st leonards on sea

Candy Choir – The Cobweb 21st September 1968

by

Pete Fisher… win a chicken?!!

Tony Court-holmes… dead or alive ?

Paul Coleman… The Kult! I thought they were a great band & they did actually release a record called “No Home Today” which I thought was good. Might even have got into the charts.
Led by by 2 brothers, Mick & Pete o’Driscoll who were friends of my brother, Martin. They were Ninfield boys if I remember right. They certainly played at the memorial hall there. Late 60’s I’m guessing. They had a great local following & used to lay on coaches for their fans to go to their gigs. Great times.

 

The Happening Coffee Bar – Tony Blackburn St Leonards On Sea 17th July 1967

by

 Andre Palfrey-Martin Collection

and John Wilde had this to say –

moved to St Leonards in 1966 with my parents. They bought number 8 Kings Rd and turned it into a coffee bar club, we made the basement look like a cave. We called it The Happening, Tony Blackburn opened it with a disco night. It was a popular hang out for a soul crowd, we had a great jukebox, an espresso machine and pintables. We even had bands play downstairs. Does anyone remember this place? Apparently it has reopened recently as The Kave Klub. by John Wilde

Gerry Fortsch… I gigged here in 1967 several times. Far out man

Mick O’Dowd… DJ’d here many a time. Also was with Deep Purple (Hastings) when they appeared. John Wilde’s dad owned it.

Jeff Belton… Met Tony Blackburn at a gig he did in a London night club, got a request read out on the evening , and played on the radio, when he was on Radio London. It was my 21st birthday that day.

Tiffany Barton… Wonderful! What did he play for your birthday ? Thanks for the memories . 1967 supremes the happening ?

Pacman… Yes I loved “The Happening”. Went there all the time. John Wilde was a really nice guy. Very patient with some of the rowdier kids. My motorbike was very popular with the girls & was always being asked for a pillion ride. Remember the girls well. It all ended for me when I got a car & started going farther afield. Shame.

Curzon Cinema St Leonards closes in January 1977

by

]

Derek Clemans… I went to see Slade in flame there.

Dizz Corinne Ryder… me too!

Peter Houghton… Didn’t they used to call it the flea pit?

Alan Esdaile… That was The Orion, Pete.

Nick Prince… no the Curzon was the best in the borough at the time of closing

Janine Anne Scott… My Grandma was an usherette there in the 60s.

Dennis Torrance… Sad when it went Remember wet winter Sunday afternoons in there with old girlfriend they used to bring tea trolley around great service and some great films

Alan Esdaile… remember the tea trolley. Used to get the old film posters from the manager.

Christina Prentice… My auntie Winnie took me there to see escape from witch mountain!!!!

Mike Mitchell… Ah that wonderful tea trolley pushed along by a lady in a checked nylon house coat. Tea always came in cup *and* saucer no less!
And the manager was always standing outside in dinner jacket and bow tie to greet you. Happy days!

Nick Prince… The Curzon closed seven days after the Penguin did. A week later, the White Rock Pavilion showed its last film. It wasn’t uncommon to get several films a year there

Kevin White… My dad was a projectionist there in the 50’s or 60’s.I used to get in free as a kid as he knew the manager at the time. Mum used to send me down there with some sandwiches during the summer holidays when I was getting on her nerves,bless her cotton socks.So quite often

Ralph Town… I saw a re run of “Man who fell to Earth” in 77 too.I got press book,poster,photos THE LOT!

Patrick Turner… I worked as a projectionist there in the 60s great times. Patrick Turner also Brian Warne

Colin Bell… My local cinema, only lived a few hundred yards away. That Manager was a lovely gentleman, and tea & biccies in the intermission, I hate Multiplex’s in comparison!

Ian Quinnell… I used to go to school (PR) in the 60’s with a guy whose father was manager of the Curzon and I think the Classic in Queens Rd. Think his surname was Searcy or similar

Colin Bell… Yup, thats the guy in the closure article Ian.

Patrick Turner… I also went out with 1 of the usherets in my youth

Kevin White… Patrick Turner, did you know my dad Ivor White,it may have been the 50’s when he worked there though,I’m not sure. He was also a projectionist at the Ritz where Ocean House is now, where he met Richard Attenborough. He also worked at the Roxy at Silverhill where the Carpet shop is and at Battle cinema. This is Ivor showing a young Sir Richard Attenborough, the projectors at the Ritz cinema in 1948. This is taken from our family website. http://whitehouse2002.co.uk

supplied by Kevin White

Patrick Turner… Sorry Kevin l do not remember your dad. He might have been just before l was. l am pretty sure it was 1962 when l was first there. I think her name was Sandra, can’t remember her surname.

Kevin White… Patrick, I think dad was there a few years before you were there.I also realized that some of my info was wrong about the cinema in London Road,where Ocean House is now,it wasn’t the Ritz,because of course that was in the town centre where ESK is now,it was the Regal Cinema.I remember sneaking in there as a kid when it had been standing derelict for a while. I could have only been about 7 or 8 at the time,there were three or four of us and we climbed in through a broken window into some sort of storeroom, and as we opened the door to go exploring, there was a loud shout from inside the building,we turned and ran like hell. We legged it down into Kings Road and went and hid in Woolworths. What idiots we were.

Alan Esdaile… Woolworth in Kings Road, another memory.

Kevin White… Used to love going and getting a bag of pick n’ mix sweets for a shilling or something like that.

Jane Hartley… Saw Towering Inferno on TV the other day. Took a younger friend who was too young to see it without an adult, to the Curzon to see it.

 

Moody Blues – Witch Doctor 1st Birthday night 16th July 1965

by

Lloyd Johnson… I went to this gig!…the WERE Magnificent with Denny Laine.

Colin Bell… Even remastered ‘Go Now’ still suffers bloody awful distortion. I asked Denny about this in the 90’s and even he admitted the original ‘master’ was distorted! Still a great record though.

John Busbridge… I was there, I still have the ticket and a signed photograph! And the original LP

Bob Cockburn… They were excellent that night!!

David Edwards… In the midst of so much guitar led pap this came along with the driving piano and Denny’s unique vocals, wonderful!!

Stuart Tanner… Remember it well.

Mick O’Dowd… The REAL Moody Blues with Denny Laine! I seemed to vaguely remember going to this.

Judith Monk… I was there.

Who remembers Mr Cherry’s?

by

Yvonne Cleland… That’s a yes from me.

Peter Fairless… Oh, yes!

Neil Cartwright… Remembers? Has it gone???

Andrew Freeman… Oh yes!

Peter Thomson… First place I ever tasted Fosters lager, on a warm summer evening. It was genuine Ozzy fair, imported and served from a tinny. Tasted ok but was significantly stronger than the artificial urine we get now. You want to know how bad it is? Try it at room temperature! This is CAMRA signing off…

Jim Breeds… Definitely!

Patrick Lewis… Quite a few happy nights there in the mid to late 70’s

Jim Breeds…  I think you might be right Pat.

Chris Giles… Yes I used to go there …it was a long walk but ok if you were going into scalliwags later

Alan Pepper… Was it opposite what is now AZUR ? I think we did go there 1977 en route to Scalliwags Fridays ‘back in the day’ !! When the Bee Gees ruled the decks . Get on down !

Alan Esdaile… Yes opposite Azur, Alan.

Jane Dorsett…  went to mr cherrys every weekend,in the mid 70s,then up Saturdays.

Diane Knight… Passed my college years in there !!!

Leigh Weiland-Boys… Loved it there – used to pop in lunch times when at College, and, like others, before going down Scallis

Read moreWho remembers Mr Cherry’s?

ITT Consumer Products (UK) Ltd, Theaklen Drive, St Leonards – Job Ad 1974

by

Matt Thomas… My mum worked here

Alan Esdaile… notice the wages

Pauline Richards… And the part time hours ‘for women’

Cliff Wootton… I worked there from 1974 to 1978. Started on the factory floor and worked my way up to draughtsman, illustrator and tech pubs specialist. Happy days

Paul Morfey… Both me and my wife ( janette) worked at ITT in Hastings in the 70ts. That is where we met. We just celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary!

Pete Prescott… I worked there as a temp in 78. I was in the buying dept with Keith Garnsey.

Dave Nattress… Wages – and if I read it right, unequal rates for males/females doing the same job? Certainly though a major player ITT. I had several friends who worked there in different roles or who took different rolls to work, (ham, cheese and pickle and salmon and cucumber being well popular). Of the illustrations on the advert I’m sure many of us had their products. I actually had the radio, cassette player/recorder, (2 of them, used for band rehearsals), and my parents had , the music centre at one time albeit not the best HiFi. Another local name and employer long gone.

Peter Millington… My father Bob Millington worked there managing the Stores Dept. between about 1966 to about 1978. He also organised all the dances at the White Rock and the Queens Hotel, a busy chap!

Paul Bryant… My mother worked there for a short time,remember the Christmas party they used to throw for employees children

Ralph Town… See how repressed women were back then. Different wage rates for men and women. Terrible.

Jan Warren… I worked for British Radio Corporation, Beeching Road, Bexhill in 1971/72 they were soon taken over by ITT!! – I enjoyed working for BRC, lots of my schoolfriends were there, it was fun, nice atmosphere, happy days!!

Richard Johnstone… I worked there from 73 to 78 in production planning. We had 3 categories of production workers – high skilled males, low skilled males and females!  Doing different jobs – women on the component assembly lines, men (skilled) on testing and fault correction and men (low skilled) on jobs known as ‘hauling and mauling’. No overlap between the sexes

Peter Ulyatt… I worked there from 1963ish to 1979 when my wife, 3 kids and I emigrated to Australia. When I started it was known as KB (Kolster Brands). I started checking radios as they came off the assembly line. If they worked, I calibrated them ready for dispatch. If they didn’t work they got put on one side for a technician to fix it. A couple of years later I became one of those technicians. When ITT took it over, can’t remember when, I started working on TVs as a technician and worked up to being a Test Diagnostician. Then came the start of colour TV. A screen about 12 ” across In a massive cabinet full of valves. You needed an asbestos suit to work on them. Good days and a good company to work for.

Pete Prescott… I worked in the purchasing department for a month (temping) in early 78 with Keith Garnsey. amazing guy.

Terry Corder… My first job was there in 1968!

Harry Randall… Did you make it?

Read moreITT Consumer Products (UK) Ltd, Theaklen Drive, St Leonards – Job Ad 1974

Shaft – Graffiti photo 1971 and promo photo.

by

Shaft 1971

Shaft Poster

photos supplied by Andy Knight

featuring Bob Shipway, Colin Pierce, Andy Knight, Jim Beadle and Dave Shaw. The graffiti photo was taken in Alfred Street, St Leonards. Is that Daisy on the wall?

Robert Searle… I remember seeing Shaft play at The Regent St Leonards. Dave Shaw was with me in a band called Foxy with Colin Fox and Les Harding.

Yvonne Cleland… Yes looks like Daisy graffiti!

Bob Shipway… Happy (and great fun) days!!!