st leonards

Hastings bus Maidstone & District and timetable memories from Sarah Harvey

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supplied by Sarah Harvey

Sarah Harvey… I have just acquired this model, probably more for nostalgia and the fact that I caught a lot of local buses like this when I was a kid. The Leyland Atlantean / Metro Cammell in Maidstone & District livery and displaying the Service No. 151. It was introduced in Hastings in 1961. The 151, alongside the 133 was one of the mainstay bus routes serving Hastings. I have also attached a page from the 1964 bus timetable. Not sure the 31 minutes end to end timings could be maintained nowadays 🤔Their rough equivalents to day are the 20 and 22 respectively. If you have lived in Hastings much of your life, did you ever catch one of these?

Peter Fairless… That’s brilliant, Sarah

Martin Richter… the 133 – a ha’penny from Bohemia to the town as a nipper 🙂 (but usually free!)

Geoff Peckham… Being a Bexhillian I rode the 156 or the 157 to and from school from Glyne Gap. My Nan lived in Turkey Rd where they turned round, so I used them to get there, and of course for trips to Hastings or the College. Well found, Sarah. x

Colin Bell… Oh yes, some fond memories here Sarah x

Tony Court-holmes… i loved Fremlins bitter

Paul Phillips… 151 was that the downs farm bus ..i lived Churchill Avenue 133 route and 157

Andy Gunton… Strangest train I’ve ever seen

Sarah Harvey… Oooo train-spotters / bus spotters, all part of the same family of species

Patrick Lewis… 151 and 133 frequently-our life line to downtown Hastings and St Leonard’s.

Sid Saunders… This was the first bus I drove in service at the start of my 34 years in Hastings in 1972.

Marcus de Mowbray… Many journeys between Sevenoaks and Maidstone on those!

Jim Breeds… The 133 from/to King’s Head near to where I lived was my mainstay, but the 151 was a reasonable substitute if I didn’t mind the walk from Down Farm estate to home.

Nigel Sherwood… Used to get 133 from the gas showrooms up to school at Elphinstone

Roger Carey… Living on the Ridge /edge of town, the main bus for us was the 155 circular route- for school and town trips. Remember seeing 133s on trips to Silverhill where my school mate Philip Till lived. Also the 76 which went down the (to me, then) incredibly long St Helen’s Road. In my very young years I thought the song “76 trombones” was about that bus and road!

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Witch Doctor – what the stars say but NO Moody Blues! July 1966

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witch-doctor

chessmen

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Andre Palfrey-Martin Collection

Andre Martin…..The Witch Doctor advertisement you have posted for July 1966 – which gives the Moody Blues as appearing -did not take place- having checked through the newspapers, see attached. All that I can think happened, was that this had been the original plan to get the Moodys back again, but as the 1966-1066 Programme book must have been planned and printed well in advance, something changed – perhaps the Moody Blue were on tour out of the country, who knows – in the end it was the Birds who topped the bill on that 3rd Birthday Party Night.

Mick Knights….the most likely reason for cancelation was a bands sudden increase in popularity (single climbing the charts) and the booking fee increasing by the same ratio. Seem to remember the same effect in reverse, when not enough tickets were sold to cover the bands fee.

Andre Martin….Mick -That’s what I thought, so I checked with their website and it would seem that Summer 66 was a ” troubled” time, with band members changing, so it would have been a logical move by management to pull dates. I don’t think we will ever know for sure.

Mick O’Dowd… I remember having a Witch Doctor flyer for this event which was the 2nd anniversary. 10/- entry (50p). Wanted to go but was working elsewhere that night. Never heard any reviews or talk afterwards.

John Warner… Alan Haven, the London director of the company that owned the Witchdoctor, sadly passed away.

Steve Maxted… sorry to hear that John

Jerry Fuentes… The Moodies performed in Prestatyn at the Royal Lido on July 18, 1966.

John Busbridge… was there, even got my ticket, saw the Moody Blues there twice and once at the Continental Club in Eastbourne where we went back stage with them.

More Tea Vicar – Marina Pavilion – 27th July 1992

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photos & cuttings Jonathan Middleton

 

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poster supplied by Karen Sweatman 

Ian Ellis……Oh god! Just had to check thru calendars with mon 27 July on them. Nineteen Ninety Two!!

Karen Sweatman….We were young!

Jonathan Middleton… We were rock God’s (well, for one night maybe) that rocked the Marina Pavilion. With all the years that have gone by, I still can’t play the guitar!

Ides Of March – Witch Doctor St Leonards – 4th September 1965

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Anyone confirm if this was the same Ides Of March?

Mike Vawdrey… Having checked – I will own up to being totally clueless otherwise ! – it’s unlikely that the two are one and the same. The Ides Of March depicted on the cover of a Warner Bros single was an American band which had a hit with the aforementioned Vehicle in 1970. That band existed in 1965 but I have not seen any report of them touring in the UK … Subject to correction of course if anybody knows better ! Sorry to add on to my own previous comment but a clincher might be that in 1965 the American Ides Of March were still calling themselves The Shon-Dels. The Ides name was not adopted until the following year ( based on the famous quote from Julius Caesar – well it would be in both cases I guess! )

Free and experimental music at the Kino-Teatr St Leonard’s review by Neil Partrick

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photo 1: Punters’ view of Afrit Nebula performing in the Upper Gallery, Kino-Teatr

photo 2: Necessary Animals Keith and Amanda (Pic: Amanda Thompson!)

Hastings and St Leonard’s music scene is re-emerging in difficult, even controversial, circumstances. However in the large, open and relatively safe space of the Kino Teatr Gallery area, it felt ok to spend a Sunday afternoon hearing, for free, some top-notch performers…

An afternoon of excellent South Coast Sounds was presented in the Gallery of the Kino-Teatr in St Leonard’s on August 1, part of a fairly regular slot at the venue. To read Neil Partrick’s review please click on this link…

https://deiradiary.blogspot.com/2021/08/

Neil Partrick… Am grateful to Alan for publishing this review

Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames and Kenny and The Wranglers – Witch Doctor Aug 1965

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supplied by Mandy Field

Richard Brimm… I saw Georgie Fame but can’t remember the other one

Nikolai Bukharin… I have a sleeveless copy of Georgie Fame live at the Flamingo club circa 65. Fuggin amazing.

Gerry Fortsch… Those were the days, if only we had another Witch Doctor now.

John Warner… I was a Manager of the Witchdoctor back in the 60’s. We had all the top groups there!

 

Sons of Man 7th August & Geno Washington 8th August 1965 Witch Doctor St Leonards

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photo: https://www.discogs.com

Mick O’Dowd… The Ram Jam Band WITH Geno Washington? First time i’ve seen this. He WAS The Ram Jam Band. This must have been an early gig.

John Gale… Geno is still playing and going strong

Alan Esdaile… He was a member of the SMART group awhile ago.

Mick O’Dowd… Saw him a few times and last time was in Bexhill. I was the only one to try to start a “Geno” chant going and it failed miserably. Still it was a good show.

John Gale… He was meant to play the Brass Monkey a few years back, bad weather (Heavy snow) meant it was cancelled and it was never rescheduled. Their ‘Hand Clapping Foot Stomping’ album, is still one of the best ever live albums in my opinion

David Edwards… Geno played Hastings every month or so it seemed a great live band.