Day: 27 March 2025

SMART coffee meet report number 78

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A lovely warm day for our 78th catch up. Among the new people were Shona Goobie, Ricky Adelaide and Ernie Blocksage. Shona was talking about the many groups she used to enjoy in the Yelton Hotel including Jinks and Grundy and talking to Kevin Burchett about the Scalliwags 50th reunion, which is happening on the 24th May in The Rum Shed on the pier. Ricky was talking about the many musicians he has worked with and the success of ‘The King Blues Band’. Ernie was reminiscing over the different groups he has performed with including ‘Shyboy’ and ‘Deja Blue’ and has happy memories of when he did his first recording with Mick Mepham. Anthony ‘Nan’ Morland had some photos of The Union Regal Cinema from 1932, photos of Silverhill before Asda, a photo of the cleared gas works and woodyard site in Queens Road, to make way for Safeways and an ‘Ore Community Association’ membership card from 1960. Mick O’Dowd had hardback books, of Pete Townshend, Sting, Keith Richards and Genesis ‘Supper’s Ready’. Mick Thwaites had with him, the ‘Rolling Stones Story’ Decca Boxset, picture discs and some amazing Stones caricature stand up figures. Ian Marketis was talking about the Freddie Mercury tribute gig for AIDS Awareness that took place on the 20th April 1992. He had the programme, tickets, banner and video. Merv Kennard had a collection of Radio 1 badges including logo, ring a 247 ding, road show, 10 years and a rare Radio Caroline ‘Loving Awareness’ badge from Nigel Kennard. General chat was about the shock news that the White Rock Hotel is up for sale, Beatles Day, the major incident in St Leonards, St Mary In The Castle, The Pier, gigs, hospital radio in Hastings is 50 years this year, the new record shop in Clive Vale and not forgetting lots of chat about health issues! This is just a small bit of what I remember. If you had anything interesting you were talking about or anything I missed out or got wrong! then please feel free to add or correct.

Claire Lonsdale… Thank you Alan once again for a very pleasant afternoon. Lovely to see everyone. Xx

Colin Bell… Well done Alan, great to catch up with everyone and have a good chat

Keith Veness… Thank you Alan look forward to the next one

Mick O’Dowd… Yes I agree Colin. A good turnout from some interesting people old & newbies. Well done Alan!

Cris and Merv… Thanks Alan for organising another cracking meeting today? We had a good time catching up with friends

Lance Collins… Sorry can’t make it. Gig tonight so loading van. Takes ages at my age.

Shona Goobie… had a nice time meeting alan and everyone very interesting

Stephen Moran… I’m sorry I missed Fridays SMART coffee meet Alan, it was clearly an interesting and enjoyable afternoon. Thank you for posting a photo of The Mysterons on the cover of the latest SMART magazine. I’ve got the original photo taken in 1968 on my Kodak Instamatic camera with the revolving flash cube!

Peter Ellingworth… Yep, Thanks once again Alan for last Friday’s meet up, always an enjoyable time. Arrived back in Hertfordshire OK, trains all on time. Looking forward to next meet – stay well everybody.

 

Who remembers Lane’s Ice Cream on the beach?

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1965

Kevin Sherwood… I remember a man carrying his cold box along the beach. He would call out “ Their lovely their nice plain or choc”…

Alan Esdaile… Remember it well.

Nigel Sherwood… remember him as well Kevin

Monica Bane… I was always amused that he never seem to run out of ice cream!

Coco Pops… Bloody Hell!!! This is amazing all that Dry Ice he used to carry.

Malcolm Sharp… Was better when the prawn man came along first

Bernard Goffredo… Yep

Gary Benton… It was my uncles business, the factory was at Prospect Place

Madeline Scalliwags Reade.. I remember him well

Bob Hughes… Hi Gary. Harold Lane was my uncle also. That makes us cousins. Harold Lane was married to my father’s sister Gladys. Unfortunately both are dead now and Harold and Gladys did not have any children as far as I know. It would be good if you can respond. Then we can arrange to communicate further. Regards Bob Hughes

Bob Hughes… He was also my uncle. I even visited Lanes Ice cream factory when I was 10 years old, just after Harold Lane died in 1955. I would be good to hear from anyone or surviving family members. As far as I know Harold did not have any children.

 

 

Splinter Group featuring Peter Green, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, Spike Edney – White Rock Theatre Hastings 27th March 1997

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Joe Knight… Wow! Amazing!

Andy Gunton… I was there

Pete Prescott… I was there. I spoke to Cozy after the gig outside the theatre. He agreed to play on an album I was making with Paul Sinden. It was the last time we spoke. Sad

Peter Stacey… I was there to great concert

Mark Randall… A little known fact that in the 80s a law was passed that it was compulsory for Neil Murray to play bass in every U.K. rock/blues/poodle metal band

 

 

 

More photos of the Regal Cinema St Leonards 1930’s

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Supplied by Anthony ‘Nan’ Morland

Carrie Dowling-Waite Sawatzky… Was this in London Road?

Alan Esdaile… Yes

Julian Deeprose… Magnificent building

Elaine Venables… Where abouts in London Road was this please?

Dave Weeks… Ocean House

Dave Weeks… Another great building lost

Lynda Whatley… Saturday minors !! Comes to my mind – Back in my childhood “good o’le days!

Mick Barrow… Lynda, Yes and me

Linda Gowans… Passed it many a time when we lived in Alexandra Road in the 1950s.

Jonathan Mendenhall… obviously a 1930’s Deco builing..no longer with us. Similar to the Dawn and Dorset Laundry..

Mick O’Dowd… My Mum & Dad used to frequent this establishment!

Richard Moore… The Town Hall in Ossett, Yorkshire was one of the first Town Hall installations in the UK, having been started in 1964. The Compton-Christie organ was built up from parts which were added to the five unit Compton from the Rialto cinema in Bebington. The piston relays and setter boards are from the Odeon, Swiss Cottage and Regal, St Leonards, the shutters are from the Fitton & Haley cinema organ in the Greengates Cinema Bradford. The console is from the New Victoria, London (being the only Compton console with three sweeps of stop-keys) and the platform on which it sits is from the Plaza, Chorley. The whole thing was put together by a team led by Frank Hare and Reg Mander and completed and officially opened on 4th January 1970.

Alan Esdaile… I’m pretty sure Reg Kennett said he play this and at other places, when the silent films were shown.

Malt Jones… Where Ocean house is now. Does anyone know when it was built? Great picture.

 

 

Who remembers J Lyons & Co. Ltd 15 Wellington Place, Hastings?

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photo source: unknown. first photo… Lyons’ Cafe in Broad Street, Reading, Berkshire, 1945

We all have happy memories of Dimarco’s but who remembers J Lyons? Where Nationwide Building Society is now, could not find any Hastings photos (unless anyone has any) but looked similar to the above with baker cake shop at the front and restaurant/cafe on two floors. 

Tony Davis… Remember it well. My mum worked there as a cleaner and I often had lunch there during school holidays. I remember that they used an ice cream scoop to serve mashed potatoes

Roy Penfold… Visible in the background https://historymap.info/…/Round-the-town-tour-bus-at…

supplied by Roy Penfold

Alan Esdaile… Used to go in with friends, on occasional Saturday lunchtimes, with pennies from the old town arcades. We would have the cheapest thing on the menu which was chips peas and gravy and take it upstairs to eat.

Jackie Hersee… I remember them

Chris Meachen… Remember going in there with mum, it was very plush, with claret coloured drapery & gold trimmings.. sometimes the upstairs was cordoned off with a thick gold rope hung from shiny metal posts..

Phyllis Mendenhall… My mum was a nippy in joe Lyons I remember she took us in for coffee one morning and had to be on our best behaviour ,and I can still smell that coffee

Trevor Unwin… I remember it well , used to love the fruit & jelly sundaes, that used to be on show in the window.

Peter Houghton… Yes I remember going in there with my mum and grandma

The Stranglers – Hastings Pier 26th March 1977

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supplied by Neil William Michael McGuigan

Jacquie Ballard… I was there great night. I got a badge.

Alan Esdaile… Was it Tom Robinson supporting Neil? as I think it was originally advertised as Eater?

Neil William Michael McGuigan… trouble is I honestly can’t remember

Peter Fairless… The support was Eater, not TRB

Paul Gray… I didn’t realise they played the Pier twice. I saw them supported by The Dictators.

Neil William Michael McGuigan… Get your old posters out. From Pier 1977, so I put this on ebay- and it sold for £1830 today.

Pete Fairless… …and Neil is kindly going to pledge some of his profit to the FOHP bid to save the pier – what a nice guy!

Sandy Max… Damn I wish I’d kept them!

Alan Batty… Rattan Norvegicus was originally going to be called dead on arrival….any link?

Jan Warren… Hhmm, not sure, “Rattus Norvegicus” simply means “Brown Rat” but “Dead on Arrival” would be a suitable title for a Stranglers album, I LOVE The Stranglers!! and how brilliant to get such a price for a poster?!! – no wonder I keep so much “junk” ……. always hoping it might be worth something??!!

Jeff Harris…Hi all, just been lurking here and thought you might be interested in the true story around this poster…In 1977 I was an art student at Eastbourne Art College, when a colleague of mine was asked by a promoter friend to design a poster for a new punk band who were about to release their first album (The Stranglers) and then go on tour. At this point the album title was going to be ‘Dead on Arrival’. Hence the image of someone being kidnapped/strangled. The designer asked me to be the model for the poster. Sadly they changed the album title before any other shows, so this is a bit of a rarity and probably the only evidence of the albums original planned title.

Virgina Davis… Was there too. So many great bands almost every week that year especially.

Diane Leigh… Was there.