This month ABC welcomes any performers who would like to sing or play us a piece. We are a totally acoustic event so no mics or amps. If you are comfortable and at ease we will be filming you….if not say so! Limited spots so arrive early. See you there already in tune.… Mick Knight
Chris Baker… Surely it was just Suspect wasn’t it?
Alan Esdaile… Pretty sure they started out as The Suspects Chris and then changed to Suspect.
Karen Sweatman… They were certainly The Suspects at one point. Just seen a photo with their name on the drum kit
Robert Searle… True
John Gale… Crazy venue, went there a few times in the late 70s, can’t imagine the noise police putting up with that these days
Lloyd Johnson… What I had in those boats in the 1950s..
Wendy Brewster… I remember those days
Lynda Whatley… That takes me back ‘n so much fun my cousin Val and I had as kids
Helena Kingshott… Me to x
Tony Court-holmes… when it was the proper size i wonder how long we will still have it
Ray Barry… Remember them well particularly the patrol boat which was the fastest, I wanted thar job !!
Mike Rawlinson… Loved them
Pete Grange… Good to see we used to go on them a lot
Graham Mccallion… The good old days
Mike Waghorne… Looks a lot bigger than I can remember it was
Dennis Torrance… Great times indeed loved them boats
Derek Bowdler… Worked there with Wally the mechanic
Shaun Patrick Ogrady… Nice boats crap ones they got now
Nicola Dobson… Loved them and the lake was much larger then
Mick O’Dowd… So many times . So many memories!
Alan Esdaile… Does anyone remember imaged decorated lights (may have been animal shapes?) shone out at night at the back of the boating lake?
Gary Knight… Yes.
Terry Tollan… I worked on this lake in the summer holidays and weekends !!!!
Daryl Burchmore… These boats for a while, ended up at the White Rock playground for kids to jump around in
Adrian Sooty Lily Hennings… Brings back memory’s does Hastings
John Randall… One of the places we three brothers had worked. I once went on a day off to be driven round in the patrol boat only to find myself drowning as they pushed me out and my no doubt fashionable jacket filled with water and dragged me under. No waiting boats are waiting for you,12 glorious minutes as Oscar called out
Dominic Rumsey… Original boating lake was pedalos on the park lake. That was in the 1950s
Advert 1980
Tony May… A puzzler for you all? Does anyone know what year ‘Capels’ closed down? I’m researching a photo I have been given for Christmas and it shows ‘Capels’ where the ‘Upstairs’ Nightclub used to be. I remember, ‘Capels’ from the 1980’s but can’t recall if it became ‘Upstairs’ afterwards or if ‘Upstairs’ became ‘Capels’? My gut tells me that it was ‘Capels’ first but any info you can shed on this would be good… Oh and if any of you have any photos of either club you would be willing to let me use for an article in, ‘Hastings Town’ please get in touch, thanks!
Tony Court-holmes… new one on me and i drunk in capels a lot
Nick Prince… It was the upstairs night club last of all but CapelsRestaurant still continued underneath. The Upstairs Nightclub was generally still called Capels by the regular during this era. Do you know about Edward Capel?
Tony May… Ah, thanks, Nick! I may be getting things mixed up then! I thought ‘Capels‘ was the Nightclub but if it was a restaurant and underneath ‘Upstairs’ that would explain why I remember it incorrectly – especially if locals at the time also confused the two. Oh and no, I know nothing about Edward Capel?
Nick Prince… The correct spelling would have been Capell’s after Edward Capell , whom was a Shakespearean commentator and a famous playwright. It was once his home. It was also used as a bingo hall by Harry Simmons before he took over the Cinema Deluxe and was used for screening very early films between c1907 and 1910.
Wendy Weaver… I went upstairs in Capells in 1980 on Old Town Carnival night with Mick Msplesden who was s neighbour. He said that Jimmy Dimitri owned it at that time.
Terry Hardwick… I was the DJ at Capels . Upstairs was short lived after someone buying the property next door and Getting it closed down due to noise
Virginia Davis… I wondered why it closed as it always seemed busy.
Yvonne Cleland… It was a great club. I couldn’t wait to finish my shift in the Nelson and get up there! Jayne White was on the door xxx
Wendy Weaver… I think it must have been 1981. We went in there on carnival night with Mick Maplesden who was our neighbour and it closed shortly after.
Alan King says…