st leonards

Trevor Webb – Eversfield Place St Leonards 1966

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supplied by Trevor Webb

Trevor Webb… One of my Favourite photos taken 1966 by Hastings pier with view of Eversfield Place Central St Leonard’s .

Peter Houghton… I remember the cafe just behind you and that building next door must have been pulled down because i remember it was waste ground and people parked their cars there

Chris Meachen… The Lido coffee bar back there somewhere.. Hangout of ‘greasers’ where I spent a fair bit of my early teens.

Andre Martin… This must have been taken summer 66, the building behind the group with scaffolding was being demolished to clear the eyesore opposite the Pier where the Queen would visit on 14th October to see the Triodome. Yes there was a temporary car park on that site, which now is flats

Richard J Porter… Jacqui remembers it well. Her parents were Civic knees up.

Carol Paffett… Many a good evening sitting in the Lido , great coffee

Taffy’s – last place to eat for musicians & music lovers 1969

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Andre Palfrey-martin collection

Andre Martin….Here is an advert that would have brought a great cheer from the Musical fraternity – bands and dj’s alike when it appear in August 1969 – how many used this food outlet during the early hours ? Perhaps it needs ” Blue Plaque” for services to the former youths of the town ! – I was almost going to say the Culinary Culture of the Town.

Robert Searle…..Really useful after gigs at Hastings area and onwards. Loved those days.

Mick Knights…..Also useful for those returning from the Sundowner

Gary Kinch…..Ahh…..remember taffys. He had a chippy in ore too. Spent many an hour chatting with him in there….Barry Baynon was his name. “Taffy,” was his dad.

Leigh Wieland-Boys…..What a blast from the past..! Stop off after a night out in either direction Sundowners, Kings or the Continental one way – Bonita’s, Scalliwags, Rennies, The Astral….to name but a few, the other!

Alan Esdaile….Fish & Chips tasted so much better in those days, was it down to eating them out of newspaper?

Leigh Wieland-Boys……out of newspaper & in the wee hours of the morning, much tastier!

Nick Prince…..ah yes, those crinkle cut chips……..

Mick O’Dowd…..What would we have done without it. Sadly Barry & Co have passed to that great chippire in the sky. R.I.P.

Peter Millington… I used to get Fish and Chips there every time The Confederates played in Eastbourne which was most weekends. Taffy was in charge until his son inherited the night life in front of the fryer. I knew him as Buddy i.e. Buddy Beynon. My waist line was severely damaged in the years between 1964 and 1967 – the Confederate years and then again between 1967 and 1975 – The SPYKE years. Happy times, RIP Taffy and Buddy and thanks for the inches!

Andre Martin… How would we have existed without food outlets such as this, another was the Beachcomber along by the pier – I think the owner was Andy feeding us into the early hours of the morning !!

Dave Nattress… Yes Taffy’s – I’ve always remembered this from being a young lad of maybe no more than 10 years old. Me and a few mates walking from Bexhill to Hastings along the seafront and stopping off inland at Taffy’s about midday. I didn’t have a few pence for a bag of chips but Taffy gave me a bag for free – I’ve always remembered such a kind gesture. He got paid back time and time again when I was a good bit older though

Alan Mitchell… If I remember correctly the reason it was closed was that, Taffy after giving fish and chips away all day on St Patricks day, slightly worst for wear left the fryer on and it burned the place out. His son Barry who took over was a fishing pal of mine.

Mick Knights… No, it was the day that Prince Charles was made Prince of Wales, the rest of the story is right though.

Mick O’Dowd…. Many a artery blocking/ cholestral busting bags of fish & chips have I consumed. There was also a milk machine at the end of Bulverhythe Road which acted many a time as a lifesaver when dehydrated.

Kristin Beynon… Taffy (Cyril) Beynon was my Grandfather and yes it was the Prince of Wales day. Sadly I never met him, as I was born eight years after he passed.

Tim Moose Bruce… Was a regular one when tearing around in cars with cb radios. Barry’s handle was Omega.Mine was Spiny Norman.

Mike Waghorne… Remember it well in the late 60’s & 70’s & the bands that stopped off there after the pier gigs

John Wilde… It was a rite of passage.

Peter Millington… We, The Confederates popped into Taffy’s after gigs in the early/mid 1960’s. There was always a Q as many other groups did the same thing – great memories!

Peter Fortsch… Couldn’t beat a couple of Greasy Beano Burgers and a pile of chips in the early hours after doing a Gig. Often drove a fair distance from venue cos we knew Taffys would be open.

Jennifer Hemming… Barry Beynon was my Boyfriend I was 17 & he was 18 , Taffy ( Cyril ) & his Amazing wife Kay ,I remained very close to until they passed away 😢 we had such fun times in that little house adjoining the Fish & chip Shop , Barry & I also remained the best of friends until he passed sadly in 2008 great family , the shop was notorious ,open until the early hours . RIP Guy’s You are all Remembered with such affection ❤️❤️X

Andy Caine… Barry Beynon, taught me my first guitar chords! Lovely guy.

Gerry Fortsch… Graham and myself always ended the evening after a gig with the Hippo Band at Taffy’s no matter where we had been playing that night, Graham liked the fish and chips but I always went for the healthy burgers in batter and chips, what a way to spend your early hours of a new dawning. Rock & Roll

Colin Bell… In common with other comments, can’t count the number of times i stopped there after doing a gig. What a great character he was, liked a drink or two i remember!

Joan Ann Cooper-fenner… Great memories of going after our nights out!

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! )

Neil Landon & The Burnettes 29th August 1964, Alexis Korner 30th August 1964- Witch Doctor

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Andre Palfrey-martin collection

Andre Martin… From The Witch Doctor in 1964, one of the bands that Neil played with before the Lonely Ones.

Gerry Fortsch… I was very impressed with this club, I was never very trendy in truth I looked more like a hairy beatnik. I did catch the Small Faces though.

David Edwards… I’d have been 13 at the time so no chance of getting in but I do remember him being the house band on I think it was 5 o’clock Club a kids programme on the telly, which was quite surreal really.

Alan Elsdon & His Band – Combe Haven – 1970.

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alan elsdon band

Kevin Sherwood… Looks like a evening to stay in!

Andy Knight… I remember the Elsdon band when I worked there as a bar boy in 66

Terry Pack… Crikey! I did a few weeks there in the early 80s, backing the cabaret acts and playing dance music with a quartet called Tuxedo Function! Pure class! The keyboard player, a very nice man called Rod, sang, reading the pop stuff from buskers’ books. He had clearly never heard half of the songs, and his pronunciation of certain words was fantastic. In Get Back, he sang that ‘Jojo left his home in Tuck sun, Arizona’.

Veronica Lingley… Does anyone know what happened to the Margaret Mason duo?

Corin Moore…  Hello Veronica. In 1971 I worked my second season at Combe Haven as an Entertainments Organiser/’compere’ with Margaret and Ian. Midway through the season we three were ‘sacked’  – due to Ian ordering a young lad to get off the stage as he was pushing the amps and speakers. I knew nothing of this until later. We all left the following day and I instigated court proceedings. David paid me my contract and costs, a week before the Hastings hearing, but I was unaware of how it was resolved with Ian and Margaret. They had to leave their house (owned By David) and move back to London. Many years later Margaret phoned me wondering if I had seen Ian as he hadn’t been home for two months. I liked both Ian and Margaret and believe she continued playing local gigs etc. Many, many years later she telephoned asking if I had seen Ian as he hadn’t been home for two months! I trust the family and their children, who are probably married with kids themselves by now, are all well.

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.