A fun place to be ..you can get anything you want

[robpapE2]

when you read conventional histories of South Shields they seem to gloss over the the industry that being a sea port created ..I'm talking about the good old s*x and d*ugs (and later rock n' roll )!!!!
If you study any of the Medical Officer of Health reports down in local studies you'll find some amazing statistics about the number of sexual diseases caught in the borough (before penicillin) they ran into hundreds per year ...so from that how many prostitutes were there say in the 1920's
/1930's ?
also being a sea port the market had to be satisfied... if people wanted d*ugs there were always pubs you could go to (I daresn't name them or Jimmy Wizz and the Boyz will be angry with me !!!
why have I used "you can get anything you want" in the title ? ..well it's a line from Arlo Guthries Alice's Restaurant a song /and later a movie..
and talking when I was away from the area about South Shields the men I talked to said what a great place ... the beach ..the women . the SD& Rock N' ROLL everything was on tap in Shields.So how come when we talk about the area do we ignore all of this aspect and project a "scenty bottle" /satinized version of events?..once again look in local studies most of the accounts talk about everything but this aspect.
Just to end this rant I know of one pub which closed to regulars when the Venuzualan Fleet were in town and that's in recent times and I don't think it was to play dominos with the ladies !!!!

[baldy.smith]

I remember the Venezuelans well, their ship was the "Nueva Esparta" (which is the name of one of Venezuelas States) and was berthed at Jarrow.
I made friends with a few of them and was pen pal to some for several years. They presented me with a large photo of the ship and those I was friends with all signed the back. Most of those I knew now live in the USA.

[Delilahcat]

Interesting post. I remember, as a kid living in Tyne Dock in the late forties early fifties, the row of pubs opposite the dock gates. It was like the wild west with sailors of every nationality. There was a place called the Cafe Norge which catered for Norwegian sailors and I don't think they served coffee! We kids used to try and look through the windows to see what was going on. Along from where I lived in South Eldon Street was a house which was a sort of brothel. There were a bunch of good time girls who picked up sailors from the pubs operating there. How do I know. Well one night some sailors came knocking at our door. When they couldn't get a reply they smashed the door in. They got a bit of a shock when my dad got out of bed and chased them down the street.
As for the Venezualans they left a few souvenirs in the form of children. When the ships left the Tyne there were girls lined up waving them off.. Round about the same time there were also Turkish ships in the Tyne for a refit. They were a scruffy lot and no decent girl would go near them.

[gazza]

..........LOLOADZ..@ decent girl.............

[robpapE2]

thanks Delilahcat for your kind comments..as to decent girls( or otherwise).....can anyone remember when girls used to hang around the Market (trying to pick up bus drivers and conductors) and also the Fair for the same purpose ????
my approach was to go to librairies and museums to find a better class of girl and then when unsuccessful join the young liberals..well I was young at the time...
by the way( just by accident) I happened to STUMBLE (great website)
on a dogging site ..nothing to do with greyhounds or Crufts and found the
Armstrong Hall (NUM Club) listed as a place for this activity...surely some
mistake ?????

[robpapE2]

by the way that's dogging as in "I'm just away to feed the whippet,pet"
footnote posted by son of robpape

[Delilahcat]

Gazza my remark about decent girls has to be taken in context. The time I was talking about was the late fifties. The swinging sixties had yet to arrive. I was very much a case of decent or respectable girls didn't hang around with Turkish sailors or sailors of any nationality. Their parents wouldn't allow it. Those were the days when teenage pregnancy meant a shotgun wedding and parents were very keen to avoid that.
Yes I can remember the girls hanging around the Market Place to chat up the bus conductors and drivers and of course the Fair.
I was fifteen and attended the Girls Grammar school. It was a case of some girls did and some didn't. Those who 'did' got a bad name. I wanted something a bit better than a bus conductor or a fair lad and so tended to avoid that scene. My parents kept a close eye on me as well and the Fairground was forbidden as was the Cellar Club. Mind that never stopped me going but I was wise enough to avoid getting too involved.

[Jarrow Pete]

I was still at Redwell when the Turkish and Venezuelen navy was commissioning the ex navy warships their goverments had bought from us. Can remember some of the "easy girls" from school handing out the turkish cigarettes to us lads. Can also remember coming out of the Savoy one night to see a running battle taking place between the locals and the Turks, they chased them to shields railway station where the police prevented the locals getting onto the platform, so they got on the Northern bus to Hebburn and waited there for them. What exiting days they were.

[Pilot]

What was wrong with the Cellar Club Delilahcat? I practically lived in the place from 1964 till it closed and moved to that other site off Fowler Street, a real nice bunch of lasses and very very friendly. "Those were the days my friend" He sang as his eyes glazed over in remembrance.

[Delilahcat]

The Cellar Club, although it didn't sell alcohol, had a bit of a reputation for fights breaking out. I'm talking a bit before your time Pilot. This was the late fifties. My parents would have died of shock if they'd known I went there. How tame it seems now!

[Pilot]

Delilahcat, the Cellar club I remember in Beach Road had two bars by 1964 one at street level on your right as you entered and one in the Cellar in the room next to the dance floor, there was a bit of bother now and then but the worst thing that happened to me was one night as a walked passed the dance floor some drunk did a Technicolour yarn all over my suit. Did we really wear suits and ties in those days? Ah happy days and the girls were really really friendly.

[Cisco]

I've talked about the Cellar Club in a previous post, I was a regular in there from 1963 until it closed.
The bar upstairs Pilot was called the Garden Bar and the one downstairs was like a western saloon with bat wing door entrance.
I have to say like you Pilot I never seen any real trouble in there.

I still have one of the free passes they dished out on a weekend for the Tuesday night.

Cisco

[Delilahcat]

Cisco
Like I said to Pilot the time when the Cellar had a bit of a reputation was in the late fifies to early sixties. It was mainly fighting as lads from places like Boldon Colliery used to fight the locals. It was the back end of the Teddy boy era. Probably quite mild compared with today. Fists rather than knives. By the time 1963 came round the teds had gone and i think the Cellar finally got a drinks licence. Happy days.

[Cisco]

They were great days then Delilah, somewhere to go every night of the week, every night was special.

The place what had the most trouble was the Majestic on a Saturday night, there was a fight most Saturday nights.

Cisco

[Delilahcat]

Yes I used to be out every night of the week. Free passes for the Cellar midweek. Beg or borrow the entrance for Thursday and Friday. Hopefully meet someone on Friday to take you out Saturday or Sunday. If not Majestic or Kings Hall on Saturdays maybe settle for the pictures on Sunday. Friday night was always the big night at the Cellar. I loved the place so much I had my Hen night there. This wild social life was done on pocket money when I was at school or out of my £3.50 a week wages when I started work. All that plus finding money for clothes and make up. You lads had it easy.

[para-wings]

Cisco, you sound like a man who's been in every pub and club there ever was in Shields.....and beyond

[Jarrow Pete]

Cisco. agree with you about the Majestic and trouble. Was there when they would not let Chris R. in because he was barred for fighting, he lost his rag with the cashier in his kiosk and ripped the glass out and threw it at him causing very bad cuts. I know he went to court for it but cannot remember if he got put away for it.

[Cisco]

Bringing back some memories now Pete, know exactly who you're talking about.
I was there the night that happened, the previous week at the Majestic there had been a big fight, the following week we went down paying our five bobs to get in, but when it got to Chris the woman behind the glass case said she she had been told not to let him in, of course he kicked off wanting to know who said so, the bouncer came out and said it was him who said so, there was a row and Chris punched the glass casing the woman was sitting behind smashing it, he picked up a peice of the glass chased him into the dance hall and cut him up badly.
He got three years for it.
He was only out a couple of months when he got 18 months for doing the ice cream man at Marsden for not paying him his protection money.
You will know the ice cream Pete, Tommy E.

Could write a book on his antics in the sixties, he was a hard man but psychotic with it and very dangerous.

Cisco

[Cisco]

Cisco, you sound like a man who's been in every pub and club there ever was in Shields.....and beyond

What are you trying to say Para

Cisco

[Cisco]

As were talking about the Majestic, I thought I would try and post my first photo.

So I've dug out my Majestic membership card, you did'nt have to be a member, but you needed a membership card to get in the bar.

Cisco