1950s & 60s Dancehalls/Ballrooms
Watch this postDo you remember the Ritz, Mecca, Palace, dance halls and ballrooms? Where you could go in the afternoons to date some girls. They used to call these "Afternoon Tea Dances" a great source of dating. Of course they have all morphed into money grabbing Bingo!
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I felt special when Patricia conspired with me in the ‘Challenge of the Five Steps’ by allowing me to do several dances with her that evening. Patricia was called Pat then and she stayed that way for several decades. She was 16 years old, and I was 18, but she told me afterwards that she thought that I seemed older. Either my wit and charm had finally woven their magic spell that evening… or she was being very patient with me. I was allowed to present my full CV (albeit that it had to be delivered in several discrete sections) and, although I had no way of knowing it at the time, I was being sized up for the last waltz. I spun her off her feet in a dazzling display of the quickstep, I admired her hair, and tried to impress her with my prospects of becoming the world’s first gangly-morph Chartered Engineer.
I had dared to hope that the world might become my oyster in those early days, but shellfish would later prove to be allergic to me. Puffing up my puny pectorals like a preening pigeon, I regaled Patricia with tales of my Grand Tour of Europe. She had never been further than Skegness at that time, but the tide was out when she arrived and, as it had been sunny, she thought that she had been to Libya. For me, it was love at first sight (yet again!) but this time the love was to last longer than its usual fortnight. She did allow me to escort her home and I discovered that Nat King Cole was right when he enthused about the joys of “Walking his baby back home”. However this particular walking was to prove to be a treat for me in a way that even he hadn’t appreciated… She lived less than five minutes walk from the dance hall!..
There's ( lots) more should you be interested
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Anyone remember the "mecca, otherwise known as the spinning disc" Leeds. Great times there in the mid sixties onwards. Long ago now! But was the place to go, great people, great atmosphere, great everything.
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PS. I'd add a poster of the club but cannot see how to do it. Any suggestions?
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Big thanks
A grotty Mecca-owned Dancehall-Disco at Grimsby, which I hated. But my personal favourite was The Orchid Ballroom Purley, Surrey.
I wonder what became of the friends I made at the Orchid.
One friend was a lovely punter called Helen, and she lived in Mitcham Common. She took me home to meet her parents ! Lovely family.
Does anyone have memories of the Orchid?
Mike.
here's a link to a picture of the dance floor.