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I stumbled on this site whilst looking up the Dungeon Club out of nostalgic interest.

In June 1964 the day after my 21st birthday I left the security of my parent's house in London with my clothes in a suitcase and a carrier bag full of my favourite LPs and headed for St Pancras and the train for Nottingham. The reason I chose that city was that a friend of mine working there had come home for the weekend and told us stories that all centred round the fact that girls outnumbered boys by allegedly 5 - 1 a very attractive proposition to us hormone rich young men. Within a fortnight three of us had packed in our jobs and headed north to this cornucopia of feminine charms. The point of this post is that the name Stu Morris really struck a chord as after three days in bed and breakfast by the station we found some rooms in the Old Vicarage at 405 Woodborough Road, Mapperley which was run as bedsits by Stuart's mum Mrs Morris (or Mrs M as she was always known) and his father Geoff. 

When I lived there Stu was probably about 13 or so and took a lot of interest peeking from behind the stairs at the girls we brought back. He was quite a big lad for his age and with his totally bald head - caused I think by alopecia - he sometimes gave the girls a bit of a scare if they caught sight of him in the gloomy hallway.

Mrs M was a wonderful landlady with a heart of gold and she acted like a surrogate mum to us often homesick young men. Many a time she gave us a few days grace to come up with the rent when work was short or we'd spent too much on beer or women. I remember great nights at the Dungeon, Boathouse, Dancing Slipper, at I think, West  Bridgeford and Yates Wine Lodge. I well remember one night when John Lee Hooker played the Dungeon and we got chatting and met up with him the  following morning in the  Kardomah on Queen Street? What would be the chance of something like that today? 

I also used to go to the Shabeens around Peas Hill Rise down the bottom end of Woodborough Road which was a completely different scene. Because of this foray into the Midlands I ended up marrying a girl from Plumtree on the outskirts of town. We got married at the church on Woodborough Road and had our wedding reception at Stuart's Mum's house and she put on a great spread for us at her expense, as I said a great lady. 

It was good to read that Stu made what seems a good name for himself and a success of his life as I always felt quite sorry for him as a schoolboy as a completely bald head in those days was a bigger cross to bear than it would be today. Good on him. 

In passing another guy from Mapperley that did rather well was Frank Sytner - sadly no longer with us - who had a small car site  selling sports cars further along our road you can still buy BMW, Ferrari, Mini etc from the nationwide car dealership that carries his name. After I married I moved back to London and on to adult life and responsibilities but still look back fondly at those carefree days meeting up in "Slab Square" to plan where we were off to for fun that night. 

 

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Great story and memories John, welcome to the group.

 

I too knew Stu in the very early years, posted somewhere in another thread here I think, I used to play with him on Caunton avenue near my great aunts house, when I used to stay there as probably a  9-10 year old (maybe a bit younger).

I used to "steal" or borrow my great aunts sons air pistol and those dart things and we'd have a great time shooting them at an old gate with a makeshift target on it, think it was the top access gate to the Hungerhill allotments maybe.

Our paths crossed again many times in later life and the last time was him and his wife running the beer-off on Westdale lane just before I emigrated in '89.

I was  involved in martial arts and he was also, but a different style to our group, think another mate of his was also into it, a coloured guy called Kenny Johnson, nice bloke too.

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Hi John (post #1)

If you are on Facebook there is a page for the Dungeon Club called We Are The Mods ( members of the dungeon society) . They have a monthly meet up in The Bell in town and Stu Morriss was at the last meeting. There were photographs taken and Stu was on some of them. He is now confined to a wheelchair after having one leg amputated a few years ago. Check out the site there may be othe names you may know.

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