the Bimbo Victoria Club ![]() |
Coventry casinos | |
Tricia Bedworth All posts by this member | 8 of 16 Sat 4th Jan 2014 4:10pm Member: Joined Jun 2011 Total posts:541 The Bimbo was a restaurant for a short time before it became a casino. My sister recalls going there for a meal in 1960. (A special treat for her 21st Birthday.) ![]() |
Coventry casinos | |
mickw | 9 of 16 Sat 4th Jan 2014 6:44pm |
mcsporran Coventry & Cebu All posts by this member | 10 of 16 Sun 5th Jan 2014 10:51am Member: Joined Oct 2013 Total posts:473 The planning application for a gaming club is here. |
Coventry casinos | |
mickw nuneaton All posts by this member | 11 of 16 Mon 6th Jan 2014 1:22am Member: Joined Oct 2013 Total posts:439 Hi mcsporran
I too came across this planning application but can find no other reference for a casino or gambling club at that address, apart from the slot machine business, and to be honest I used the New Orient next door on a regular basis around that time and can`t recall a club being there. An old school friend of mine has owned a shop in Hales Street for over 30 years, he also ran a business not far from the Bimbo in Hillfields, so I`m going to ask him next time I see him as it`s starting to bug me now !!!!! ![]() ![]() |
Coventry casinos | |
mickw nuneaton All posts by this member | 12 of 16 Mon 6th Jan 2014 1:30am Member: Joined Oct 2013 Total posts:439 On 4th Jan 2014 4:04pm, Midland Red said:
From the www, I find that Bimbo Restaurants Ltd were the licence holder for the Bimbo Victoria Club
Hi MR
Just wondering have you any business names or phone numbers for 4 Hales Street for the early 70s as this is where the Bimbo club has led us to ? ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Coventry casinos | |
Midland Red Cherwell All posts by this member | 13 of 16 Mon 6th Jan 2014 5:14am Moderator: Joined Jan 2010 Total posts:5604 Sorry, no ![]() |
Coventry casinos | |
nirvana coventry All posts by this member | 14 of 16 Mon 6th Jan 2014 9:13am Member: Joined Sep 2011 Total posts:115 The Bimbo Club in Victoria St Hillfields was owned at one time by Alan Blank, I am not sure if he was the last owner, and I remember another gambling club just down from the Howitzer Club called the Elite Club.
|
Coventry casinos | |
NormK bulkington All posts by this member | 15 of 16 Mon 6th Jan 2014 9:53am Member: Joined Jan 2012 Total posts:827 I remember the Elite Club, I was in there one night just for a drink, a friend of mine was playing cards at one of the tables, after a while he asked me if I would sit in for him while he ran his wife home. Well I could not believe it I won every game while he was away and had a wad of money when he returned. My friend put it down to they did not know me and I was a new face at the table. I forget what game we played, some sort of brag I think, I bet the other players were glad when I left ! ![]() Milly rules |
Coventry casinos |