Recommended Posts

Hi folks,

I came across this forum and thread by accident, but I am delighted that it is here. Club Balaton was owned by my father, Rudi Soos and my step mum Iris from the late 70's to the late 80's when he sold it and it became Charlie C's before being sold for development just a few years later.

My father. Bought the site as a derelict site with just the shell of the old buildings and in true Hungarian style he hand built the. Club, living accommodation and car park himself.

My father came to the uk in 57 to escape the communists who were rounding up and imprisoning or shooting people like my father. He worked mines for 14 hours a day, then went on to have a stall selling fabric on Skegness Market for 0 years before finally buying the club on Besecar Avenue.

I remember many years of christmas's in that place, full of joy, lots of people, lots of dancing, lots of food. Sadly, my dad succumbed to the alcohol he was selling and it all went down hill form there. He sold the club and drunk himself to death.

I have fond memories of hum, the club and some of the regulars.

The funniest thing is that Hungarians tend to go overkill when building. The back car park was the result of infilling the land with metal and concrete over many years and when sold, it was found that the concrete was 19 feet thick in places and could not be blasted as it was a built up area. The developer built onto of this and lost 1 house asq a result.

My dads legacy can still be seen in the form of the solid stone wall that retains the old car park. This alone is nearly 1.5 feet thick and 15 feet high.

Yes, sad times, happy times and lots of memories for many people resonate in what is left of Club Balaton.

FYI, my Dads wife Iris still lives in their other house in Bakersfield.

Does anyone remember Suki the Daschund with the bad temper ? He bit everyone at some point.

Most regulars would remember Sarah and Simon, my younger brother and sister, and my step mum's liking for Ford Capri's.

Anyway, if you would like to know anything, respond here and I will gladly give you whatever information you would like.

Stephen Soos

Link to post
Share on other sites

Stephen,

Welcome to the forum, and many thanks for a very interesting opening posting...

Especially pleased to read your recall of Hungarian building habits!

Particularly as I knew a builder, of Hungarian extraction, who worked in a similar manner around Hucknall in the 60's & 70's...

His local reputation was such that he rapidly had an overfull order book - to the extent that he recruited various other Hungarians, from around the area, to help complete his many assignments.

He partly built my former Ogle Street property, which had walls to make lighthouses seem Jerry-built!

IIRC, he was also a victim of their 1956 uprising and, although I've forgotten his name, do remember that he passed away quite young in some obscure accidental circumstances.

Your further Nottingham recollections will be appreciated.

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nice to hear from you Stephen, and some fantastic information about the place. Keep the memories coming.

As I've mentioned futher back , it was a regular haunt of ours on a Sunday in the 80s . I remember 'Big George' the doorman who died, and ofcourse your dad at front of house, I can't remember much else but 'Christmas type fairy lights' keep springing to mind.

Keep them coming Stephen

Link to post
Share on other sites

WELL REMEMBER CARLTON SQUARE BEING BUILT IN THE MID SIXTIES USED TO HAVE TO PASS IT EVERY DAY TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND GRADUALLY WATCHING THE GHANGES AS IT PROGRESSED OR SOME WOULD SAY REGRESSED ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE FLATS OPPOSIT AT THE BOTTOM OF WALTON CRESSENT OR OTHERWISE KNOWN INCUBATOR AVENUE. AS THESE WERE FOUR AND FIVE BEDROOMED HOUSES AND ALL BIG FAMILIES LIVED IN THEM. AND THERE WERE ALWAYS NEW BABIES UP THERE. SHORTLY AFTER THE OLD SHOPS AND WINSOR CASTLE CAME DOWN TO MAKE WAY FOR THE NEW TEXCO AND THE NEW WINSOR CASTLE WAS ALSO BUILT BUT IT HAD LOST ALL ITS LAND AND LOVELY BEAR GARDENS. THE ONLY CORNER STILL RELIVTY UNCHANGED IS WERE THE OLD 39 TROLLY TURMINUS AND NAGS HEAD IS STILL LITTLE HAS CHANGED HERE FOR ABOUT 50 YEARS BUT I BEST NOT SPEAK TOO SOON OR THEY MIGHT JUST DECIDE ITS ABOUT TIME THEY DID SOMETHING WITH THIS SMALL PIECE OF LAND.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...

Carlton Square. right up my street so as to speak. I remember post office run by mr. and mrs tilley , Mossops the chemist next door. behind them on station road was a factory called I think Carlton electrodes chrome specialists, moved to Colwick industrial estate. there was a passage just below that went from station road through to burton road where the kiora club was the passage was near the school and came out somwhere near the blacks head. opposite the post office on the other corner at the bottom of carlton hill was shentalls store. inthe same row was a cycle

shop, green grocery shop and a row of houses up to Windsor castle pub. opposite windsor castle Straws the bakers. further down a blacksmith

and petrol station if i remember right 3/9pence a gallon. i remember carlton square well had a blind date there she never turned up.

Tarry's newsagent, and opposite next door to marshalls bakery lived my best mate Alan Detheridge. sadly not with us anymore.

ps Brilliant pictures beefstake.

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I knew Dawsons bakery in the precinct, I went to school with Valery, sister and rivals to malc adkins bakery. Malc was a big friend of mine in our early school days at Carlton catholic school. he owned one of the first cycles with a small engine I believe it was calle an 'nsu quickly.' i'm not sure if it was out before the raleigh moped.

Link to post
Share on other sites

That picture takes me back, I can see myself sitting on that 39 Trolley bus on my way to town. That is the Carlton Square I remember. No wonder I feel lost when I see it now. A lot of the streets and little alleys are still there, all the places that my dad grew up in, and his relations lived. No use trying to hide from dad on the rampage when we were out after our 8pm home time. He already knew all the hiding places! Been there....Done it! :rolleyes:

Link to post
Share on other sites

What a lovely picture' as with carni it was a blast from the past that brought

back many lovely memories. Completely unrecognisable now.

The 39 Trolley bus wasn't one of the good memories as I always felt sick and

as a child would cry when Mam said we would be walking down to Carlton Square.

It was 2d cheaper than the Trent bus in Gedling village.

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

I put that up in the Nottingham videos thread. 

I share them from NottsMan on Facebook so if you're on FB follow him 'cos he's got loads of old vids on there. He's got a dodgy taste in music, but hey ho you can't have everything. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...
  • 2 years later...

This club was rebuilt from a ruin and extended by my Dad, Rudy Soos.  His wife, my step mum is English.  My  Dad died in 1999, but Iris is still very much alive, though very old now.


I am proud of what my Dad did.  he came to the UK with 17 quid and could not speak English.  He became wealthy from hard work.

 

He is a good man in my eyes.  I am biased. 

 

If you want to know anything about the club, feel free to ask.


Stephen Soos

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...