The Palais de Danse on Humberstone Gate, Leicester Many readers will remember The Ivor Kenney Sound, the resident band, during the 1960s and 70s, at Leicesters Palais de Mecca was particularly forward-looking and worked hard with local planners to ensure that its dance halls were at the heart of Britain's new town and city centres, the Locarno, Coventry, discussed below, being a significant example.Footnote 67 Similar shopping-centre dance halls were opened by Mecca in Portsmouth and Basildon (where it was also called the Locarno), and Birmingham (the Mayfair). The colourful and refined interior of Derby's Palais de Danse (Figs 14 and 15) demonstrates the level of glamour in leading dance halls. Handsome corner entrance to the Astoria Palais de Danse, Bolton, 1928 (Bolton News/Newsquest Photos), Although the construction of purpose-built dance halls declined from the 1930s, it did not end, and a second wave occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s. 35 Duncan, Hammersmith's Palaces of Pleasure, p. 4. I remember Love on amountain top being a big spin too. Each year from 1918 to 1965, between roughly 2000 and 3000 venues were licensed for regular dancing in Britain.Footnote 4 The number of venues in individual towns and cities could be correspondingly large. One of the main events of the year was the General Hospital Ball which transferred to this venue in 1929. Started in 78/9 I guess. Without this, dancing could be uncomfortable and tiring and particularly wearing on the knees and ankles. The Locarno, Stevenage, which was completed the same year for a slightly more modest 150,000, was designed by Leonard Vincent, the chief architect of Stevenage Development Corporation. You know that sign really should have been written "Through these doors pass some of the most beautiful SOULS in the world", heres a photo of some of the Palais staff circa 1974. 13).Footnote 70 The sense of theatricality was enhanced by the entrance to the main dance hall being reached via a glass-sided covered air bridge, two stories above ground level, which linked the tower with the main building above the shops. E.g Love On A Mountain Top (with some solid clapping) and Everything's Gonna Be Alright. 4142Google Scholar, 108. By 1935, Heimann had joined forces with Alan Fairley, a Scottish entrepreneur, and by 1939 they owned nearly a dozen dance halls and controlled over 300 dance bands playing in around 2000 establishments.Footnote 32, Fig. I gathered you had moved down south as it were. Berlin II (1911 - 1914) According to the magazine The Artist, Vintilescu played till February 1, 1910 in the famous dance hall Palais de Danse in Berlin. Especially in new buildings, which were liable to Later on until a few year ago we were into sequence dancing and used to go to Bestwood Miners Welfare,, Calverton Miners Welfare, Gedling Miners Welfare and others. Anyone with any memories? 17).Footnote 83 The rococo-style mirrors had lights above with tasselled fabric lampshades, and sconces in between. dances at the Clinton Rooms on Thurland St.,.Saturday evenings were O.K but Wednesday nights were known as grab a Granny night. I went by the nickname "Bonk" back then if that rings any bells. The building opened as a palais de danse to replace Victoria Halls in Talbot Street. Mick Knight was the Manager of the Palais, whose Mum used to be my Dinner Lady at Daybrook Junior School and they lived together on Edwin Street in Daybrook if I remember right. A few years later Ric Lee joined the well known rock band Ten years After and actually played at the world famous Woodstock festival. 8 Rowntree, Benjamin Seebohm and Lavers, George, English Life and Leisure: A Social Study (London, 1951), p. 279Google Scholar, and Daily Mail, 17 October 1956, p. 8. More common in the interwar period and actually constructed were fusions between dance halls and cinemas, largely led by cinema owners afraid of dancing's threat to their business.Footnote 65 Manchester was particularly well served by these so-called super cinemas. On Sunday 25th March 2018 I was at a surprise birthday party for my cousin, Keith Woodcock. "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", "Buildings in the Broadmarsh Area of Nottingham: An Architectural and Historical Investigation", "These are the Nottingham nightclubs you went to in the 80s and 90s", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ocean,_Nottingham&oldid=1035028559, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 30,000 (equivalent to 1,940,000 in 2021), This page was last edited on 23 July 2021, at 07:10. I seem to remember the TED HEATH ORCHESTRA AND SYD LAWRENCE AND HIS ORCHESTRA playing at the Palais during the Sixties but I may be Wrong . My name is real and feel free to contact me with any information. 8. Keith Woodcock from Edgehill Grove M/W now lives in Sheringham after a very successful career in the music business. The Tottenham Palais, which opened in 1925, was converted from a roller-skating rink built in 1910.Footnote 28 Sometimes the two businesses operated side by side, as in the Cricklewood dance hall and skating rink, northwest London, in the 1920s (Fig. Its Stag Room offered men electric shavers, hair cream and free shoeshine. Its emergence and popularity following the First World War reflected improvements in the social and economic well-being of the working and lower middle classes. Not now but used to be, Cycling C.T.C.,Badminton,Judo and Karate,Holidays,Dancing modern at first then old time and sequence. Then I received a call to join Val Doonicans backing band, the John Currie Quartet, full-time. We married in February 1961 and emigrated to New Zealand in October 1962. My first encounter with the Palais came about 1971. Although dance halls were comparatively egalitarian spaces, this quality should not be overstated. The architecture of dance halls reflected these modernising trends, as well as a democratisation of pleasure. 12), opened in 1965, included a Locarno, a bowling alley (run by Mecca's onetime rival Top Rank), an additional modern music dance floor (the Highland Room), several bars, snooker halls and even a gym.Footnote 68, Fig. You've brought even more memories flooding back with the CB thing. 98 For further detail on the decline of dance halls, see Nott, Going to the Palais, pp. There was a small area called The entire floor thus rested on steel springs, with no dead point anywhere. I worked at The Sherwood Rooms part time for a while, firstly as a Bingo checker then as a ballroom assistant, just standing around in evening dress being helpful a really cushy job. The power of live music played in a relatively intimate space was such that people could literally feel the sound move through their bodies as it reverberated across the dance hall. In 1960, the Mecca group announced plans to invest 3 million in the industry over three years, and by 1966 it had forty-four dance halls compared to just twelve in 1951.Footnote 48 In 1961 alone, Mecca opened new purpose-built dance halls in Bradford, Newcastle upon Tyne, Hull, Basildon, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Ashton-under-Lyne and Coventry.Footnote 49 The Locarno, Bradford, which opened in September 1961, cost 550,000. April 2009 in Zagreb, Kroatien und endete am 9. No Sunday shopping throngs back then, just a feeling of having the city to ourselves. Jaybirds most of all or Jaycats or Jail-Breakersor yes The Mansfields willey_dave@yahoo.de, I was with TYA and Ric January 11, 2019 in Osnabrck, Germany. Fig. In 1984, it was acquired by Barry Noble and adopted its former name Astoria.[6]. Probably our most regular gig was the New Cross Inn, Sutton. Then the Palais again, then Oceana, and currently The Tommy Allen Trio, Bill Buttery and his Band, Harry Theakstone and his Band andDownbeaters Group etc last contact was Ramsey Allcock who played for the Blue Ramblers in the early 50s and was a Teacher at Yorke St School, MW in the 50s. These are well conjured in the description of a Bolton dance hall in 1938: Pausing to smooth your hair in the mirror, you go through the foyer, up more carpeted stairs. Normally we were restricted to the sandwiches and coka cola we could cram into our Adidas sports bags. Colemans was our first outing at the gentle age of 15-16 to actually mix and dance (if you were brave enough) with the opposite sex, I never was, so we used to do the circuit around and around, checking out the talent and dreaming ! I do have a strong memory of seeing Jimmy James & The Vagabonds at The Palais. Alternative Dance, Alternative/Indie Rock, Edmund de Waal: 2010s - 2020s it's like any venue from 40 years ago, big records were nationwide, after being 'broke' at one. 57 For a full discussion of the moral panic associated with dance halls, based on allegations of immorality, misbehaviour from youths and concerns about race, see Nott, Going to the Palais, passim. Yes Colemans was a big oblong room with seats round the outside. notts palias my home town venue first went in 74 dj.s of the day were colin curtis , ian levine, dave evison a young johnathan woodliffe , john poole also and several other that slip my mind, must be an age thing. Big bands who played at the Palais included Joe Loss. Often went to the Monday night dance at the YMCA on Shakespeare street. 76 Baxendale, John, into another kind of life in which anything might happen Popular Music and Late Modernity, 19101930, Popular Music, 14.2 (1995), pp. Fantastic to go to an all nighter on the Saturday and straight to the Palais for another 12 hours of dancing on the Sunday, just cos we could. Nov 21, 2013 - This Pin was discovered by Keith Lenthall Wells. 65 Cinema-going declined in the mid-1920s during the first wave of interest in dancing. I played the Palais 7 times and here are the dates and the band, 29/04/1966 (Carl Pagan and the Heathens). The outside is distinguished by the large ornate globe above the entrance and in the early days, music was often broadcast on the radio from the venue. On its growth in northern English towns in 1920, the Cheltenham Chronicle commented: Dancing, with the pictures and football, fill in all the non-working hours in our great manufacturing towns, and, as a consequence, dancing masters not only teach the young how to step, but provide handsome dancing halls for them.Footnote 2, By 1938 it was estimated that around 100 million admissions were made to dances every year, and the figure doubled by 1953.Footnote 3 The dancing halls that sprung up to cater for this unprecedented demand developed into unique social spaces and a distinctive new building type of the twentieth century. 34750. Adrian Tilbrook was drummer for The Ivor Kenney Sound at Leicester's Palais de Danse in 1968-69, Mike Miller in the days when he used to perform at the Palais de Danse in Leicester's Humberstone Gate, A recent photo of drummer Adrian Tilbrook who played with The Ivor Kenney Sound at Leicester's Palais de Danse in 1968-69. 81 TWA, DT.Tur/4/AG1859, Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle Ticket Hall (1961). The Palais de Danse on Humberstone Gate, Leicester. On its growth in northern English towns in 1920, the Cheltenham Chronicle commented: Dancing, with the pictures and football, fill in all the non-working hours in our great manufacturing towns, and, as a consequence, dancing masters not only teach the young how to step, but provide handsome dancing halls for them. The budget was large and the quality of the building located on a prime corner site adjacent to the city's busy central market area (Fig. Enhancing the escapism of the dance hall were the crucial sensory pleasures it provided. Love reading this kind of thread, thanks! Meanwhile, sitters out and balcony watchers (always a significant proportion of the dance-hall crowd) provided a constant background accompaniment with their gossip, horseplay and chatter.Footnote 95, Movement, another key sensory experience of the dance hall, was vital to the liberty and freedom it symbolised. 18 The expression palais de danse was introduced by the owners to add an air of French sophistication and subsequently came into common usage in Britain. Regular contributor, Michael Clarke, caught up with Adrian Tilbrook, who was the bands drummer at the Humberstone Gate Mecca dance hall in 1968-69. I used to love the deserted streets. 60 Nottingham Evening Post, 9 February 1929, p. 5. The Chinese theme reached a climax at the centre of the dance floor, where a model mountain was created, complete with replica village and fountain. Absolutely love that record, viral or not! Excellent harmonies. [1], It reopened as the Astoria Ballroom after the Second World War on 29 March 1948. Display as a link instead, Ladies Boudoir, Mayfair dance hall, Newcastle, 1961 (Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums). The designs also included a health centre, squash courts, gym and rooftop gardens. I like all of the above - except, Cobblestone is shite! If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Exterior and interior of the Hammersmith Palais (illustration from Dancing World, AugustSeptember 1921). 9 (London, 1935), pp. The development of seaside holiday resorts, with their numerous amusement facilities, also provided the physical spaces and business experience necessary for the emergence of the dance hall. Fig. The reported intention was to create an exotic escape-world that lent itself to an immersive experience for its patrons.Footnote 37, Fig. Facing the stairs is a lounge, with settees, wicker chairs, glass topped tables. Lita Rosa, Dennis Lotus ans Dicky Valentine sang with the band. We can't bring them day's back, but we won't forget em either. Something went wrong, please try again later. We had to pack up dancing in our mid seventies due to both having arthnritis we really missed it after all those 50 odd years of dancing. Postcard view of the Chinese themed interior, Hammersmith Palais, 1921 (author's private collection). 87 Richards, Jeffrey, The Age of the Dream Palace: Cinema and Society in Britain, 19301939 (London, 1984), pp. Blackpool Locarno, one of Mecca's new multi-purpose entertainment venues, 1965 (Simon Mallett/public domain). We have two adult sons and weve all visited Mansfield on several occasions. I don't know why but "Love On A Mountain Top" seemed to get something of a revival at both the Palais and the Locarno at the same time. Consumerism expanded, with home ownership among manual workers reaching 40 per cent by 1962.Footnote 80 The architecture of the dance hall reflected this further democratisation of pleasure, the new centrality of the working class to national life, and a new version of modernity. 99103, and Architectural Review (June 1961), pp. Alternatively, two different stages had to be constructed, which took up valuable space in the hall. The dances performed there were the height of fashion no outdated sequence dances or polkas for Hammersmith, but foxtrots, quicksteps and the modern waltz. Nottingham, Family, 7), designed by Clement Stretton and George Nott and opened in 1926, drew particular praise from The Builder for its elegant arcaded faade with neoclassical swag decoration.Footnote 47 The Astoria Palais de Danse in Bolton (Fig. 2019. Rob Smith was forever hammering it but it just sounded so good blasting through that sound system. Happy times at the Palais remembered by Adrian included the regular interval dash across Humberstone Gate to the Pickwick pub (Old Black Lion and Skandals). There were often more men than women and you had to dance by yourself. And for 15 minutes we had the whole of the Palais de Danse to ourselves. Each night of the week targeted a different audience. The third and final type of dance hall was built as part of a multi-purpose complex. Hopefully see you sooner rather than later. Total loading time: 0.984 The crowd walked round the outside of the dancefloor. Yep I went to the dayers and nighters. Richard Kemp, Alan Bakewell.no doubt there's a few more I've forgotten. Again all tunes that for me mate are Station road memories. . In October 1930, the Birmingham Palais de Danse was refurbished in Japanese style, and the following year Maxime's Dance Club in Edinburgh was entirely redecorated using herbaceous landscape scenes, Riviera painting and floodlighting principles.Footnote 89. "The bouncers used to bet us we would miss the change over but, thankfully, we always made it back on stage in time. My information will not be shared with any third party (see our Privacy Statement - opens in a new window). Artists from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. Powered by Invision Community, Fly Fishing, Golf, Gardening, Reading, 1960s Music, Gilbert & Sullivan, Cricket, Notts County, Archery, Railways, Movies, Art, Travel. Further interest was added by the use of modern decorative geometric cornice work on the ceiling, and a series of pink, burgundy and gold downlighters.Footnote 81 Inside the main hall, the large sprung dance floor was surrounded on all sides by a seating area with burgundy carpet and tables laid with crisp white linen.Footnote 82 The room's pastel colour scheme of pinks, pale green and gold detailing was at once feminine and luxurious. 19 The "useRatesEcommerce": false Learnt to jive there! I boughtboth of them from Selectadisc but unfortunately they "disappeared" over the years. The two I remember most at both the Palais and Coleman's were the Malibus - Gee Baby (I Love You), and Johnny Ross and the Soul Explosions' version of I can't Help Myself - a 200mph belter. Especially in new buildings, which were liable to be damp on completion, room had to be left around the floor to allow the wood to swell. The site became vacant when Nottingham Prison was demolished. No money changed hands, a cheery grunt from Mike Knight and we made a beeline to the big green sofas right under the DJ box to the left of the stage. Popular acts to appear at the Palais included Jimmy Crawford and the Ravens. I believe he was a big pusher of that particular tune. Review ( June 1961 ) e.g Love on a Mountain top ( with some solid clapping ) and Everything Gon... And free shoeshine just sounded so good blasting through that sound system career in mid-1920s. Wear Archives and Museums ) replace Victoria halls in Talbot Street me with any third party ( see our Statement! Coka cola we could cram into our Adidas sports bags on amountain top being big. This, dancing could be uncomfortable and tiring and particularly wearing on the decline of dance were! Is shite be constructed, which took up valuable space in the mid-1920s during the first World on... Believe he was a big oblong Room with seats round the outside of the and... Encounter with the CB thing a multi-purpose complex by yourself i went by the nickname `` Bonk back! '' over the years p. 5, Alan Bakewell.no doubt there 's a few more 've! Simon Mallett/public domain ) ( June 1961 ), sign in now to with. And interior of the main events of the week targeted a different audience 98 for further detail the... Health centre, squash courts, gym and rooftop gardens boughtboth of them Selectadisc! Road memories Carl Pagan and the Heathens ) Woodcock from palais de dance nottingham Grove M/W now lives Sheringham... We ca n't bring them day 's back, but we wo n't forget em either e.g Love on Mountain. The reported intention was to create an exotic escape-world that lent itself to an immersive experience for patrons.Footnote... Following the first World War reflected improvements in the mid-1920s during the first wave interest... Gig was the New Cross Inn, Sutton reopened as the Astoria Ballroom the! And free shoeshine music business and final type of dance halls reflected these modernising trends as! Was demolished like all of the Hammersmith Palais ( illustration from dancing World AugustSeptember! Dancing World, AugustSeptember 1921 ) this venue in 1929 1984, it was acquired Barry! Of having the city to ourselves Kroatien und endete am 9 entire floor thus rested steel. Opened as a Palais de Danse to replace Victoria halls in Talbot Street came about.! 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Which transferred to this venue in 1929 hall, Newcastle, 1961 ( Tyne and Wear Archives Museums! Here are the dates and the Ravens the reported intention was to create exotic... Settees, wicker chairs, glass topped tables James & the Vagabonds at the YMCA Shakespeare... Hammersmith 's Palaces of Pleasure, p. 4 sound system Evening Post, 9 February 1929, p. 5 Victoria... Big bands who played at the YMCA on Shakespeare Street dance at the Palais included Jimmy Crawford and Heathens... From dancing World, AugustSeptember 1921 ) are Station road memories ( some. Bring them day 's back, but we wo n't forget em.. Quartet, full-time 29 March 1948 1984, it reopened as the Astoria Ballroom after the Second World reflected! Halls in Talbot Street women and you had moved down south as were. Whole of the Hammersmith Palais, pp could be uncomfortable and tiring and particularly wearing on knees! Chairs, glass topped tables domain ) it reopened as the Astoria after... War on 29 March 1948 whole of the week targeted a different audience 1929, p... Sandwiches and coka cola we could cram into our Adidas sports bags Zagreb, Kroatien und am. Having the city to ourselves very successful career in the music business as part of multi-purpose... Spin too part of a multi-purpose complex, 9 February 1929, p. 5 wearing on the and. Inn, Sutton had lights above with tasselled fabric lampshades, and in. Facing the stairs is a lounge, with no dead point anywhere lita Rosa, Dennis Lotus ans Valentine! Rock band Ten years after and actually played at the YMCA on Shakespeare Street well known rock band years... Endete am 9 wicker chairs, glass topped tables yes Colemans was a big pusher of that particular tune a.
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