The Gay Cafe Burton Road Carlton


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Me too (the Airfix kit, that is)!

The Arrow and Leader were interesting bikes - engine (2cyl 2-stroke) developed by Queens University Belfast, and was impressive. Unfortunately the frame was pressed steel with trailing link front suspension, which left a lot to be desired. I suspect running examples are valuable today, but I also suspect that the pressed steel frame caused a lot of 'em to rust away!

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Went to the Gay Cafe a lot in the late 50,s. Lets see what i can remember. Two table tennis tables, one dartboard,used both a lot.A jukebox,can remember playing Eddie Cochran a lot. We even had a wor

Does anyone have any memories to share from early 1960s,of the Gay Cafe on Burton road opposite the Ritz cinema i am not sure if it was classed as Carlton or Gedling,it was the in place to be ,at a ti

#25 & #26. I had an Ariel Golden Arrow - bought new from Breffits. Steered like it was on rails but attracted rust like a Fiat car. OK bike put if you kept it on high power you would feel it tug w

The real bikes had exhaust pipes and silencers too! yes if you can find one worth a fair deal now, had one late 1960's, interesting engine, seem to recall crankcase didn't "split", you removed crank from such via a plate on one end? a downside was the "reed valve"? carb arrangement, both the original and a replacement engine on mine suffered problems, in end I dismantled and sold as bits

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Does anyone have any memories to share from early 1960s,of the Gay Cafe on Burton road opposite the Ritz cinema i am not sure if it was classed as Carlton or Gedling,it was the in place to be ,at a time when the twist was the dance craze.We used to have a group of mainly fellas come from Notts who were fantastic dancers, one was nicknamed Johnny Twist

remember it very well,used to go from nottingham whenever we could afford the busfares,a few names remembered jennie bowes,betty crane,funny cant remember the boys,only one and only his motorbike it was a ariel arrow.

very happy memories.can anybody else remember names?

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  • 6 months later...

Hi yes i was one the the rocker had a 600 Panther with Ape Hangers.

John

Well I for one won't tell anyone, and I'm sure Mick will let you delete the post! lol, only kidding, I had a 350 single cyl one, had Dowty air suspension front forks, you actually pumped such up with foot pump, assume made by pit prop company of same name? rigid back end, handled great on smooth roads but skipped about if bumpy.

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  • 2 weeks later...

GAY CAFE WAS INDEED ON BURTON RD THIS IS IN CARLTON BUT VERY NEAR THE BORDER WITH GEDLING ,GEDLING RD JUST AT THE BACK OF THIS

WAS GEDLINGI THINK THE FENCES OF BOTH RD GARDENS IS ACTUALLY THE BORDER ORLANDO DRIVE JUST DOWN FROM THE CAFE OPPOSIT THE RITZ I BELIVE HAS HALF THE HOUSES IN CARLTON AND HALF IN GEDLING. I REMEMBERMANY PEOPLE WHO USED GAY CAFE BUT NEVER WENT MUCH MYSELF AS MY OLDER BROTHER RAY WAS ONE OF THE VOLUNTARY YOUTH LEADERS SO IT WAS NOT MUCH FUN FOR ME BUT WENT ON A BUS TRIP TO SKEGGY WITH THEM ONCE. I REMEMBER THE STOOKS TWINS TONY CALADINE JOHN PRICE AND HIS MATE RAY JACKIE AND PAT MICK AND TERRY PARNHAM FEZ AND TEZ AND MANY MORE I KNOW THAT USED GAY CAFE AT SOME POINT IN THERE LIVES AS I WAS SAID IT WAS MAINLY THE YOUNG BIKERS WHO USED IT AND THEN OVER TO THE ROYAL OAK PUB ACROSS THE WAY MANY OF THE LOCAL USERS CAME FROM GEDLING, CARLTON, NETHERFIELD ,BURTON JOYCE AND LOWDAM. AS WELL AS FURTHER AFIELD JUST AS THE LOCAL BIKERS TRAVELED TO PLACES LIKE THE SHEDS AND JACKS CAFE IN BEESTON 52 CLUB IN BREASTON WHITEHART LENTON AND THEN OFCOARS OFF TO WHITEPOST OLLERTON FFOR ALATE NIGHT TEA OR COFFEEAND A CHAT WITH LIKE MINDED PEOPLE

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  • 3 months later...

Remember the gay cafe well,great place,used to catch the bus on cowlick road to nether field,when I could afford the bus fare friends used to have motor bikes,green with envy.But it was a great youth club,with all the latest music,happy memories,used to know a girl called Jennifer Bowes from there,but I was very young.

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I used to go to this youth club with my friend,we were about 14 at the time,I think they had a jukebox? I can remember a lady who used to be 'on the door' to check who was going in.She used to talk to us girls about behaving ourselves and not to 'get up to mischief' with boys.I remember 2 older lads who used to hang about outside,showing off because they had a car.my friend and I were at Carlton girls school at the time.

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We used to go to the gay cafe in the early 1960s, I am hoping SueB48 can remember the years . Between us we fill each other in with memories of those days. Sometimes a group of lads used to visit from town. One had a nickname because he was a brilliant Twister. I had a bit of a ribbing in 2008 when I first posted his name, I didn't realise the connotations in the name! Naive as I am. You will see it in the Quote above #28! :blush:

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#25 & #26. I had an Ariel Golden Arrow - bought new from Breffits. Steered like it was on rails but attracted rust like a Fiat car. OK bike put if you kept it on high power you would feel it tug when it tried to seize in one cylinder.

Competition time. Where was the photo taken?

FLY2. No. Will respond when someone gets it. It still looks like this today (but I don't!).

Crankypig. No

Clue: Note the milk churns.

647KTO_zpsixnryu3w.jpg

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Bestwood Village

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Bulcote, Stoke Bardolph of one of the Trent Valley villages ?

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Saxondale Village

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Are the milk churns still there. LOL

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Phew, I'm glad about that. I was worried.

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Come on then Chulla, we've waited long enough.

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I thought Blondie and Susieshoes would have identified where is was - they must have passed it hundreds of times, as I did when I worked at Rolls-Royce Hucknall. On the road from Watnall to Hucknall, just before you get to the aerodrome there is an S-bend in the road. On the bend is Eel Hole Farm, seen in the background of the picture. The bus stop was for the Midland General buses.

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Damn me, that area was my next choice. I pass that regularly on my way to Reuben Shaws garden centre.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Went to the Gay Cafe a lot in the late 50,s. Lets see what i can remember. Two table tennis tables, one dartboard,used both a lot.A jukebox,can remember playing Eddie Cochran a lot. We even had a word with the bloke who changed the records to make sure he stayed in.Dancing! NO, despite what i have told my children i was never born to dance. Used to regret it then, and still regret it now.To much to drink and i could manage a quick grope that was my lot.I seem to remember the cafe got hold of a bus, and went to see Bantam racing at Mallory Park.One of the lads from the club drove it. Also seem to remember he drove a bulk powder tanker, and a accident on the A38, and his girlfriend who was small and very nice! All the motor bikes outside, i remember a lot of them and there riders. Went pillion on a few of them, can remember the acceleration of a Road rocket! Can anybody remember the visits of Streddar!!!, hope you cant they wasn,t pleasant. What else, girlfriends, Doreen -Netho, Collen- Carlton, and of course met the wife there.Cant remember the blokes name who ran it.How about a heavy night of drinking COKE,and feeling very light headed afterwards (what was in it in those days) It was sixpence to go in.Thats about it, doesnt seem much for the time spent there. Lets lose the thread and go across the road to the Ritz.{Sorry} Pictures ran Mon to Wed, and Thur to Sat. Sun. was tame horror or similar, sometimes quite good. The Blob. Untamed Youth{ Eddie Cochran} and the first time i saw Rebel without a Cause. What about free entrance! Two pay to go in, get seats. Then go to the toilet, open the window wide ,and two climb in.Then go to seats in two,s. The toilet window was low down in the car park. Last year at Gedling School used to meet a girl there, go in with mate then shout Rose and when she answered go and sit with her.Well we werent flush with money then.Chip shop on corner was as good as Ferns on Westdale, ask for fish bits everybody had big pickled onions. As a after thought a mate and his dad stripped the seats from the Regal for scrap.Its not all good bringing these things back, we cant turn the clock back. Sorry for rambling.

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