Worcester's lost pearl

Shirly, who remembered going to the bar with her father, is one of the country's leading authorities on the oyster and in 1995, became the only woman in the UK to be awarded Le Galants de la Verte Marennes by the French.

She now lives in Whitstable, Kent, and is carrying out research for a book about oysters, which will have illustrations by Bill Tidy, the Private Eye cartoonist.

THE request for memories of the former Oyster Bar in Angel Street, Worcester, brought a great reader response, crowned for me by an interview with the son of "Phil" Constantinou.

He was the colourful and flamboyant Greek Cypriot, who ran this popular city centre restaurant in its heydays from 1948 to 1961.

Luckily, friends and relatives sent cuttings of my article winging their way to the Bewdley home of the late "Phil's" son, Rupert Constantine (he changed his name by Deed Poll as a 16 years-old schoolboy as his teachers and others were not so used then to foreign names).

Rupert immediately got in touch, and he has, of course, been able to tell me all about his father and about life and times at the Oyster Bar, having worked there himself for about a decade.

"Phil" was born Photios Constantinou in a village near Nicosia, in Cyprus, and came to England in 1925, to work at the prestigious Palace Hotel in Southend.

He married in 1929, to a Swiss girl, Marie Wenger and later worked at the famous Ritz Hotel in London.

By this time, however, he was also commuting back to Cyprus, where he had set up his wife and their only child Rupert in a house on the beautiful Famagusta beach. It was not until 1937, that Marie and Rupert joined him in England.

During the Second World War, "Phil" saw five years active service in the Royal Artillery and, on de-mob, chose to move to Worcester, where he joined three fellow Greek Cypriots to run The Cross Restaurant. This was on the west side of the Cross, roughly opposite what was then the International Stores.

Like him, "Phil's" colleagues had long Greek Cypriot names so became popularly known as "Louis," "Mike" and "Chris."

After two years, however, the partnership split up. "Chris" Vakis opened up the Savoy Restaurant in Broad Street; "Louis" and "Mike" Eleftherio set up the Broadway Restaurant, also in Broad Street; and "Phil" Constantinou took the lease of the Oyster Bar.

He immediately recruited two top Greek Cypriot chefs from London West End hotels, "Johnny" Michaela and another "Mike" - not to be confused with the one in the Cross Restaurant partnership.

Rupert, who joined his father in 1952 after National Service and after working for Gaumont British in London, explains how the Oyster Bar operated:

"Mike was head chef in the kitchens while Johnny was mostly to be found behind a U-shaped bar, just inside the entrance, where he served some hot meals but particularly cold smoked salmon, crab, lobsters and, of course, oysters.

"In season, these were delivered fresh and live to the Oyster Bar and were kept in a large oval tin bath filled with salt sea water and seaweed. At night, after we closed, we threw a few handfuls of dry porridge oats on the surface of the water and, by morning, there was no trace left of them - the oysters had eaten the lot!"

"In the window by Johnny's Bar was a refrigerated cabinet displaying lobsters, crayfish and the like and, on occasion, a whole suckling pig. Many a time, passers-by would ask 'Are those real, in there?'

"We also had a superb pastry chef, Tony Formosa who made many confections which just melted in the mouth. He produced a steady trade of mixed boxed pastries that quickly sold out and, also for a time, a daily taxi would arrive to take a full load of real American doughnuts which he specially made for US servicemen based at Norton Barracks, in the early 1950s.

"Kemal, our popular Turkish chef, had once been a millionaire, owning a lot of properties in Istanbul but, having no family, he had loved to gamble and had lost the lot.

"In the late 1950s, my father went to stay in London and, to our surprise, came back with two Chinese chefs - the very first in Worcester," claims Rupert. "Lee Ping and Lee Yau then looked after our upstairs dining-room as a Chinese restaurant.

"The two Lees were once photographed in the Evening News climbing the stairs of the Gaumont Cinema to see the film Inn of the Sixth Happiness starring Ingrid Bergman and Robert Donat. The caption read: 'The entire Chinese population of Worcester!'

"My father was very mystified once when the Chinese chefs asked him for a number of tin buckets. He was even more puzzled when they began knocking a whole series of holes in the buckets which were then placed in a row on a shelf. It turned out they were for the growing of our own bean shoots."

Rupert, who acted mainly as head-waiter, says the Oyster Bar's clientele came from many walks of life, and Johnny's Bar was particularly popular with "the County Set" including doctors,lawyers and businessmen.

"Tommy Jones, boss of Berrows Newspapers, was a frequent lunchtime visitor, and another regular was the Hon George Ward, MP for Worcester, who sometimes came with his daughter Georgina, later a film and TV actress."

Many a celebrity appearing on stage at the Theatre Royal opposite would drop in at the Oyster Bar after a performance.

"A host of artists enjoyed a glass of complimentary wine or coffee with my father who was allotted a free box at the Theatre Royal for afternoon shows. Many a time, the actors had to speak their lines much louder because of the snoring coming from that box," quips Rupert.

"I well remember too when Cliff Richard and the Shadows visited the Oyster Bar for late night coffee after giving a live show at the Gaumont. We had to keep a big crowd of fans at bay outside."

Worcester race days were another busy time for the Oyster Bar.

"A favourite meal with visiting Welsh racegoers was a huge plate of fish and chips, with bread and butter and gallons of tea."

For a few years too, "Phil" Constantinou also provided the catering at the County Ground in New Road.

"The first match of the season against the overseas tourists used to be played at Worcester then, and I remember at one game serving two local MPs and 11 Prime Ministers at one table! A Commonwealth conference was taking place in London at the time.

"There was also a regular table for about 10 BBC, TV and newspaper correspondents. Denis Compton was then writing for the Daily and Sunday Express, and Brian Johnston always had a lovely smile and a joke for everyone," recalls Rupert.

Photios Constantinou was always known as "Phil" to customers and as "Mr Phil" to his employees.

He was quite a linguist and could speak and write seven languages, including Turkish and Arabic, so, not surprisingly, he was often called in by the police and the city magistrates to act as interpreter for foreigners appearing in the witness box or dock.

In the mid-1950s, "Phil's" elderly mother, Mrs Eleni Constantinou also came over from Cyprus, to live with her son in Worcester and was often to be seen walking about in the city, always in her sombre dress with head veil.

She died in Worcester in 1959, aged 81.

The Oyster Bar appeared in the nation's Good Food Guide during the 1950s but, alas, the lease of the Angel Street restaurant expired late in 1961. There were then plans for "Phil" and Rupert to move to Toronto, Canada, to set up afresh, but they were first invited by Michael Bendall, owner of The Lenchford Hotel at Shrawley, to stay and relax there before going off to North America.

"We stayed and relaxed, all right," exclaims Rupert. "Phil" Constantinou became the Lenchford's master chef for the next 18 years until his retirement, while Rubert was restaurant manager for 20 years!

It was at the Lenchford too that Rupert met and married Ann, the Worcester girl who has been his wife for 27 years.

"Phil" Constantinou died in 1982 at the age of 76. His wife, a semi-invalid, had died a few years earlier, having lived mainly in London.

For the past 12 years, Rupert Constantine has run the cocktail bar at The Mill Hotel, Alveley, near Bridgnorth. Ann Constantine worked for some years at the historic Black Boy Hotel in Bewdley, and is now to be found behind the bar of Kidderminster Golf Club. I met the couple for our interview at the Black Boy Hotel as Rupert and Ann live in Bewdley.

"Peter" Charalambois, who was a waiter at the Oyster Bar, later set up his own restaurant for a few years at Ombersley.

HERE area few of the memories of the Oyster Bar sent in by Memory Lane readers:

* Mrs Vera R Lewis of Bath Road, Worcester:

She was a receptionist at the Oyster Bar in 1949-50 and "immensely enjoyed" her time there. She was known then as "Rose" Banks.

"Mr Phil, as we all called him, was the pillar of the establishment and kept everything and everyone up to scratch. He really was a very kind and generous man. Another personality was Johnny the chef, who could be seen through the front window with his tall white hat and lovely smile. He kept passers-by entertained, displaying his skills with the knife.

"The Oyster Bar then was a favourite haunt for a late evening meal for top artists appearing in shows at the Theatre Royal on the opposite side of the street. My favourite was ventriloquist Peter Brough, who came in with his constant stage partner Archie Andrews.

" A place was always set for Archie!

"Among top consumers of oysters was Russell Dorrell, and the owners then of the Chateau Impney were also regulars. The oysters were brought by train and delivered each morning together with lobsters, crabs and other fish."

* Robert Wilson of Monkwood Green, Worcester, who is, of course, widely-known in "show-biz" locally and across the region as producer of many amateur musical extravaganzas and as founder of his Midland Music Group.

He was a principal for many years in productions of Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society, and it was from his early days in WODS that Bob recalls many visits to the Oyster Bar before and after shows at the Theatre Royal.

"As it had something of an 'up-market' status, it was quite a 'name-dropper' to say - 'Oh, see you at the Oyster.'

"However, my lasting personal memories of the Oyster Bar are linked with music of a different sort - church music. For many years my father, Walter Wilson was not only WODS' musical director but also choirmaster at Angel Street Congregational Church, and in my young days I was expected to go along to choir practice there each Friday evening.

"While I enjoyed singing and got a lot of my training and love of music at that stage, what I didn't enjoy was having to sing 'the tenor line' when, in truth, I was a natural baritone. I didn't like having to tackle all those high notes - but when your father is 'in charge,' what can you do?

"However, by way of compensation - and how we all looked forward to it - the practice each Friday ended with a visit to the Oyster Bar for a coffee and a big cream cake! Oh, happy days," writes Bob.

* Leading local professional photographer Bill Meadows was also in touch to say he possesses a couple of photos of "Phil" Constantinou in his full national dress.

They were taken in about 1947 by the late J Parkes-Foy at his photographic studios in The Tything.

* Richard Moule of Cusop in Herefordshire also wrote to tell me that a popular Oyster Bar chef lived opposite him in Coventry Avenue, Worcester, for some years.

"He worked extremely hard, going to the Oyster Bar every morning looking very smart and coming home by taxi about 1 am."

* And from even further afield comes a letter from Ray Dockerty of Prestbury, Cheshire, who has happy memories of working at the Oyster Bar during the school holidays of 1956-57... as a 15 years-old dishwasher at lunchtimes and in the evenings.

"Phil ran the business, his son Rupert was head-waiter, and Phil even had his mother in the kitchen, although she never - or pretended never - to speak or understand a word of English.

"Phil had a glass-fronted office, from where he greeted everyone in his own inimitable way, while Rupert was always a practical joker. They were all great characters, and I spent very enjoyable and informative spells there, learning a lot more about life than in the narrow confines of a 1950s boarding school.

"I have vivid memories of walking with Phil two or three times a week to a butcher's shop in Mealcheapen Street. He would stride out in front of me, immaculately dressed. I would respectfully follow a few paces behind in my white jacket. On arrival at the butcher's, we would collect a huge bowl or bucket of mincemeat and onions etc., which I used to carry, like a baby, back to the Oyster Bar, again respectfully walking behind the great man.

"On my return, I would make up individual meatballs or beefburgers which were a speciality of the house.

"The 50s were probably the heydays of the Oyster Bar, This was the era of 10pm pub closing, and it was before the days of coffee bars, pub food and fast food outlets. A roaring trade came from the Scala Cinema, the Theatre Royal opposite, the Angel Street and Angel Place pubs and from the other Worcester cinemas."

Ray says he later visited Phil and Rupert when they moved to the Lenchford Hotel at Shrawley.

"Rupert's practical joking continued. I recall the time I took my future wife out for a romantic meal at the Lenchford, only to be confronted by 'hinged' forks supplied by Rupert. Try eating steak when the fork keeps collapsing and the imposing waiter whispers in your ear, 'Is everything all right, sir?' as he winks and smiles at your partner!"

* On a personal note, I well remember the superb Oyster Bar meatball dishes which I, and reporter colleagues from the Evening News - then in The Trinity - enjoyed, especially on Saturday lunchtimes before working on the Green Un.

* Robert Wilson during in his Oyster Bar days - a photograph from the souvenir programme for the WODS' 1960 production of Carousel in which he played and sang one of the principal roles.