The crowd walked round the outside of the dancefloor. 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. Exterior of the Leicester Palais, a purpose-built dance hall, 1926 (author's private collection), Fig. In its first nine months, it hosted the Original Dixieland Jazz Band on tour from the United States and, subsequently, other visiting American bands, notably Sidney Bechet in 1920.Footnote 38 It also attracted many of the best dance bands in Britain. *. And for 15 minutes we had the whole of the Palais de Danse to ourselves. A combination of changing musical and dance styles (recorded music replaced live, solo dances replaced couples), altered social mores (women no longer waited to be asked to dance as in the dance-hall days) and a greater range of alternative things on which to spend money (cars, holidays and housing) led to the end of the dance hall as a distinct social, cultural and architectural space.Footnote 98. Such changes were bringing society and culture into what John Baxendale has called the era of late modernity, in which established notions of national, class and gender identity were being challenged.Footnote 76, Dance halls opened up a whole new world of public pleasures, and thus public visibility, to the working class and to women. 81 TWA, DT.Tur/4/AG1859, Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle Ticket Hall (1961). Up at the front of the queue there was my dad, resplendent in his suit and bow tie, hair neatly combed looking every inch the Dapper Dan and ladies man giving me a wave to come forward. Normally we were restricted to the sandwiches and coka cola we could cram into our Adidas sports bags. Wednesday evening and Saturday afternoon. By this time our small gathering of Gedling lads had certainly grown in size. The seats were always taken as when someone got up one of the walkers would sit down. 52 Nottingham Evening Post, 10 September 1924, p. 5. They changed their name to the Mansfields in 1964. Performer: Wayne King and his Orch.Writer: Sid PhillipsFox Trot.Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. 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. Heimann (1938). 99103, and Architectural Review (June 1961), pp. 78 Carl Heimann cited in Anon., Stepping Out (London, 1940), p. 54. 30 The Rivoli, Brockley, and the Ritz, Manchester, are both recognised for their special interest as listed buildings. Painting, woodwork, fishing, beer, food, Thinking outside the box, talking, some history, d.i.y., Amateur Dramatics; Writing; Reading; Music, Fishing; Art. It had a small revolving circular dance floor. 69 Architect and Building News, 19 July 1961, pp. Previously, a change of band involved halting the dancing while equipment, instruments and players were moved on and off the stage. 99103, and Architectural Review (June 1961), pp. There was a small area called Paste as plain text instead, 26 Architectural Journal, 26 February 1930, pp. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Palais De Danse , Lower Parliament Street , Nottingham 1969. in 1938, by which time nearly 42 per cent of workers received paid holidays.Footnote 74 This gave rise to annual spending on leisure estimated at between 200 million and 250 million during the 1920s and 1930s.Footnote 75 The dance hall also arrived at the same time as mass democracy, following extensions to the franchise in 1918 and 1928 that finally gave every man and woman the right to vote. 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. Part of a vastly expanded leisure industry whose growth was reliant on the greater availability of time and money, the dance hall depended on the spending power of the masses. A balcony was located at one end, with a caf and restaurant off the main space. 34750, and University of Sussex, Mass Observation Archive [hereafter MOA], Music Dancing and Jazz [hereafter MDJ] 3/A, C.L. In later years it was Yates wine lodge for a couple of so called "Australian white wines" you could chat anyone up with a few of them inside you :-)). Much of my Northern Soul early life centered around the Palais All Dayers, mid to late seventies. 5). 89 Dancing Times (October 1931), pp. Scarce as hens teeth to find anything relating to the Jaybirds and Jay Cats. Many of the Mecca dance halls became bingo halls. Acoustics, an architectural science still in its infancy, was also a consideration. I still remember MK shouting from the steps and then whilst walking the queue checking us all out .. BIG and fond memories of the venue I cut my teeth in. I took Sharon by the hand, tapped Mark on the shoulder and told everyone we'd see them shortly and that was it, the 3 of us heading straight to the front doors, and in. Last heard Gee Baby at Warwick Soul Club;I'd asked the DJ if he'd got it, and he said "not here", but went home to get it between sets, Took my Johnny Ross to the Night Owl in Brum last weekend for their 1st Anniversary, and after MUCH nagging they finally played it at 3:15 in the morning. 45 Dancing Times (September 1929), p. 551. I dont live in the town. We reverted back to the name Our Young. DM3a. The co-director of the Mecca chain Carl Heimann claimed that, unlike the theatre or music hall with their separate entrances and seating arrangements, dance halls were a place where class distinctions disappeared: In the dance hall there is no differentiation between the patrons they are all on the same floor level, all pay the same price of admission; there is no class distinction whatsoever; complete freedom of speech for all and sundry.Footnote 78. 71 Architect and Building News, 19 July 1961, pp. The third and final type of dance hall was built as part of a multi-purpose complex. I later appeared there as a performer myself. Dance halls are also distinct from ballrooms, which were dance floors within buildings with other purposes and often not open to the general public for example, ballrooms in country houses. The Jubilee Hall, which was the Co-op, and the Corporation Hall. Went to see Sons and Lovers at The Venue (Potters) at Rainworth last Saturday. 47071. Finally Hockley was left behind and the Palais loomed into view in all her magnificence and glory. Luxe-modern, everyday glamour at the Mayfair dance hall, Newcastle, 1961 (Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums), Equally impressive were the elaborate powder rooms, which included free-standing make-up stations decorated with pink candy-stripe wallpaper and topped with swags of white fabric (Fig. Saw Gene Vincent, Rocking Berries, Barron Knights, Mike Berry there and many other bands, Sunday night was the best time. Henry Holmes Dawson (18771964) seemingly worked with Thraves only on the palais, as he was in a London-based partnership with H.W. Allerdyce from 1920. Fig. 10. Frontage of the Nottingham Palais, showing its illuminated globe, 1925 (Nottingham City Council and picturethepast.org.uk) During the 1920s and 1930s, advertisements emphasised the luxurious nature of the dance-hall experience. Sons and Lovers were a great local Ruddington band, dont think they are playing anymore but anyone that remembers them, good film on You Tube, Sons and Lovers live at the Festival Inn, Trowell, doing I got rhythm with original members, great watch. Second, and equally important, the revolving bandstand added a highly theatrical air to the evening's proceedings, essential to create the kind of escapist atmosphere dance-hall managements were aiming for. Then at quarter to two, a special moment. Then we would amble up through Hockley. Heimann, Joint Chairman, Mecca Ltd (London, 1963), p. 23Google Scholar. 2. Still see Kempy and Gail on a regular basis. He opened its first dance hall, Sherry's, in Brighton. In a music career spanning more than 54 years, Adrian has worked with many of the best known names and musicians in showbusiness. History. During the Second World War it was requisitioned by the Army as a dining area for the troops stationed in the town. A small group of young lads would gather in Gedling and make their way to the number 50 bus about 11am. In addition to its core working- and lower-middle-class patronage, it was used by upper classes from the region, and much further afield, at its various events. 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. Nonetheless, a very wide range of classes used the Nottingham Palais. I remember a young lady called Maggie who won with me, she was a great singer. Then the Palais again, then Oceana, and currently Palladium is one of six metals belonging to the platinum family, and it has a melting point of 2831 degrees Fahrenheit. 29 Crewe Chronicle, 11 November 1961, p. 6. The dance programme would usually last for four hours, during which about fifty dances were played.Footnote 94 The bands were skilled at creating appealing programmes of music varied, popular, and of the moment. Chief among them was J. Sedgewick from Derby, who had been responsible for opening the Derby Palais in 1921, a conversion of the town's Corn Exchange.Footnote 52 These businessmen had seen how lucrative dance halls had become and aimed to open one of the finest outside London. Funnily enough I did a small piece on the Palais for my SouledOn Soul Facebook page a few days ago A lot of emmotional connections with that place for reasons you'll see below, "Through these doors pass some of the most beautiful girls in the world". If I remember Monday Night was for a younger crowd and we were always trying to get in the Bali Hi downstairs. I was a regular for four years from 1976 so not quite the golden KTF period. 33 Liverpool dance-hall owner Malcolm Munro suggests that the first palais de danse in Britain was opened in Liverpool in 1913. As a result of these requirements, large public halls, transport sheds or former factory buildings such as mills proved popular for conversion.Footnote 24 The Hammersmith Palais emerged from a former tram depot, the Carlton in Rochdale (opened in 1934) was located in a disused mill, and the Bury Palais (which opened around the same time) brought back to life a disused railway engine shed.Footnote 25. 61 Nottingham Evening Post, 9 November 1929, p. 6. It was just like being in the Palais in 69 again except for the white hair ( on me as well as some of the band ). up to 2s. Got a thriving scene locally and some great youngsters picking up the movement but you know you can't beat a good old East Midlands shindig. Clear editor. And heres a modern simulation of what the looked and sounded like in those days? Keith Woodcock from Edgehill Grove M/W now lives in Sheringham after a very successful career in the music business. Many readers will remember The Ivor Kenney Sound, the resident band, during the 1960s and 70s, at Leicesters Palais de Danse. Average weekly money wages rose from 1 12s. Early dance halls featured a simple stage or raised dais to accommodate the band, but experiments were soon under way. I spent many happy hours at the Palais in my teens, late 1950s early 1960s . Facing the stairs is a lounge, with settees, wicker chairs, glass topped tables. 11) was characterised by the eclectic deployment of neoclassical, Art Deco, oriental and even Pre-Raphaelite motifs.Footnote 58 At the centre of the dance floor was an illuminated fountain, which could rise to 12ft, surrounded by plants. I entered into a singing competition they use to run and I won. Virtually all the surveys of the period suggest the same. Then the Palais again, then Oceana, and currently Pryzm. Experiments with multi-purpose entertainment venues had been taking place since the 1920s and 1930s and were particularly common in plans for the redevelopment of seaside resorts; hence proposals for the new Hove Pier and Amusement Centre in 1932 included a dance hall as its centrepiece.Footnote 62 Dance halls in holiday camps were also common by the 1930s, one example being at Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk, opened in 1937.Footnote 63 One of the first designs for a modern entertainment centre away from the coast was the Arcadium Amusement Centre proposed for the heart of London's West End, a prototype modern shopping mall and leisure centre.Footnote 64 Designed in 1934 by the architects Elcock and Sutcliffe (subsequently best known for the Daily Telegraph building on Fleet Street), it was to include three dance floors, a pool with surrounding accommodation for 600 bathers, an arcade of shops, restaurants, a quick lunch bar, brasserie and grill capable of catering for 1200 at one time. The Palais de Danse is Nottinghams most famous nightclub. Your email address will not be published. One record that always reminds me of the Palais on a Monday Night was Jackie Edwards - Feel So Bad, this was way back in the late 60's and early 70's. The type of timber was another major issue, as it had to be strong and durable, suitable for a high degree of polishing, but cost was also a concern. Hi Bill and John. First, it offered a practical solution to the problem of providing non-stop music. 67 See Roma Fairley, Come Dancing Miss World (London, 1966), and more generally Esher, Lionel, A Broken Wave: The Rebuilding of England 19401980 (London, 1981)Google Scholar. I have a long and fond relationship with the old Notts Palais. There were three bars, one off the dance floor and another two upstairs (itself indicative of a less paternalistic attitude to dance halls up to this point, magistrates had insisted they remain dry). My son carries Freddies name (Fitzgerald) and my daughter is named (Adele). See also Harwood, Elain, Space, Hope and Brutalism: English Architecture, 19451975 (London, 2015), p. 317Google Scholar. The Majestic dance hall in Crewe, for example, was opened in 1961 by the Rank Organisation (which had diversified into dancing as cinema-going declined) following its conversion from a Gaumont cinema in a building originally erected as a picture house in 1911.Footnote 29 One of the most famous conversions from cinema to dance hall was the Rivoli Ballroom, Brockley, south London, opened in 1959.Footnote 30 The Locarno, Blackburn, was converted by the Mecca group from the former Olympia cinema at a cost of 130,000 in 1959.Footnote 31 Mecca became the largest name in dance-hall ownership and was particularly influential in the development of the building type. Hello Bill, Im not 100% sure but I think it very likely that the Mansfields did play the Palais at some stage or other. This transformation in dance culture came about through a combination of increasing prosperity and greater leisure time for large parts of the population, a relaxation of social mores concerning dress and social interaction between men and women, and transatlantic cultural developments. Its Blackpool venue (Fig. But most of all I love the Palais because I got see my dad. February 8, 2011 in 60's Nottingham. The Palais de Danse, Nottingham. They may well haveappeared when they were called Ricky Storm and the Stormcats from 1962. It was a six-day week playing for ballroom dancing. 51 Details provided by Museum Services, Stevenage, Hertfordshire. In an era of full employment and job security, real wages rose by 20 per cent between 1951 and 1959. Performers would dash across Humberstone Gate for interval drink, Enjoying our history and nostalgia stories? 4142Google Scholar, 108. 75962. Sound system was dodgy and times, but the tunes were still good. A few years later Ric Lee joined the well known rock band Ten years After and actually played at the world famous Woodstock festival. Celestial effects were common, with thousands of bulbs creating ceilings full of sparkling stars. In the 1970s the main front was rebuilt. The liberation of movement offered by the new social dances of the early twentieth century was central to their terrific popularity. The site became vacant when Nottingham Prison was demolished. Building began in the city's Frogmore Street in 1963 and was completed in 1966. There were also fancy steelwork stools, and the floor was covered by a large floral carpet. The one who lived down Colwick was still doing a solo turn in pubs and clubs, a couple of the others still toured as "Paper Lace" and did an absolutely brilliant version of "The Sabre Dance". I went by the nickname "Bonk" back then if that rings any bells. Even got "Paper Lace" - Billy don't be a hero & The night Chicago died.What happened to them I wonder? 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