A Palace In Sutton Coldfield?

WEATHER

Thurs: 7°C ⛅️ | Fri: 7°C 🌧️ | Sat: 7°C ☁️ | Sun: 6°C ⛅️

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SUTTON SPOTLIGHT
Visiting Inji On The Night They Went Viral!

It was the weekend before payday for most people, so you’d have forgiven the staff at Inji for expecting a quieter evening - especially as they only had two bookings in the morning for the Saturday evening sittings (one of which was ours).

After popping in to neighbouring Verdo for a pre-dinner drink, we thought we’d head in to Inji a few minutes earlier than our booking and grab a drink at the bar before tucking in to their Keralan food.

We were greeted by owner Angi, who had a thrilled, but slightly stressed look on her face. Not surprising as every single table was taken and there was a queue starting to form out of the door!

I’ll get on to why that was in a moment - but first, the food and experience.

As usual, the food was exceptional, and considering how busy they were, the service was also top class - Angi even popping by to offer me an extra snack as she could see how much I enjoyed my first golgappa (seriously, do not miss this small spherical delight).

For mains, we shared the Meen Pollichathu (sea bream in banana leaf with madras gravy) and the Malabar Lamb Karuma (lamb in a coconut and cashew spiced gravy) along with some breads and a side.

The food was exceptional - and I don’t say that lightly - it was truly exceptional - props to Chef Nithin on the food!

I love the decor inside Inji, a mix of exposed brickwork with living plants, and then in the rear of the restaurant you have some fascinating art work on display.

So why was it so busy? Angi explained to us that an Instagram review had been posted earlier that day and had gone semi-viral - meaning people were travelling from all over Birmingham to visit Inji.

Do not be fooled in to thinking this is ‘just another restaurant’ - this is Inji, it’s in Wylde Green and it’s incredible. I won’t be waiting long for my next visit and I’ll be making sure I book.

Check out their Instagram here and bookings can be made on Google here.

SUTTON SOLVER EXPLAINED
Crystal Palace

After last week’s Sutton Solver I was shocked and a little embarrassed that I’d never heard of Crystal Palace - that sat proudly on the edge of Sutton Park for the best part of a century. Given the lack of responses we had to last week’s Sutton Solver, I guess there are others who don’t know too much about it - so here’s the lowdown…

The original 1853 proposal for Crystal Palace included ambitious plans similar to the original Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. A branch line connecting to the Midland Railway at Saltley featured in the early designs. Sadly, the project faced a setback when five construction workers died in an accident at London's Crystal Palace relocation to Sydenham, cooling local enthusiasm for Sutton Coldfield’s scheme.

Still, Crystal Palace opened in 1879 as a magnificent glass-domed structure built by the Sutton Park Crystal Palace and Aquarium Company. Located in Sutton Park, this architectural marvel accommodated up to 1,500 visitors with its refreshment rooms and even had hotel apartments. The palace served as a prominent entertainment venue, complete with a zoo housing exotic animals including monkeys, lions, camels and kangaroos.

Even though there was initial optimism from investors, the palace's financial success proved short-lived. The company entered liquidation within a few years, leading to multiple ownership changes. Under Charles Earle's ownership, the venue gained notoriety for instances of disorderly conduct, culminating in the loss of its drinks licence in 1891. The showman Pat Collins later acquired the business, passing management to his son John, marking a new chapter in the palace's operation.

The Crystal Palace faced significant structural issues in its later years, highlighted by a serious incident in 1905 when the floor collapsed, sending 40 children into the cellar. While the palace narrowly avoided demolition in 1906, this event marked the beginning of its decline.

The once-grand entertainment venue transformed into a storage facility during the war, losing its appeal as a public attraction. Even though the grounds remained popular with their miniature railway and big dipper rides, the main building's deterioration continued. The palace's transformation from a bustling social hub to a storage space reflected its diminishing role in Sutton Coldfield’s social scene - and eventually it was demolished in 1962.

Do you have stories of Crystal Palace? We’d love to hear them if you do.

With thanks to Sutton Coldfield Local History Research Group and Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council for their research.

NEW OPENINGS
The Latest New Additions To Sutton Coldfield

Sutton Coldfield is not exactly short of coffee shops or restaurants, but these three new openings caught our eye and have either opened in the last week or are very close to opening.

Willow - Mere Green

Willow, a new mediterranean style restaurant is set to open on Mulberry Walk in Mere Green on 20th February, but they have their soft launch the week before (now fully booked) and we were lucky enough to snag a table - so full review coming to you soon.

Sweetfields Cafe & Bakery - Wylde Green

This one went under our radar until a few days ago when we spotted this lovely looking cafe in Wylde Green. They’ve quietly launched this week and it looks fab - we’ll let you know more once we’ve given them a try.

Serenity Cocktail Bar & Cafe - Boldmere

I’ve said this before and I’ll never need to say it again. What Boldmere has been missing is a good old cocktail bar - well it’s about to have one. It’s going to be doubling up as a cafe and judging by their Facebook page they are all about giving you what you want - so if you have opinions, head over to their page and await the opening dates. It looks set to be any day now - and yes, please include the Matcha Latte for me.

WHAT’S ON
Local Cinema Showings This Weekend

Here’s what’s on this weekend at your local cinema. View times and book here

EMPLOYMENT
Local Jobs Roundup

New local employment opportunities:

Reception Assistant Manager at The Belfry - Details

Front Of House Team Member at German Doner Kebab - Details

Multi-skill Trades Carpenter at Platform Housing Group - Details

Office Assistant at Raise Healthcare - Details

Unqualified Classroom Assistant - Details

LOCAL DEALS
Senior Cinema Films For February

Don’t forget you can enjoy a movie, hot drink and biscuits for just £5 on Wednesday’s at 11am at the Royal Cinema.

Here’s what you can catch in February:

Feb 5: It Ends With Us

Feb 12: Heretic

Feb 19: N/A (guessing due to half term)

Feb 26: Gladiator II

More details and booking here

SUTTON SOLVER
Test Your Local Knowledge With Sutton Solver

For this week’s Sutton Solver do you know the answer to the question below? If you do, hit reply and let us know for a chance to feature next week. For the first time, the answer to this week’s question is in this email… were you paying attention (no cheating)?

Q - What year was Crystal Palace demolished?

Was it: a) 1960 b) 1962 c) 1964

Answer to last week: Last week’s correct answer was The Crystal Palace (read our section on it above). Not many of you knew the answer to this one but Pat Round did and was fastest - congrats Pat.

LIVE MUSIC & OTHER EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
What’s Going On In Sutton This Week…

TODAY:

January at The Comedy Junction
8pm- 10:30pm at Station Pub

Home, I’m Darling
7:30pm at Highbury Theatre Centre

FRIDAY:

Jersey Boys & Motown
7pm at The Rhodehouse

Home, I’m Darling
7:30pm at Highbury Theatre Centre

Luke Combs UK Tribute
7:30pm at The Town Hall

Flamingo Bingo 
7pm - 10pm at The Slug & Lettuce

SATURDAY:

The Reggaelators
7pm at Walmley Club

Oh What A Night!
7:30pm at The Town Hall

Oasiis
7pm at The Rhodehouse

Run + Yoga + Brunch
10am - 12:30pm at I Am Yogi

Father Teds Live
7pm at The Lounge @ Boldmere

Elvis Tribute
7pm at Sutton United Football Club

Home, I’m Darling
7:30pm at Highbury Theatre Centre

SUNDAY:

Girls Of Pop Afternoon Tea
12:30pm for a 1pm start at Moor Hall Hotel

Immersive Guided Meditation
5pm - 6pm at Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church

BOOK AHEAD:

Waiting For Godot 
6th - 15th February at Sutton Arts Theatre