Mods and Rockers at The Lido and Beachcomber Eversfield Place St Leonards

photos supplied by Leigh Kennedy

Chris Meachen… Ah, the Lido.. One of my favourite hangouts in my early teens, they had a great system where you could do washing up in exchange for food or drink if you were broke. One tray got you a coffee, another two earned a hot pie. Met some great people there, many of whom I’m still in touch with today..

Lloyd Johnson… Wasn’t the Lido a bikers /Rockers hangout later…I know I never went there back then…

Chris Meachen… it was a bikers hangout when I was going there in the late 60s, though in those days we were called ‘greasers’..

Paul Durrant… Yes def a bikers hangout late 60s- and a proper cafe / coffee bar. Just as Chris says re the washing up exchange. Pinball machines on the upper level at the back then through to the kitchen for washing up which also knocked out a full cafe menu as required for those with money. Also the cold milk machine, Lyons apple pies etc.  They also owned the late night drinking club upstairs and a few doors to the west. Used to have some VIP gangster London folk down for all night card games in that club too I think. Lots of nights to remember in the Lido….when the fair was in town on the oval a bunch of the Lido folk would go up and work there…..a few sombre days and nights after various bike fatalities over the years too. If you were a newbie someone would say ‘free drinks at the Yelton tonight’ and you’d go with them and be ushered through the revolving door first only for those following to hold the door shut and bang on the glass from the outside leaving the stranded person to face the wrath of the hotel staff! There were some magnificent days with bikes lined up outside as far as the eye could see. Lots of visiting bikers too. Next door (out of shot) was a bomb site car park (now built on) where you could scramble up the steep bank towards White Rock Gardens.

Harry Randall… definitely a “Rockers” Bar!

Eric Burgess… Was a biker back then and the lido was my second home

Rat Barry… Doesn’t ring any bells with me , where was the Lido?

Jenny Power… Ray, On the seafront opp. The pier where the Indian restaurant is now

Sue Strong… Used to go to the Lido until it shut down, we were all lost and didn’t have anywhere to go

Jenny Power… I moved down here in 1968..with my own bike. I hung out at the Lido where I met a fellow rocker and married him.

Bookham Ally… Is that somebody ‘helping the police with their enquiries’?

John Randall… Beachcomber for me we had car police or bike police and parking. Lido for rockers beachcomber for mods all future leaders of community

Barry Carey… Spent many late nights in the beachcomber fabulous place in its day.

John Randall… One day the Juke box in the beachcomber wouldn’t stop playing records for free. In the café in those day’s you could joke with the bobbies, perhaps not these particular ones.

Ron Keesing… I thought the Beachcomber used to be Nicks caff, where bikers hung out! There was a caff run by Nic along that area, bikers parked outside and went into caff

 

 

Mods & Rockers Rebooted – 1964 – BBC1 19.30 22nd Aug 2014

Thanks to Andre Martin for reminding us of this.

We take a fresh look at the bank holiday clashes of 1964 to separate fact from fiction as we bring the mods and rockers of the time back to those seaside crime scenes. Were they really as bad as the papers made out? Or was there something else behind it all?