mickyp

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Posts posted by mickyp

  4. Rock and Roll at the Locarno

    in 50's Nottingham

    Posted

    Looking back over my previous (June) threads, I now see that I've repeated myself a great deal, Futurist; my apologies - I should have re-read things first.

    I have to say that I have never experienced such erratic comings and goings and fall outs, elsewhere, as I have amongst the names I have listed above. The (unfabulous) Beatmen, for instance, seem to do one - or at the most - two gigs and then have to withdraw and reform.

    The musicianship in Norfolk is quite something to behold and I put this down to the amount of American forces who were stationed in East Anglia during and after the war and the musical legacy they brought with them and left behind.

    Not just that, the coastal holiday and caravan parks still pull in a lot of bands whereas, sadly, I guess most of the Notts and Derbys miners welfares shut down

  5. Rock and Roll at the Locarno

    in 50's Nottingham

    Posted

    Thanks for the info Futurist, sorry I've been off site for a while.

    Yes, I'm a friend of Sarah's on Facebook and I know quite a few of the musos who she's sung with - Nig Smith, Roger Lymn, Pat Wright, Clancy, my Brother - Steve Peters, Walt Savage and John Landon.

    I understand that Bill Brasier lives in Bleasby (where I did many years beforehand) and Paul Mountain in Bulcote.

    Three of four years ago I stood in as a drummer for a number of gigs in Nottm with Rock Wheatley, Spike and Stan late of the Varitones.

    I live and drum in Norfolk now - but the music over here is quite different to that I've experienced first hand back in Nottingham

  6. Nottingham Trolleybus Group

    in Pete's Nottingham Transport Forum

    Posted

    Any more gen or pictures of the Skeggy steam Bedford toastrack from anyone would be so very much appreciated, please. This absolutely fascinated me and I never thought I'd see anything of it again.

    Any photos of any of these Vulcan/Bedfords operating the 'Penny All the Way' shuttle service in Skeg would be most welcome. Not the later OB coaches with their sides tin-openered by Lincs Road car, thanks all the same.

  7. Nottingham Trolleybus Group

    in Pete's Nottingham Transport Forum

    Posted

    Firbeck, you mentioned a Ted Farnsworth, Chairman of the Group, earlier.

    Was it he who lived in a terraced house in Basford? I'm pretty sure it was him I was referring to who's house I attended one or two meetings at. A very pleasant guy who would sometimes wear a flat cap, which was somewhat unusual - or unfashionable - at the time, for someone so young

  8. Huntingdon Street bus station

    in Pete's Nottingham Transport Forum

    Posted

    OK. Slight change of tack - I was born and lived in Burton Joyce until around 1951 and I remember when Staythorpe A power station was being built by Balfour Beatty.

    Each evening at about 4.30 - 5.00 a fleet of about a dozen old grey/blue double deckers would chase along Church Road in convoy taking the workforce back in the Nottm direction. They almost terrorised the villagers because, when I say 'chase', they did just that - it was obviously a race between them and they all had to keep up.

    They were obviously old wrecks of pre-war petrol-engined buses and the noise of either unsilenced exhausts or misfiring, knackered engines drove us kids running yet we still had to turn up daily and watch and listen to the racket!

    I never could say Balfour Beatty back then but, instead, called the daily 'display' the 'Belle View Beauties'.

    • Upvote 2

  9. Forgotten memory of Goose Fair

    in General Chat about Nottingham

    Posted

    Crikey, Smiffy49, no wonder this etched itself on your mind, it would have me, too. What obviously made it seem particularly sinister was the juxtaposition between the bright lights, the loud music and people laughing, screaming and enjoying themselves while this 'poor unfortunate', possibly a quadriplegic, was confined to his mobile 'coffin'.

    It would only have been made worse by seeing him with the same accompanying party again in the grave yard. What terrible secret did they carry, what frightful thing had happened to the family to make them go through this seemingly tragic ritual?

    Did the poor man suffer a terrible accident or illness earlier in life or was he born that way?

    Whatever, his family must have been very loving, dedicated and loyal towards the poor soul.

    Then the very fact that he made eye contact with you...

    • Upvote 1

  10. Huntingdon Street bus station

    in Pete's Nottingham Transport Forum

    Posted

    I quote from the link to which is refered "...The three* operators then became known as part of the Tillings Group..."

    *The three operators being N & D, MGO, MDT

    I'll try to post a photo of my Yarmouth 329 Bristol decker. It lives on our clifftop in North Norfolk overlooking the North Sea - a nice place for an evening drink, summer or winter alike :)

  13. Anybody on here worked on the Railway?

    in General Chat about Nottingham

    Posted

    Here goes - I worked on the Railway on four separate occasions - yes, four!

    1) 1960 -Started in the Publicity and Public Relations dept. on Victoria Street Nottm. Then Alan House on Clumber Street; Furlong House, the Meadows; British Transport Advertising on Low Pavement.

    2) 1988 - Platform Ticket Barriers at Coventry.

    3) 1990 - Yeah, first proper Railway job at last -

    Traincrew at Norwich a) Trainman on Ballasts

    and freight followed by Senior Conductor on

    intercity hauled trains to London Liverpool St.

    4) - 2000 - Customer Services at Norwich.

    Family connections.

    Grandfather - BT Police Inspector

    Aunt - Supervisor Nottm Mid Enquiry Office

    Mother - Porter Burton Joyce Station during War

    Father - Signalman Thurgarton and Burton Joyce

    Daughter - Clerical Grosvenor House, Norwich

    Self - as above

    Micky P

    • Upvote 1

  14. Huntingdon Street bus station

    in Pete's Nottingham Transport Forum

    Posted

    Hi Guys, only just joined Nottstalgia Nottingham so forgive me coming in late on this blog.

    Sorry, Stephen Ford, I have to challenge your (much) earlier statement re the ownership of Notts and Derby Traction, Midland General and Mansfield District Traction although the rest of your information is astoudingly informative and much appreciated.

    These three companies, along with many others throughout the country prior to the formation of the NBC, were part of the Tillings Group of Companies which also owned the Bristol Motor Co from, believe it or not, Bristol plus Eastern Counties Bodyworks in Lowestoft. This is why - at the end these companies they almost invariably had Bristol chassis, EC Coachwork and, usually, Gardner Engines. I personally have ex Yarmouth Corporation 329 Bristol VRT2 (vertical, rear, transverse engine) its body number is 23456.

    I worked for British Transport Advertising in the 60s and sold bus (exterior and interior) advertising on the aforementioned bus companies vehicles plus Trent, East Midlands and North Western Road car. These latter 3 companies were part of the BET Group - British Electric Traction - yes, part of Balfour Beatty (historically from tramway days).

    Although I sold purely bus advertising my wage was actually paid by British Rail(ways) and I was actually a Railway employee and received BR priv tickets and concessions. The local office was on Low Pavement.

    Fact is stranger than fiction..

  17. Rock and Roll at the Locarno

    in 50's Nottingham

    Posted

    Roger Lymn, Clancy, John Landon, Paul Mountain, Walt Savage (Sons and Lovers keys) all come and go and break up and reform in various combos - almost impossible to keep up with.

    My Brother - Steve Peters, a jazz double bassist but a frustrated rock guitarist/keys player - played with Rog and some in the Elderly Brothers 5 or 6 years ago and Roger's recent band of note was the Rocking Relics but that blew apart......

    Bill Brasier, ex Beatmens lead guitarist, lives or lived in Bleasby and is a volunteer on the GC Railway at Loughborough and they have a band, too.

    Paddy Flynn was a good mate and we both lived in Calverton for a while and more recently he taught guitar out of the music shop in Long Eaton. Sadly his long term partner died last year which understandably left him quite devastated. Like I said elsewhere, Paddy and I were reunited after a long period of losing contact when he phoned me out of the blue last year. I also mentioned that he moved to his Sister's 'daan the Smoke' earlier this year...

    ... and breathe...

    Wow, Fly2, in the Commercial van?

    Did you know another dear mate of mine - Bob Mugglestone - he came from Woollaton and his Dad was an estate agent?

    Bob then had a vacuum cleaner repair and sales shop on Hartley Road. We lived close to each other on Mansfield Lane, Calverton, but Bob is now in Gedling.

  18. Rock and Roll at the Locarno

    in 50's Nottingham

    Posted

    Mick Malby or Franks - thanks for that Lizzie - yes, it rings a vague distant bell now.

    You're probably right about Harry as well - I think he was a butcher at the time - but, of course, Alvin Lee of the Jaybirds, and later Ten Years After, had the real name of Graham Barnes - could there be a crossover here? I believe he lived in Woollaton and went to Glen Bott - is that right?

    Leo Lions was the bass player for both but Clancy (Dave Quickmire) the superb Jaybirds drummer refused to join Ten Years After. Clancy plays/ has player in various recent Nottm bands including the Beatmen - as they come and go - or John Landon

    • Like 1

  22. Rock and Roll at the Locarno

    in 50's Nottingham

    Posted

    I earlier referred to the Vic as being the closest thing to heaven on earth for me ; there was one particular lunch time, however, which was closer to hell...

    Things had started off quite normally except for a guy of mixed face (may I use that terminology?) who was walking round swiftly in an agitated manner. Suddenly he reappeared in the middle of the dance floor, shouting, with a very bloodied nose that, it would seem, was a given signal for things to kick off big time. It was a veritable free for all and there seemed no two sides in the 'dispute' - anyone and everyone was launching out and punching anyone; one could not exaggerate the drama or the spectacle - to liken it to a bar room brawl in a Western would have been an understatement to top all understatements.

    Manager Lloydy, with his Scottish Assistant Manager, were dragging unconscious and injured victims off the dance floor - a leg apiece - and dumping them outside on St Anneswell Rd while others bent down and punched or kicked said victims in the face while they were in transit to the outside world.

    Meanwhile, others - maybe the associates of the Pownalls (referred to by others much earlier in this topic) who I recognised as regulars you kept out if the way of, stood on the balcony throwing tables and chairs, shoulder-high to get maximum impetus, on to the dancefloor and mêlée some fifteen or twenty feet below

  25. Rock and Roll at the Locarno

    in 50's Nottingham

    Posted

    My head is buzzing with the fondest of memories of the Locarno - which we always still called 'the Vic'.

    I believe that the first time I attended was a Saturday afternoon session in the back end of 1960; my girl friend of three years had unceremoniously dished me on going to teachers training college and I was desperately seeking solace. Boy, did I find it!

    The Locarno just had to be the nearest thing to heaven on earth - from then onwards I attended every one if its sessions I could - lunchtimes, Sat afternoon AND evening, Sunday club and any additional week nights. If it had been open 30 hours a day then I would have been there for 40 of those hours.

    One hot summer Saturday night I was turned away from the door by this young, self-important doorman, Mick at the cash desk, for not having a jacket - yes, I should have known better. I caught the first available Trent bus back to Burton Joyce, donned my coat and caught the next bus back. Luckilly they ran from Huntingdon Street bus station. I picked up where I left off at the cash desk.

    When the place closed I thought I would die but then started going to the Palais, instead, where I met my first wife on 16th Feb, 1966.

    To tie the marital/romantic ends up, I met Judy - the one who abandoned me to go to college in 1960 - and I met up again 28 years later in 1988, moved in together in the Spring of that year and finally married in 1998. Were we a bit impetuous?

    Sorry, much, much more to follow about 'the Vic, later...

    Forgive any typographical errors - I'm literally typing this with one finger on my mobile phone...

    Catch you soon...

    • Upvote 4