El Mambo On Union Street.

[Bud]

I used to work at the El Mambo cafe on Union Street in the mid to late 1950’s.

 

Any old timers remember this local “House of ill repute” at the time?

[cuttsie]

Spoiler

 

The Mambo was never on Union Street .

[nikki-red]

There’s a few threads about it, including this one…

 

 

 

[St Petre]

9 hours ago, cuttsie said:

  Reveal spoiler

 

The Mambo was never on Union Street .

Yes -and with respect to you -it was Cuttsie, at the bottom  of Cambridge Arcade (the other end from Barney Goodman's). In the late 1950s I was only eleven, so not really a 

a Mambo wannabe!

Edited October 21, 2023 by St Petre
add

[cuttsie]

17 hours ago, St Petre said:

Yes -and with respect to you -it was Cuttsie, at the bottom  of Cambridge Arcade (the other end from Barney Goodman's). In the late 1950s I was only eleven, so not really a 

a Mambo wannabe!

I always entered the Mambo half way down the parade , never on Union Street , pretty sure there was more shops below the Mambo towards the end of the Parade 

[St Petre]

2 hours ago, cuttsie said:

I always entered the Mambo half way down the parade , never on Union Street , pretty sure there was more shops below the Mambo towards the end of the Parade 

I believe the Mambo had downstairs premises, if so, from which side was access, Cambridge Arcade or Union Street?

Just now, St Petre said:

I believe the Mambo had downstairs premises, if so, from which side was access, Cambridge Arcade or Union Street?

Sheffield United Tours had a booking office on the arcade,  near bottom left going down from Pinstone Street.

[Bud]

Yes, the front entrance of the El Mambo was on Union Street. There was a side entrance off the Parade.  Barney Goodmans was on the opposite corner of the Parade and Union Street.  There was a regular cafe upstairs and at the rear there was stairs down to the cellar. There was a bar selling pop and coffee at the bottom of the stairs.  There were three rooms down there. All had Jukeboxes in them.  Two rooms had pinball machines (Barney Goodman’s son was an ace!). Great days.  Wish I was 16-17 again and still working there.

[cuttsie]

11 hours ago, Bud said:

Yes, the front entrance of the El Mambo was on Union Street. There was a side entrance off the Parade.  Barney Goodmans was on the opposite corner of the Parade and Union Street.  There was a regular cafe upstairs and at the rear there was stairs down to the cellar. There was a bar selling pop and coffee at the bottom of the stairs.  There were three rooms down there. All had Jukeboxes in them.  Two rooms had pinball machines (Barney Goodman’s son was an ace!). Great days.  Wish I was 16-17 again and still working there.

You must have known our mob , Bomber, Slinney, Slants , Gaslamp , Passy , Joe Hancock, Charlie Hill , and a load more who all went on to make the Milton on Milton Street the hang out place as they got to be a little older ,   Some of ‘em still only 16 or 17 .

[GOLDEN OLDIE]

If you go on the website - Sheffield Star and scrawl down to the very bottom of the page - click on 'Retro' and you'll find one of my Tuesdays articles called - Teenagers, Jukeboxes and Coffee Bars' The Mambo has a mention.

It is also in my recently published book - 'Bottle Green Knickers With Pockets - Growing up in 1950s Sheffield' Good for a Christmas present for anyone remembering the 50s or those bottle green gym knickers!!

monica.dyson42@btopenworld.com.

[TedW]

March 1959:

 

"An 18-years-old girl from the Manor Estate told Mr Justice Thesiger and a jury at Sheffield Assizes how she went to London and earned money on the streets, and a 17-years-old girl from Stocksbridge described attempts to persuade her to become a prostitute in London.  Seven girls gave evidence.  The rendezvous was stated to be the El Mambo Cafe in Union Street."

 

In the dock were:  Anthony Wilkinson, a 21 year old chef/shop assistant of Attercliffe Road and Jerzy Milani Gorski, a 27 year old  proprietor of the Blue Moon Club, Soho;   accused of conspiring with Edmund Seys Maliphont Davies of Marylebone (not in court).  Both were found guilty of various charges including conspiring to procure women to be prostitutes and living on immoral earnings.  Wilkinson and Gorski were sentenced to 15 months in prison.