Pete
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Posts: 124
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Post by Pete on Jul 8, 2008 23:30:57 GMT 1
Hi.
Can anyone remember the name of the nightclub that stood adjacent to Beckenham Junction station around 1966?
I have a feeling it might have been called The Blue Hawaii but am not sure.
With thanks,
Pete Fisk
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Post by The Historian on Jul 10, 2008 18:08:38 GMT 1
Hi,
I think it was called The Mistrel Club, some well known bands played there along with some top DJ's like Emperor Rosko. The club then changed its name to Tites then Lautrecs and the name now is Langtry's or it could be called The Bridge, I will have to look.
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Post by The Historian on Aug 6, 2008 19:11:41 GMT 1
Has anyone got a photo of The Mistrell Club and better still what about the Rolls Royce that was inside that was used by the door person to collect the entrance fee.
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sandy
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Post by sandy on Aug 22, 2008 16:13:40 GMT 1
The nightclub is currently called The Bridge. As to the Rolls Royce, in the mid-1980s I was working at 5 Rectory Road on the staff of Practical Classics, the classic car magazine, and as you can imagine we were mightily interested when the nightclub was refurbished and the Rolls was brought out through a hole specially knocked in the wall for that purpose. We'd no idea it was in there. Our editor at that time was particularly interested in pre-war cars - and that's what this Rolls was - and went across to have a closer look and took his camera with him. I'm fairly certain we then had a small 'would you believe it' bit in the next news page, with picture. I've no idea what became of the car but it was in fairly sound condition and is certain to be around still somewhere. There's a Rolls Royce Owners' Club and a Rolls Royce Enthusiasts' Club which just by the history and location might well be able to track it down. If anyone was to know it's registration that would make the task quite easy.
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Post by The Historian on Aug 25, 2008 10:47:47 GMT 1
Sandy,
many thanks for the input. Practical Classics have a message board and I plan to post there to see if anyone has got a copy of the mag that included the image of the Rolls. Can you try and narrow the date down to a year?
Historian
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Pete
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Posts: 124
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Post by Pete on Nov 25, 2008 18:40:53 GMT 1
Hi Historian and Sandy, sorry for the late response but this is the first time I've been able to get back on here for ages.
Yes, I think you are right with the name of The Mistrel Club (as a further update I can now confirm it to have been The Mistral Club (with an 'a')).
I'm not sure where I got the 'Hawaii' bit, but I think I was getting confused with the upstairs bar at Streatham Ice Rink, another band gig of the day and I think that may have been called the Blue Hawaii.
As for the Rolls Royce, I think can vaguely remember that but daren't be too possitive on that, that may have come after we played there.
Anyway, thanks again for the help, keep up the good work with the site, it's great to see the old stuff emerging.
Pete
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sandy
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Post by sandy on Dec 16, 2008 14:53:46 GMT 1
As to which issue of Practical Classics I can't say with any sort of certainty at all. It was in the days when it was printed mainly black-and-white inside, so I would say anytime in the early- to mid-1980s. It was during the editorship of Michael Brisby, so any issue with anyone else as editor is later than the date we're interested in.
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Post by boogieknight on Sept 7, 2009 0:03:10 GMT 1
Further to Pete's post (25/11/08) hopefully I can add to some of the memories:
1) In the days of the Mistral the club was on 2 floors. The resident DJ used to play downstairs and guests – e.g. DJs like Emperor Rosko & Johnnie Walker and acts like Jimmy Helms - used to play upstairs.
2) After you paid your entrance fee to the lady in the Rolls Royce you walked past a games room that had a pinball machine and table football before turning right to go past the bar and into the main (downstairs) dance area.
3) In 1973/1974 the biggest night of the week was Friday night, with lots of good Soul music played. Saturday was not as busy and was a bit more “commercial”.
4) When they started work to redevelop the club in 1974 a lot of us regulars started going to the Bali Hai in Streatham on a Friday night – “the upstairs bar at Streatham Ice Rink” that Pete mentioned.
5) When the club reopened as Tites, the central ceiling between the ground and first floors had been removed and, in place of the two ‘initmate’ clubs we now had a big warehouse of a club.
6) The car was gone, the entrance had moved and a lot of the soul of the previous club had gone.
7) While Fridays remained very popular, Thursday night started to become a big night too and the music policy became slightly more commercial.
Hope these few lines add to your recollections.
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Post by boogieknight on Sept 7, 2009 0:12:49 GMT 1
Oh... I almost forgot one very important memory!
When it was still the Mistral, the upstairs part of the club always used to close before the downstairs - which meant that the final few dances were always downstairs.
Closing time was 2am, and the last record played at 1:55 am every night by the resident DJ (whose name I think may have been Lee) was "Goodnight My Love" by Jesse Belvin - a classic!
Ah, those were the days!
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Pete
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Post by Pete on Sept 24, 2009 20:38:57 GMT 1
Hi Boogieknight, thanks for the additions....
Strangely, I just cannot recall the lady in the Rolls Royce, maybe this was a later addition, after our gigs in 1966?
It's such a long time ago and the memory plays tricks, but it would be nice to know... perhaps someone can confirm this either way?
Pete
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Post by The Historian on Sept 25, 2009 7:14:11 GMT 1
The lady in the Rolls was married to Mike the owner, she was tall with long blond hair. I am told that they moved to Australia in the late 80s or early 90s.
Rosko nights at the club were always great. I remember very well when Thursday nights became popular as it was always a struggle to get up for work on a Friday. I also remember the very first time beer became a pound a pint in there and the waitress only service and the food, spam and chips, this was all part of the licence. Some great soul music played there.
Some other clubs of that era were.
Purley Orchid.
Cats Whiskers.
Red Deer.
Scamps.
Croydon Suite
Sinatras.
Bali Hi Margate on a Bank Holiday.
Lacy Lady Ilford.
Room at The Top Ilford.
Scarlets.
There was a place in Sutton, it was upstairs and another above a pub in Purley Way.
Never forget Dr Jims.
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Post by boogieknight on Sept 25, 2009 18:22:30 GMT 1
I think the club above the pub in Purley Way was the Blue Anchor (same name as the pub).
The only place in Sutton that I remember was the Scamps they had there (in addition to Scamps in Croydon.)
Was Dr. Jim's the one about half-way between Croydon Scamps and Blue Anchor?
Croydon Suite used to have good Thursday Soul nights upstairs - with a Pop Night downstairs. They'd also sometmes have concerts downstairs on a Thursday and, when the audience numbers were low, they'd come upstairs and ask the Soul crowd if we wanted to go see the concert for free. I saw Bloodstone and Al Green (on different nights) that way!
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Pete
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Post by Pete on Sept 30, 2009 21:53:24 GMT 1
Hi Historian. I'm still not sure if the Rolls was there in 1966 when we played there - have you any idea, or was it a later edition? I wish I had the actual date we played, but unfortunately not - it could even have been 1965. Pete  The lady in the Rolls was married to Mike the owner, she was tall with long blond hair. I am told that they moved to Australia in the late 80s or early 90s. |
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Post by The Historian on Oct 1, 2009 22:56:47 GMT 1
I was in bed by 9 in 1966 as I had school the next day. LoL.
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Pete
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Posts: 124
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Post by Pete on Oct 4, 2009 20:16:18 GMT 1
I dunno, Kids!
;D
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