Recollections

Edinburgh

Dance Halls

Recollections

1.

Frank Ferri
Newhaven, Edinburgh

The Eldorado

The Assembly Rooms

YMCA

The Lansberry

The Palace Ballroom

Stella Maris

Private Functions

Juke Box Cafes

Stewart's Ballroom

The Palais

    -  Americans

    -  Revolving Stage

Fashions

The Manhatten Cafe

Other Venues

Sundays

Entertainment

Leith

2.

Frank Ferri
Newhaven, Edinburgh

Rules of Dancing

    -  No Jiving

    -  Ladies Ejected

3.

Jean Macaulay
(nee Westwood)
Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, Scotland

Dickson's

Morningside

Palais de Dance

Plaza

Tollcross

Eldorado

4.

Ian Taylor
Glasgow, Scotland

Morningside

The Cavendish

Frank Ferri
Newhaven, Edinburgh

Live Music in early-1950s

1960s

Falling Attendances

Beat Clubs

1970s

Today

Ron Suttie
Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia

Palais de Dance

The Cavendish

Trisha McDonald
Livingston / Portobello, Scotland

Palais de Dance

The Cavendish

Anne Blisset (nee Meikle)

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

'Victor Sylvester' dance studio

Bob Sinclair
Queensland, Australia

Dance Halls

-  Cavendish

-  Palais de Dance

-  Plaza

-  Fairleys

-  Eldorado

-  Assembly Rooms

-  Marine Gardens

Schools of Dancing

-  Edina

-  Central

-  Afton

Alistair Rankine
Langwarrin, Victoria, Australia

Jiving

-  The Westfield all

-  The Locarno (Paulena's)

Betty Wallace (nee Baxter)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The Eldo

The Palais

Jim Flynn
Oxgangs, Edinburgh

The Plaza

Ian M Malcolm
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland

The Palais

Recollections

1.

Frank Ferri

Newhaven, Edinburgh

Thank you to Frank Ferri, now living in Newhaven, Edinburgh, for sending me these memories of living in Leith.  Frank adds that Leith had plenty of places for dancing.

Frank wrote:

The Eldorado

"The Eldorado in Mill Lane had two halls, one for Tuesday night Wrestling, with such names as:

-   The Goul

-   Le Masque Rouge

-   Kendo

-   Les Kellet

-   Shirley Crabtree and even

-   Jimmy Savile of 'Top of the Pops' fame'

The dance hall featured the big bands of the time:

- Ken Mackintosh

- Harry Gold and his Pieces of Eight,

- Renaldo

- Johnny Dankworth

- Ted Heath with his Singers

- Lita Rosa

- Dick Valentine

- Dennis Lotus.

On some Saturday nights they would have a twelve A.M. to Four AM. Dance session. So you could go to the Palais De Dance at Fountainbridge until 11.00 P.M. then make your way down to Leith for the 'Eldo'."

The Assembly Rooms

"The Assembly Rooms, or 'the 'Rooms' as we called them, at the foot of Constitution Street, were a very popular venue with Alexander’s resident band.

Most kids learned the basics of dancing before graduating to the  Assembly Rooms.  I went there about three nights a week."

YMCA

"There was also the Y.M.C.A for the very young in Junction place  (Fire Brigade Street to a Leither)."

The Lansberry

"Then there were the Lansberry halls for more mature people.

This was former Labour Party offices where Lord Hoy first started as an M.P., on the corner of Duke Street. and Academy Street  (old name, Morton Street)

As a boy of fourteen, I joined the Labour League of Youth here and canvassed etc. for the Labour Party and met Lord Hoy many times."

The Palace Ballroom

"The Palace Ballroom was above Woolworth’s and had a small entrance in Constitution Street.  I remember this is where, at the age of fourteen, I heard my first live band, 'Archie Semple and his Dixieland Band'.

On Sundays, there was little for teenagers to do.  My friends and I, hearing the music, crept up the stairs towards it.  A man appeared.  We turned and were about to run, then plucked up the courage to ask if we could get in.

Surprisingly, he said 'Certainly'. There was no dancing, just listening to the music, and our first experience of live music.

I thought the noise was ear-splitting. But it was like chamber music to to-days standards.

For one shilling and nine pence (1/9d ) they  threw in a cup of coffee and a couple of cakes.  We felt so grown up.  I’ve been hooked on New Orleans jazz ever since."

Stella Maris

"The 'St. Mary’s Star of the Sea' church  (Stella Maris) had a Sunday night Youth Club.  This was for members of the parish only.

To get my non-denominational friends in, I had to tell them what the colour of the priest's vestments were on that Sunday because old father Fitz (Fitzpatrick) would be at the door to pose the question."

Private Functions

"Other private function venues for weddings etc were:

-  The Bakers Halls:  North Fort Street.

-  The Corner Rooms:   on the  corner of North Junction Street and Ferry Road

-  The Unionist Halls:  at the foot of Leith Walk

-  The Eagle Rooms:  at Tower Street, along the Shore,

-  No 5 Masonic Club Rooms:  at Queen Charlotte Street, off Constitution Street.

-  Coop Halls:  the old school / church on the corner of Cables Wynd and Great Junction Street.

-   Leith Town Hall:  Ferry Road.

 -  Market Halls:  in Market Street, off St Andrew Street, Leith.  This later  became The Crossroads Club, run by the late Eric Gardner.  There, they had five-a-side football among other things.  At half time, you paid two pence and got a jam piece and a cup of tea."

Juke Box Cafes

"Michael’s Cafe (early 1950s) in Tollbooth Wynd was the first to have a jukebox.

This was another gathering point, listening to:

-   Frankie Laine (High Noon Theme)

-  Johnny Ray (Cry)

 -  Rosemary Clooney (Cammona My House)

-  Doris Day (Canadian Capers)

-  Billy Eckstine (If)

-  Mario Lanza (Be My Love)

-  Nat King Cole (Unforgettable)

- Tennessee Ernie Ford (Shot Gun Boogie fame)

   and many others.

Johnny’s Cafe, next to the State Cinema and the Cabin Cafe next to Leith Central Railway Station at the foot of Leith Walk, (now the Job Center) were other juvenile hangouts, and also Albert’s Chippy at the top of the Kirkgate and Lannie's cafe in Henderson Street."

Stewart's Ballroom

"I went to Stewart's Ballroom at Abbeymount on a Saturday morning, aged about fourteen or fifteen.  This is where you went, to make you feel grown up.

Stewart or his wife would give a couple of whirls around the floor to demonstrate, then grab you by the hand introduce you to some wee girl  and insist you got on with it, a bit like learning to swim by just being thrown in."

The Palais

"After going to Stuart's Ballroom and the 'Rooms' (the Assembly Rooms) you graduated to the Palais in Fountainbridge (the haunt of Sean Connery.

You had arrived, big-time:

-  Fights with the Valdor Gang

-  Jealousies with the Yanks from Kirknewton Air Base

-  Dancing to Basil Kirchen Orchestra

-  The revolving stage with the Jeff Rowena Quartet on the other side.

The Palais was an enormous dance hall, capacity probably 3000, oblong in shape, with a surrounding balcony, where we would sit, eye up the talent, spot someone you fancied and make a beeline downstairs to get them up to dance.

No booze was sold there in there in those days, just coffees, tea and soft drinks in the wee cafes:

-  Cupid's Bar

-  Knights' Corner

-  The Spanish decorated upstairs snack areas."

The Palais

Americans

"Usherettes were positioned to give you directions.  On the right-hand side of the Palais stage was considered the Yankee Corner.  This was the area the Americans from Kirknewton Airbase would congregate and attract the bottled blonds looking to marry a Yank for a better life in the States, much to the envy and anger of the local lads.

Generally speaking if a local lad asked these girls to dance, they got a knock back.  I remember having returned from a 12-month trip to the United states during my Merchant Navy days (1954).  I had developed an American accent that I could slip into quite comfortably, dress in appropriate clothes that I’d bought in America, and I could pull the birds in this disguise easily.

But if I let my guard down, I was dropped.  I didn't care though, it was their loss.  Such was my arrogance in those days. I'd been around the world and seen it all.  I was 'Jack the Lad'.  So who care about the yanks?"

The Palais

Revolving Stage

"The Palais had a revolving stage.  When one band went off for a break playing their signature tune, the other band would revolve round playing theirs, and I thought this was wonderful.

In the 60s when I played there with the 'Jokers' band, I was amazed to see the mechanism that activated the revolving stage was none other than a big wheel that you hand operated like your mothers old mangle for wringing clothes. I thought it would be a sophisticated electronic device.

When I saw this, you would have thought I’d just been told John Wayne was a poof!"

Fashions

"Drape suits were the order of the day, made to measure by Jackson’s the tailors Leith Street, paid for in cash, no credit in these days and it took six to eight weeks to have one made.

The jacket had a one piece back, single-breasted with one link button.  The length of the jacket had to be at least thumb length, or the extreme fingertip. Tight legged trousers, measuring sixteen or fourteen inches at the turn-ups, were the fashion of the day.

We wore:

-  white shirts with a black knitted ties. (The Teddyboys wore the longest jackets with velvet trim collar and cuffs on the sleeves and broad waist-banded very narrow trousers.)

-  black gabardine raincoats with patch pockets (murder to clean off  the tan Pancake makeup from your collar after a nights snogging in the back stair) with mandatory yellow scarf or the 'Packamac', a very thin black plastic raincoat, that you folded up neatly and placed in a pouch

-  crepe soled shoes.

-  Cussons Imperial Leather after shave, or Old Spice if you could get it.

-  Tony Curtis haircuts with the (DA) score down the back of your head and kiss curl at front, by Bob's gents hairdressers of the West Port.  He was a Polish guy who then moved to Brougham Place, Tollcross.  He was the only gents hair stylist in town, expensive, but worth it for the best styles.

In the late 1950s, the fashion was:

- 'Munrospun' (a wool company at Kemps Corner, Loganlee area) woollen ties, generally mustard, red or bright yellow in colour

-  a red or mustard waistcoat, worn with a charcoal grey suit

- Perry Como haircuts.  We were getting a bit more sophisticated."

In the early 1960s, the fashion was:

-   longer hair, Beatles style.

-  high collard button-down shirts

-  narrow ties

-  boots with pointed toes and high Cuban heels

-  mohair shiny suits

-  Italian style three-button, narrow lapels

-  bum-freezer short jacket, with cloth covered buttons

-  tight-bottom trousers with no turn-ups."

The Manhatten Cafe

"We were very impressed with everything American in those days, perhaps influenced by the movies and the attention the Kirknewton American airmen got from the local girls.

There used to be a cafe near the west end of Princes Street named the Manhattan.  It was next to the old Jacey cinema.

It was a long narrow premises, furnished like a mini American Diner, with boothed seating and swivel stools at the counter and displaying mirrors with etched scenes of New York, like the Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge.  My friend Billy Harper and I would pose in there for ages until asked to vacate our booth."

Other Venues

Other venues were:

-  Tony’s, Picardy Place or

-  Fairleys, Leith Street.

if you had no taste.

-  The Cavendish, Tollcross

-  The Plaza, Morningside, for the nurses who frequented it.

-  The Excelsior, Blackfriars Street

and many more.

On our way home from the Palais in the 1950s, we stopped at the bakers near the old Alhambra Cinema for a hot mince pie.

Sundays

"On Sundays, cinemas and dance halls were all closed.  All you had were:

-   Milk Bars and the West End Cafe in  Shandwick Place

- Listening to Jazz and at Victoria Halls Victoria Street, George IV Bridge, and

- The Oddfellows Halls in Forrest Rd, listening to Sandy Brown and his Dixieland Band."

Entertainment

"In the early 1960s, dancing was at beat clubs:

-  Gamp and The Place, Victoria Terrace

-  Top Story, Leith Street

 -  International, Princes Street

-   Casablanca, Rose Street Lane

-  Luna Park, Tollcross Street

-  Magoos, High Street

-  Bungees, Fleshmarket Close, High Street

-  Walkers, Shandwick Place

-  Tiffanys, Stockbridge

-  The Gonk, High Riggs.

Bands of the time were:

-  Saracens

-  Embers

-  Boston Dexters

-  Jokers, Rhythm and Blues band

-  The Crusaders

-  Hunters

-  Cult, Images

-  Hipple People

-  Fayne & The Cruisers

-  Phil & The Flintstones

-  Tam Paton Show Band

-  Athenians

   and many more."

Leith

"We had all this entertainment and a couple of dozen more picture houses at our fingertips.  Spoiled rotten, we were!

However if you were a Leither, you never really had to leave the area."

Frank Ferri, Newhaven, Edinburgh:  June 12, 2008

Recollections

2.

Frank Ferri

Newhaven, Edinburgh

Frank Ferri has already sent his recollections of pubs, snooker halls and men's fashions in Leith in the 1950s and 1960s to the EdinPhoto web site.

Here, below, he writes about the Rules of Dancing in the 1950s.

Frank wrote:

Rules of Dancing  -  1950s

No Jiving!

"There was a time when you were not allowed to Jive.  It was seriously frowned upon.  (Allegedly, it spoiled the progress of proper dancers.) 

Those good at it would stop at a corner of the dance floor and do their thing, attracting a crowd of admirers and others who dared to Jive, stopping only when the caught sight of the bouncers.  If they caught you, you got thrown out.

I was barred from the Assembly Rooms Leith for three months, only did it the once to, it broke my heart."

Ladies Ejected

"Pre 1950s and for a period after, if  you asked a lady to dance and she refused, she had to sit that dance out.  If she ignored that rule and got up with someone else right after her refusal, you could report her to a bouncer and she would be asked to leave  -  a bit sever!

Refusals often happened, and for the male, it could be quite humiliating and a blow to the ego. However, I don’t know of anyone applying the rule and having the lady thrown out.  The women’s libbers will be outraged to read this today!"

Frank Ferri, Newhaven, Leith:  October 29, 2008

Recollections

3.

Jean Macaulay (nee Westwood)

Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, Scotland

Thank you to Jean Macaulay, from Leith, now living in Bonnyrigg who wrote:

Dickson's

"I loved dancing and  used to go to Dickson's, a dance club off Broughton Street.  They had two clubs, one on the left of the street and one on the right which Wilma and I went to."

Morningside

"We also went to a dance club at Morningside.  It was up a lane off Holy Corner, and was very popular with usually the same people there each week.

I remember Ben Cheetham who lived near the Commonwealth Pool and Jacky from Kirkcaldy."

Palais de Dance

"We went to the Palais de Dance in Fountainbridge, only during the week, as it wasn't so crowded then.  It had a great sprung dance floor.

As a child, I used to go there on Saturday afternoons for the Children's Dance.  We loved it.  It was a miniature of the Adults Dance at night, with the glass roof ball.

When you were old enough we went at night with Jeff Rowena playing."

Plaza

"The Plaza  at Morningside was our place at the weekend.  We always had a great night there."

Tollcross

"Occasionally,  we would go to the the Dance Hall at Tollcross.   I can't remember the name, but it had so many pillars, you couldn't get off the dance floor."

Eldorado

"The Eldorado was in Leith.  Wilma and I used to go to private dances there.   They also held wrestling matches there.

My Sister Eva, sang a couple of times with Geraldo and his Orchestra there."

Jean Macaulay (nee Westwood), Bonnyrigg Midlothian, Scotland:  February 8, 2009

Recollections

4.

Ian Taylor

Glasgow, Scotland

Thank you to Ian Thomson who added a little more information to that provided by Jean McCaulay in 3 above.

Ian wrote:

Morningside

"Jean McCauley mentions a dancing club near Holy Corner. This would be Greenhill Dance Club, up a lane, in a Masonic Hall.  Dancing with that eye looking at you, and winking in the flashing lights, was a bit eerie!

I seem to remember one of the groups who played there quite often was called 'The Roadsters', although there has been no mention of them in other memories about Edinburgh bands.

Talking of which, what about 'Old Bailey and the Jazz Advocates', at The Place up to early 1964.

The Cavendish

"The pillared dance hall at Tollcross must have been 'The Cavendish'. I admit to finding its sprung floor a tad too much sometimes; occasional feelings of nausea, and the sprung mirrors didn't help!"

Ian Taylor, Glasgow, Scotland:  February 19, 2009

Recollections

5.

Frank Ferri

Newhaven, Edinburgh

Thank you to Frank Ferri who wrote again with more memories of the old dance halls.

Frank wrote about the demise of the 'Big Band' era and of live music:

Live Music in early-1950s

"In the early 1950s, when I started to go to the dancing (as it was referred to then) there were many public dance halls throughout the city.

All had live music, played by orchestras ranging from 7- pieces in the small venues to 14-pieces in the big venues such as the Eldorado in Leith and the Palais de Dance in Fountainbridge.

These bands played to large crowds, at least twice a week, on Fridays and Saturdays.  There was no Sunday entertainment whatsoever then.

I think the Palais capacity was about 2,500.  Many of the nationally-know orchestras of the time (which you can imagine were very expensive to hire) worked brief residencies in these big halls".

1960s

"By the late 60s, tastes in popular music changed dramatically. Along came:

-  Skiffle

-  Trad Dad (Traditional Dixieland Music) by Ken Colyer, Aker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Chris Barber etc,

-  progressing to the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks and many others."

Falling Attendances

"Crowds at traditional dance venues diminished, putting pressure on the affordability of Big Bands that people no longer wanted to hear.

In an attempt to rescue their threatened dance halls, local up- and-coming pop bands emulating the aforementioned groups. They were hired, but failed to attract the crowds to cover the costs of such large premises, so they all went to the wall, to be replaced by the birth of smaller places called Beat Clubs, that sprang up all over the country."

Beat Clubs

"In Edinburgh it started with the Gamp club and the Place.  Gaining popularity, many other clubs appeared such as are already mentioned on this site. Local pop bands were smaller and cheaper."

1970s

"Come the early 1970s, Tamala Motown had taken a hold and disco mania began to replace the traditional Beat Clubs, so they all had to evolve.

Discos were even cheaper to use than pop bands. The whole music scene changed again.  Some bigger places opened up:

-  The Baron Suite at Chesser Ave

-  The Pentland (Cinderella’s) in Stockbridge

-  The  Maybury, offering cabaret as well."

Today

"Disco still survives.  Many places have change hands and names.  Very few premises other than social clubs offer live music to dance to now  -  maybe a guitar duo or a keyboard player in the pubs, which is sad.

Even when you go on vacation to places like Spain and Greece it’s the same.  They used to have live music right up until the late-1980s, but even there, they are now few and far between."

Frank Ferri, Newhaven, Leith:  April 17, 2009

Recollections

6.

Ron Suttie

Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia

Thank you to Ron for leaving a message in the EdinPhoto guest book.

Ron wrote:

Palais de Dance

and

The Cavendish

"I frequented the Palais de Dance in Fountainbridge and the Cavendish on the weekends during the 1960s.  They were fantastic dance venues - real friendly social centres for all."

Ron Suttie, Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia.
Message posted in EdinPhoto guest book:  July 31, 2009

  Recollections

7.

Trisha McDonald

Livingston / Portobello, Scotland

Thank you to Trisha McDonald for leaving a message in the EdinPhoto guest book in response to Ron Suttie's message (6 above).

Trisha wrote:

Palais de Dance

and

The Cavendish

"I to went to the Palais and the Cavendish in the 1960s.  They were fantastic times: 

-  The Palais every Friday night

-  The Cavendish on Tuesday nights.

The Cavendish had a good floor for dancing on, but on a Friday it had to be the Palais as it had better 'talent' as we use to call it in those days.   Oh, the memories!"

Trisha, Livingston / Portobello, Scotland:
 Message posted in EdinPhoto guest book:  July 31, 2009

  Recollections

8.

Anne Blisset (nee Meikle)

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Anne Blissett (who attended Preston Street Primary School then Moray House Secondary School asks:

'Victor Sylvester' dance studio

"Does anyone remember the 'Victor Sylvester' Dance Studio?   It was a nice little ballroom dance hall."

Anne Blissett (nee Meikle), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:  August 25, 2009.

  Recollections

9.

Bob Sinclair

Queensland, Australia

Bob Sinclair, now living in Queensland, Australia, remembers some of Edinburgh's dance halls and schools of dancing

Bob wrote:

Dance Halls

The Cavendish

"The Cavendish at Tollcross was a 'middle of the road' hall where the local gentry and ladies of various ethnic varieties could go to view 'the talent'.

I think it had two halls.  It had a wide variety of dancing talent."

The Palais de Dance

"The Palais de Dance was normally referred to as the Palais.  It  had a similar though, in the eyes of the public, not as good a reputation as the Cavendish.

Sean Connery was at one time  a bouncer or orderly there."

The Plaza

"The Plaza was located in the Dominion Cinema at Morningside." *

"It was rated as one of the more sedate dace halls and again, I think, it had two dance floors. It was probably one of the establishments you might permit your daughter to go to."

Fairleys

"Fairleys was in Leith Street (though for the sake of old sailors who might get confused - for it was known worldwide by them - we might say Leith Walk).

Fairleys had a reputation for frequent differences of opinion between clients and was apt to have the odd visit from the local plod. However, in their defence they did also hold Dance Championships"

Eldorado

"The Eldo, as we knew it had dances and other functions, I think wrestling in more recent times.  Maybe one of your other correspondents could fill in on this one."

Yes.  See 'Recollections 1' above

Assembly Rooms

"The Assembly Rooms, in both Edinburgh and Leith were used from time to time for dances, though most of these were works outings or civic dances run by the town council."

Marine Gardens

"Down Portobello way, and before my time.  I heard about Marine Gardens from my mother."

Schools of Dancing

The Edina

"The Edina School of Dancing was in Nicolson Square.  It was run by Reggie Harkins and Marjorie Murray."

The Central

"The Central School of Dancing was at 1 Drummond Street.  I really felt sorry for the girls there. They were not allowed to refuse anybody who asked for a dance.  And our lot still had two left feet.

But as time progressed so did we, and the chocolate biscuits and tea half way through were brilliant.

By the finish of our time there you were supposed to be ready to sit your bronze medal test.  You were then supposed to go on to the Afton."

The Afton School of Ballroom Dancing

"This was a bit more formal.  You went up to either silver or gold medal standard.  They also got together a formation dance team, which we were part of.  It won the medal in Glasgow.

One of the couples went in for the Bronze Medal and the Open Championships and won both events dancing only Bronze Medal steps.  His name was Jimmy Harper and his partner was Margo.

"All three of these schools were considered to be safe places."

Bob Sinclair, Queensland, Australia:  November 29, 2009

Recollections

10.

Alistair Rankine

Langwarrin, Victoria, Australia

Thank you to Alistair for writing again with recollections of jiving in Edinburgh Dance Halls.

Alistair wrote:

Jiving

Westfield Hall

"I'm surprised, regarding Dance Halls, that there is no mention of 'The Westfield Hall' which was near Murrayfield at the foot of Westfield Ave.

Davie Mann's band played there, and they allowed you to jive there.  It was great to Jive there.  I went there from 1951 till 1953 when I joined the RAF. "

The Locarno

"The Locarno (Paulenas) in Slateford Road had a 'Jivers Only Night' on Mondays when you would jive all night and end up going home with your shirt all damp from sweating.  It was great.

There was a couple at the Westfield, Jimmy & Esther, who were the best jivers.  Everyone stopped to watch them.  I wonder if anyone remembers them.

Alistair Rankine, Langwarrin, Victoria, Australia:  November 30, 2009

 Recollections

11.

Betty Wallace (nee Baxter)

Langwarrin, Victoria, Australia

Thank you to Betty Wallace, nee Baxter, who wrote:

 Recollections

12.

Jim Flynn

Oxgangs, Edinburgh

Thank you to Jim Flynn who wrote:

 Recollections

13.

Ian M Malcolm

St Andrews, Fife, Scotland

Thank you to Ian M Malcolm for telling me of some of his experiences in and around Edinburgh while he was studying at Leith Nautical College in 1947-48.

Ian wrote:

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