Whitchurch Civic Center

[Guest soulboy]

Know i should read a book or some thing, thats if its in any ,And im s**t at dates but this is how it worked for me ............. went to the wheel a few times must have been 1970 ish then it was the torch now and then but most of the time it was whitchurch civic then all over to be honest that part is a bit of a blur ,casino seemed to be later 74 ish ,remember the mecca was about the same time would go to one then other on way home if we could get in .no money no car thumb it to most places,I do remember most of them being right dumps ,may be thats why northern never seems to work in nightclubs now,Remember how the northern trickled down to the youth clubs and local discos but not the main stream ,what a great under ground thing it was ........ then it died almost ..... till the top of the world in the 80's much better to get to...... i always smile when i go past it now ..sorry rantings ... of soul boy what im trying to ask was whitchuch important .........

Edited December 28, 2009 by soulboy

[Keithw]

was to me

i d.jed there at all the bank holliday sessions

with the likes of

ian levine-richard searling-john vincent--soul sam -pep etc

was my first taste of d j ing with the BIG Boys

at its hey day

had 3 rooms

main hall - upstairs smaller room--gym across the passageway

soul bowl once had record bar

where i bought mala demos of tobi legend / patti & the emblems -/rep and delrons

for 4-00 / 20-00 / and 4-00

also bought a levi jackson for a fiver and sam nesbit for a tenner

was run by the late tony pethabridge,never paid you,you had to track him down to get your money later

who also run the raven and shrewsbury tiffs at different times

it was a milestone venue,lots of people came there before goin on to be regulars

at nighters

also had live acts

impressions/flirtations etc

used to be a bus from crewe odeon

Edited December 28, 2009 by keithw

[Hornet]

remember travelling back from whitchurch in kevs van in heavy snow,possibly on a bank holiday, cannot recall who travelled with us ( stoke crew ) or what year it was , seem to remember their being a chippy opposite the venue , cannot remember much about wigan but the corner shop at the end of the car park was memorable for a pint of milk and back in for the 3 before eight !

[Coops]

they were ALL important and ARE all important, they forged our very life experiences, meeting friends old and new.

when we're past our mobile stage and sitting in residential homes smelling of piss and cabage waiting to die, we may, by then have lost our dignity but we will still have our long-term memories, memories made at places like Whitchurch (yes, even the fights with the locals at the end of the day!!!!)

wouldn't have changed a thing, our northern soul scene, love it

[Vanda]

I remember Whitchurch Civic, it must of been the same year as Hornet was there, I'm not entirely sure on the year maybe around 1979; heavy snow fell whilst we were in there and we ended up staying in a hotel for the night because we couldn't get home. well worth it though.

[Guest soulboy]

Hi soul.boy

I am from Oswestry originally (Shropshire's Royston Vasey).............................I attended a Whitchurch All-Dayer on 1st January 1976 (aged 17) and heard Willie Mitchell's 'The Champion' for the first time!!! Blew my Mind!!! Lot's of girls in pleated skirts and 'bobby socks' moving like I'd never seen before!

That day implanted Northern Soul into my heart with the same verve as the Nuns shoved Catholicism into me at infants school.......you can't remove it even if you want to!!!!!!!!

Whitchurch is not NYC or LA or even Shrewsbury!......but it set my soul on fire that day and I will always remember it for that.

Best

dogstoat

Nice one not many soul people in oswestry now iv done a bit of djing round wrexham area same old faces ,im sure it was earlyer than that for me i remember seeing the newbeats there what a shock that was country and westen !do you remember the dos at market drayton swinning bathes think it was inter city soul club ,a bloke called kojak

[Dazcymru]

Nice one not many soul people in oswestry now iv done a bit of djing round wrexham area same old faces ,im sure it was earlyer than that for me i remember seeing the newbeats there what a shock that was country and westen !do you remember the dos at market drayton swinning bathes think it was inter city soul club ,a bloke called kojak

There was also a healthy Saturday night soul night at the Civic from around 1970 to around 1972 were many big name soul acts performed. Usually doing an early show with a later show sometimes at The Torch or Oakengates. I well remember seeing Jackie Wilson, Elgins, Drifters, Arthur Connelly, Detroit Emeralds, Jimmy Ruffin, Donnie Elbert plus many more I can't remember. Free coaches were laid on to bring people in and the night was over by around 11:30.

DJ downstairs, one from a regular list (Brian Ellis, Grey Young, Pete Nielson) played more commercial soul with Soul Sam upstairs playing more rarer.

Happy days Harp Lager 20p a pint!!

[Guest welshruss]

I remember the Alldayers very well......always had a bus from the Deeside area (always had funny silver foil wrappers being handed round !) or if not get alift on a scooter..happy days they were,

and ofcourse the punch ups with the locals....was there a chippy over the road,or on the same street...seem to remember getting into bother outside it ?

But still,good days.

[Guest Brian Ellis]

Important venue in the early 70s. Remember well DJing in the main room and on occasions upstairs in the 'rare' room - big sounds upstairs then included Joy Lovejoy, Art Freeman, Denise LaSalle, Gene Chandler/Barbara Acklin, Eddie Foster, Otis Smith, Moses Smith, Mamie Galore, The Dells, Dottie Cambridge and.....The Snake .

Remember a big bouncer (Chris?) - always stood downstairs in front of the stage; pretty mean looking, about 6'6", 20 stone and looked as though he'd been hit in the face by a bus! Not-to-be-messed-with .

The venue was then promoted by Dave Hall and Austin Powell of Motive Management Shrewsbury; they also promoted at nearby Oswestry Plaza (Copa Mo) and Wem Town Hall and I DJ'ed for them at all these venues.

They employed all the big 'soul-related' acts including Ben E King, Edwin Starr, Bob & Marcia Griffiths, Desmond Dekker and the Israelites, Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon, Spencer Davis Group, Miles Davis, 2 Tons of Fun (to become the Weather Girls) but later started engaging pop groups such as The Love Affair, Edison Lighthouse, Picketty Witch etc. I very soon lost interest in working with this type of act when the crowd started to move towards a more 'pop-orientated' profile and with soulies starting to spread their wings to places such as The Casino, Torch, Mecca etc. The opportunity to play soul music was rapidly lost and my refusal to buy, let alone play, chart pop music saw me move away.

About 6 years ago 'PEP' revived the Whitchurch Civic with Sam and me DJ'ing and ran most months for around a 12 month period. Ultimately council red-tape relating to Health and Safety, opening times, decibels and their requirement to hire their bouncers put too many nails in the coffin and it all came to a sad end.

So that's a few recollections from me of what was at the time a super venue, and a great memory of the way things were back then.

Incidentally, the chip shop is still there opposite. When I was there working with 'PEP' the main street outside the chippie still had a resemblance to the Wild West come chucking out time .

Brian

[Guest soulboy]

Important venue in the early 70s. Remember well DJing in the main room and on occasions upstairs in the 'rare' room - big sounds upstairs then included Joy Lovejoy, Art Freeman, Denise LaSalle, Gene Chandler/Barbara Acklin, Eddie Foster, Otis Smith, Moses Smith, Mamie Galore, The Dells, Dottie Cambridge and.....The Snake .

Remember a big bouncer (Chris?) - always stood downstairs in front of the stage; pretty mean looking, about 6'6", 20 stone and looked as though he'd been hit in the face by a bus! Not-to-be-messed-with .

The venue was then promoted by Dave Hall and Austin Powell of Motive Management Shrewsbury; they also promoted at nearby Oswestry Plaza (Copa Mo) and Wem Town Hall and I DJ'ed for them at all these venues.

They employed all the big 'soul-related' acts including Ben E King, Edwin Starr, Bob & Marcia Griffiths, Desmond Dekker and the Israelites, Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon, Spencer Davis Group, Miles Davis, 2 Tons of Fun (to become the Weather Girls) but later started engaging pop groups such as The Love Affair, Edison Lighthouse, Picketty Witch etc. I very soon lost interest in working with this type of act when the crowd started to move towards a more 'pop-orientated' profile and with soulies starting to spread their wings to places such as The Casino, Torch, Mecca etc. The opportunity to play soul music was rapidly lost and my refusal to buy, let alone play, chart pop music saw me move away.

About 6 years ago 'PEP' revived the Whitchurch Civic with Sam and me DJ'ing and ran most months for around a 12 month period. Ultimately council red-tape relating to Health and Safety, opening times, decibels and their requirement to hire their bouncers put too many nails in the coffin and it all came to a sad end.

So that's a few recollections from me of what was at the time a super venue, and a great memory of the way things were back then.

Incidentally, the chip shop is still there opposite. When I was there working with 'PEP' the main street outside the chippie still had a resemblance to the Wild West come chucking out time .

Brian

All right bri hope your keeping ok Chris mumford broke his shoulder just before xmas knocked him about a bit he ended up in hospital over christmas, on the mend now ,Thanks for the above great days we will have to come and see you when mont is back to full fittness all the best for the new year 'RUSS'

[Stevie]

Enjoyed this venue around 1974 I think - used to drink in a pub called the White Bear??

Went to a soul night there about ten years and it seemed much smaller than I remembered..

[Gilly]

they were ALL important and ARE all important, they forged our very life experiences, meeting friends old and new.

when we're past our mobile stage and sitting in residential homes smelling of piss and cabage waiting to die, we may, by then have lost our dignity but we will still have our long-term memories, memories made at places like Whitchurch (yes, even the fights with the locals at the end of the day!!!!)

wouldn't have changed a thing, our northern soul scene, love it

Not only just fights,i remember a local twat running in and stabbing a soulie,luckily it wasnt too deep a wound to be life threatning.Went several times,mostly with the Burton on Trent lot,Chuck,Stan,Mary,Skiv,Ivan,Sue,Shaun rip,Brenden.......I remember Edwin being on one time Gilly and Nicola

[Guest Brian Ellis]

Enjoyed this venue around 1974 I think - used to drink in a pub called the White Bear??

Went to a soul night there about ten years and it seemed much smaller than I remembered..

Everything seems much smaller now than we remembered

[Guest Brian Ellis]

All right bri hope your keeping ok Chris mumford broke his shoulder just before xmas knocked him about a bit he ended up in hospital over christmas, on the mend now ,Thanks for the above great days we will have to come and see you when mont is back to full fittness all the best for the new year 'RUSS'

Hi Russ

So sorry to hear about Chris. Do give him my regards when you next see him and I hope he makes a good and speedy recovery.

The broken shoulder will bugger up his back-drops for a while!!

Brian

[Dazcymru]

Important venue in the early 70s. Remember well DJing in the main room and on occasions upstairs in the 'rare' room - big sounds upstairs then included Joy Lovejoy, Art Freeman, Denise LaSalle, Gene Chandler/Barbara Acklin, Eddie Foster, Otis Smith, Moses Smith, Mamie Galore, The Dells, Dottie Cambridge and.....The Snake .

Remember a big bouncer (Chris?) - always stood downstairs in front of the stage; pretty mean looking, about 6'6", 20 stone and looked as though he'd been hit in the face by a bus! Not-to-be-messed-with .

The venue was then promoted by Dave Hall and Austin Powell of Motive Management Shrewsbury; they also promoted at nearby Oswestry Plaza (Copa Mo) and Wem Town Hall and I DJ'ed for them at all these venues.

They employed all the big 'soul-related' acts including Ben E King, Edwin Starr, Bob & Marcia Griffiths, Desmond Dekker and the Israelites, Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon, Spencer Davis Group, Miles Davis, 2 Tons of Fun (to become the Weather Girls) but later started engaging pop groups such as The Love Affair, Edison Lighthouse, Picketty Witch etc. I very soon lost interest in working with this type of act when the crowd started to move towards a more 'pop-orientated' profile and with soulies starting to spread their wings to places such as The Casino, Torch, Mecca etc. The opportunity to play soul music was rapidly lost and my refusal to buy, let alone play, chart pop music saw me move away.

About 6 years ago 'PEP' revived the Whitchurch Civic with Sam and me DJ'ing and ran most months for around a 12 month period. Ultimately council red-tape relating to Health and Safety, opening times, decibels and their requirement to hire their bouncers put too many nails in the coffin and it all came to a sad end.

So that's a few recollections from me of what was at the time a super venue, and a great memory of the way things were back then.

Incidentally, the chip shop is still there opposite. When I was there working with 'PEP' the main street outside the chippie still had a resemblance to the Wild West come chucking out time .

Brian

Brain

Well remember Chris the bouncer. You forgot to mention that he was cross eyed as hell!! For some reason no one ever mentioned this to his face. I remember one night when a couple of lads flicked some snot onto his back as he walked past. Somehow he found out who did it picked them both up (one in each hand) and out they went through the fire exit near the stage. Just wouldn't get away with it these days!!

Also remember the non-soul acts who were big at the time Slade played there on 5 Feb 1972 (Sam downstairs that night), Bay City Rollers, Pans People and many more that had one off hits at the time.

My best wishes to Chris Mumford as well.

Regards

Daryl

Edited December 30, 2009 by DazCymru

[Guest Brian Ellis]

Brain

Well remember Chris the bouncer. You forgot to mention that he was cross eyed as hell!! For some reason no one ever mentioned this to his face. I remember one night when a couple of lads flicked some snot onto his back as he walked past. Somehow he found out who did it picked them both up (one in each hand) and out they went through the fire exit near the stage . Just wouldn't get away with it these days!!

Also remember the non-soul acts who were big at the time Slade played there on 5 Feb 1972 (Sam downstairs that night), Bay City Rollers, Pans People and many more that had one off hits at the time.

My best wishes to Chris Mumford as well.

Regards

Daryl

Doubt he did them the courtesy of opening the door first .

Quite liked Pan's People's 'one-off hits'!!

Brian

[Spook]

I and my old mates used to go to the bank holiday alldayers at Whitchurch Civic (lived in Market Drayton 12 miles away) in the 70's. I can clearly remember the main hall downstairs , the market place next door and the small upstairs room and bar.

I never DJ'd at the Alldayers but I was a regular Saturday Night DJ for Tony Petherbridge when it was just the upstairs room on Saturday Nights along with Right Track Disco. I can remember one Saturday when JJ Barnes was on, not many people were in and JJ sang in the bar !

I also used to frequent the Raven at Prees Heath on Fridays (the Sweat Box right hand room) when the only DJ who would be on all night was Sam, playing his newly founds for the 1st hour. I later DJ'd there for Tony P when he became Landlord / Owner.

Tony Petherbridge sometimes ran a minibus from outside Whitchurch Civic to the casino, it was full of mainly Whitchurch, Market Drayton and a couple of Shrewsbury soulies (Carol Wood from Bomere Heath springs to mind) I regularly used this. On Sunday morning when we got back to the Raven Tony used to open the bar and we would play our newly acquired 45's, later on in the evening a few of us would go to Tiffanies in Newcastle U Lyme.

There was always trouble between Whitchurch and Market Drayton in the 70's (two close market towns) forget the chippie, ambushes at the bus station / car park etc. Funny thing happen to most of the Drayton soulies we started going out with Whitchurch girls and we never had a spot of trouble again, drinking with them in the 'Black Bear' (just up the street) which was a

Greenalls pub (?).

There is also a 'White Bear' pub which is at the other end of the street.

Below is an ISC flyer which includes Market Drayton swimming baths.

Memories

David (spook)

[Wilxy]

Fond memories of a great venue I had the pleasure of attending on several occasions in the mid seventies ......Happy Days

[Guest soulboy]

I and my old mates used to go to the bank holiday alldayers at Whitchurch Civic (lived in Market Drayton 12 miles away) in the 70's. I can clearly remember the main hall downstairs , the market place next door and the small upstairs room and bar.

I never DJ'd at the Alldayers but I was a regular Saturday Night DJ for Tony Petherbridge when it was just the upstairs room on Saturday Nights along with Right Track Disco. I can remember one Saturday when JJ Barnes was on, not many people were in and JJ sang in the bar !

I also used to frequent the Raven at Prees Heath on Fridays (the Sweat Box right hand room) when the only DJ who would be on all night was Sam, playing his newly founds for the 1st hour. I later DJ'd there for Tony P when he became Landlord / Owner.

Tony Petherbridge sometimes ran a minibus from outside Whitchurch Civic to the casino, it was full of mainly Whitchurch, Market Drayton and a couple of Shrewsbury soulies (Carol Wood from Bomere Heath springs to mind) I regularly used this. On Sunday morning when we got back to the Raven Tony used to open the bar and we would play our newly acquired 45's, later on in the evening a few of us would go to Tiffanies in Newcastle U Lyme.

There was always trouble between Whitchurch and Market Drayton in the 70's (two close market towns) forget the chippie, ambushes at the bus station / car park etc. Funny thing happen to most of the Drayton soulies we started going out with Whitchurch girls and we never had a spot of trouble again, drinking with them in the 'Black Bear' (just up the street) which was a

Greenalls pub (?).

There is also a 'White Bear' pub which is at the other end of the street.

Below is an ISC flyer which includes Market Drayton swimming baths.

Memories

David (spook)

THAT WAS IT INTERNATIONAL SOUL CLUB I CAN REMEMBER THE BIG DOOR MAN I HAD A LIFT HOME WITH HIM ONE NIGHT NEVER SAID MUCH HE HAD STOPPED US GOING IN SAID WE WERE TROUBLE ? WHAT ME NEVER ! ANYWAY HE GIVE US A LIFT AND WAS ALWAYS OK WITH ME AFTER THAT NIGHT ,I REMEMBER THE SWIMMING BATHS WELL WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE SOUL PEOPLE FROM DRAYTON ? AND WHITCHURCH COME TO THAT WE PUT NIGHTS ON AROUND THERE AND IT WAS A WASTE OF TIME MAYBE THEY ALL CAME FROM AWAY ,MAKES YOU WONDER HOW WE DID IT NO CAR NO MONEY I CAN REMEMBER HAVING NO MONEY AT WIGAN STILL GOT IN AND GOING HOME WITH SOME RECORDS TO AND I NEVER STOLE THEM OR WAS IT STOKE ?MIND MY BROTHER WAS A BIT OF A DEALER NAUGHTY BOY !GOT ME IN TO LOADS OF BOTHER AND ALL I WENT FOR WAS THE MUSIC !

[Mark S]

REmember some of us going from Stockport to the alldayers . I also remember the Barbecue and splash at Market drayton .