A FEW MUSICAL STORIES CONCERNING THE MEADOWS AREA OF NOTTINGHAM.

ARTICLES. Some articles written on the Nottingham music scene, music in general and other rock and roll trivia.

The Meadows in Nottingham has a rich history, one that the people who have lived there are very proud of, and would pronounce as the “Medders”. The area itself is south of the city with West Bridgford on the other side of Trent Bridge. Main arteries through the Meadows were London Road, Queens Drive, Wilford Road, Wilford Crescent East & West and by far the most important, Arkwright Street. It has been defined by the slum clearance in the 1970’s which split the area into the “Old” Meadows and the “New” Meadows and that definition is still relevant today with some still pointing out what was lost.

A brief history on Wikipedia and some great photos on this Nottingham Post page will give greater detail. From my own memories and research I have selected a few interesting stories and mentions from the 50’s to the 70’s that my give food for thought. Although I grew up in Lady Bay, Trent Bridge was the gateway to town, and whether walking or using a bus, Arkwright Street was the main thoroughfare so I came to know some of the Meadows reasonably well.

Arkwright Street Record Shops 1928
Bill Kinnell’s Jazz Club and Goodchilds Record Shop (Arkwright Street)
Fredrick Collins Butcher Shop (Arkwright Street)
The Crescent Club (Featuring early 60’s beat groups including two future Woodstock stars)
Gaffa (Rock Band) playing the Town Arms (1974)
Jim’s Tattoo Shop (Arkwright Street)
Johnny Hobbs Shop (Arkwright street shop: A Jazz urban myth)
Midco Jazz Band
Mushroom Bookshop (Arkwright Street)
Pete’s Chippy (1970’s)
Santa Fe Club (60’s Youth club)
Selecta-Disc (Famous record shop on Arkwright street 1969-72)
Town Arms (60’s Riverside Jazz)
Victoria Embankment (The Bandstand and Riverside Festival)

Addresses (For Reference)

Mayfair Social Club – 7,9 & 11 Arkwright Street
Mushroom Bookshop – Arkwright Street (near to Trent Bridge end I think)
Jim’s Tattoo Parlour – 289 probably, Arkwright Street (near to Trent Bridge end)
Goodchild’s Record Shop – 172/74 Arkwright Street
Pete’s Chippy – Arkwright Street
Selecta-Disc – 92 Arkwright Street
Bill Kinnell’s Record Shop – 126 Wilford Road
Town Arms – 318 Arkwright Street / Trent Bridge
Crescent Club – 46a Wilford Crescent East
Johnny Hobbs shop – Arkwright Street (near to Trent Bridge end)
Pete Anson’s Electrical Store – 165 Arkwright Street
Santa Fe – Collygate Road

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In no particular order

Victoria Embankment (The Bandstand and Riverside Festival)
I have covered this topic fairly extensively so take this link to find out more.

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THE CRESCENT CLUB
(Featuring early 60’s beat groups including two future Woodstock stars)
I’m going to start with the story of The Crescent Club. This was situated at 46a Wilford Crescent East and was sometimes a venue for music. In the late fifties it would be host to many jazz bands and in the early sixties, for a couple of years, it was home to “Beat Music” nights. Beat music had evolved out of the British Rock ‘n’ Roll scene of the late fifties and is best remembered by the first records of “The Beatles”.

Like many other places the Crescent Club or Carousel, as it was sometimes called, catered for the new fashions of the booming teenage young movement in the early sixties. One of the groups who played fairly regularly was “The Jaybirds”, the Nottingham group who would eventually become the very popular blues rock group “Ten Years After” in the late 1960’s. They had varying line ups but when they played the Crescent they were a three piece of Dave Quickmire, Alvin Lee and Leo Lyons. Pete Evans, their previous drummer, may have played a couple of gigs with them but this was the time around when he left the group.

Ten Years After, among their other achievements, would play the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969. Two of the members of that early Jaybirds line up, guitarist and singer Alvin Lee and bass guitarist Leo Lyons, were part of that momentous performance.

Many other, now forgotten, local beat groups and a few from out of town played at the Crescent Club during 1962 and 1963 including Johnathon Kane and the Freemen, Danny Carson and the Couriers, the Reg Guest Trio, The Johnny Jalland Trio, Jeff Davis and the Farinas, The Escorts, The Dalesmen, The Raiders, The Rockin Vulcans, The Jaycats (Ivan Jaye’s splinter group after he left the old Alvin Lee’s Jaycats before they became The Jaybirds), The Silhouettes and The Futurists featuring Bill Mosely who would later join The Beatmen, the first Nottingham beat group to release a record.

Jazz groups and musicians played in the late 50’s to early 60’s like Eric White (one of the earliest jazz players in Nottingham), Richard Hallam, Johnny Crocker, Mick Gill (also one of the earliest jazz players in Nottingham) and The Johnny Hobbs Stompers. Johnny Hobbs would later run a shop on Arkwright street which will feature in another story later. Johnny Crocker from West Bridgford had a long and successful career including 5 years with The Mike Cotton Sound in the sixties.

The Crescent Club was closed down for a while in mid 1963 but reopened and continued putting on groups but by the mid sixties they had become a more variety styled venue with glamorous girls.

The “Crescent” building is still there, now and for a long time, a garage called “Razor”, and upstairs there is a flat. The garage owner told me that there was 1918 written on one of the walls in the flat and he thought the building might have originally had something to do with the church. Here it is as of 2024.

NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS

1962

1963

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JOHNNY HOBBS SHOP
(Arkwright street shop: A Jazz urban myth)

Johnny Hobbs was from Watnall near Kimberley. He lived on Newdigate Street, probably his parents’ old house. Johnny would drink at the Royal Oak and the Log Cabin nearby. A keen collector of jazz records he had “78rpm record” disc jockey nights at the Log Cabin and used different styluses to cater for the different record surfaces, to make them sound good. A fan of jazz and blues he put his own band together called Johnny Hobbs Stompers in the late 1950’s. Johnny was a multi-instrumentalist playing clarinet and piano. I will cover his music more extensively later.

Johnny Hobbs had a shop on Arkwright Street in the Meadows close to Trent Bridge. For me, as a Lady Bay kid, crossing Trent Bridge was like entering a different world. I visited the well known Selecta-Disc record shop but I went to Johnny’s shop too. When I visited there in the late sixties as a 11 or 12 year old it was a dark foreboding place piled high with old record players, hundreds of old 78 rpm records and a array of seemingly ancient objects and contraptions. There were a few modern LP’s that I looked at with psychedelic covers, most likely late sixties rock bands. I saw a copy of the “Batman” album from 1967 and was tempted to buy it. Most of all I remember seeing Johnny Hobbs. He was a big chap, well it seemed so to me, with long hair tied back in a pony tail, bracelets and most noticeably big earrings which were so heavy they had stretched his ear lobes. This wasn’t quite the look of a hippie or a gypsy but I guess something like a jazz beatnik.

I was told a story a few years ago about an urban myth concerning Johnny Hobbs record shop that circulated amongst the jazz community for many years. When it was decided to redevelop a large part of the Meadows in the early 1970’s his shop was destined for closure. In this shop he had amassed so many thousands of records, many that were made of Shellac, that when the time came to clear all the stock it was to much of a task and he left them all in the cellar of the building and this cellar was then concreted over. Although, I was told it was not probably true it isn’t uncommon to hear of similar stories concerning filled in cellars. Underneath parts of the Radford Football Club pitch are filled in cellars from the old Berridge Road East and they help somewhat with drainage. Another friend recalled a hole appearing on Sneinton Road from another capped cellar and there must be plenty more if we were so possessed as to find out. So, although it isn’t probably true, it is intriguing to think that somewhere underground where the old Arkwright Street was, there is a hidden treasure trove of 80 and 90 year old records waiting to be found.

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Gaffa (Rock Band) and Colin Staples (Blues Man) playing the Town Arms (1974)
Gaffa, the Nottingham rock group formed in 1972 got a residency at the Town Arms in late 1974. Local blues man Colin Staples also held a blues night and a many other pub rock bands like Nedd Ludd and Matarka played too. This wasn’t in the upstairs room which was used for more regular events but the back room. This was another place I would visit fairly regularly before leaving at 10.30pm to take advantage of the 11pm closing time across the bridge at the T.B.I.

Local rock bands had been playing there from the early seventies, Colin Staples Blues Band, Orphan, Barracuda, Wizard (not Roy Wood’s group), Shapes and Shadows and High Bread Mishap.

1974

1975

1976

1978/79

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ARKWRIGHT STREET RECORD SHOPS, 1928
A full page advertisement for “Gilbert Gramophones” in 1928 reveals four premises selling these ‘state of the art’ appliances and most likely the records to play on them. Goodchild’s at 172/74 Arkwright Street stayed in business until the 1960’s.

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Midco Jazz Band – 1950’s
A picture of the “Midco Jazz Band” in a Meadows factory.

A makeshift works music group called the Midco Jazz Band. The instrument line up looks like drums, mandolin type banjo, Bugle and maybe a stringed dulcimer type thing or a bass type thing. In what way they played jazz is open to interpretation. A Skiffle type rendition of old British songs maybe. The image looks like it is set in maybe the late forties or maybe the very early sixties but most likely the fifties.

Midco was a foundry and steam specialities works making valves and pressure gauges on Colliery Road in the Meadows, Nottingham run by Tom Middleton. Founded in the late 1920’s it was later taken over in the late 1960’s.

from the book “The Meadows Remembered” by David McVay, published in 2000

This article is repeated on its own page here.

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SELECTA-DISC RECORD SHOP

Most people of a certain age will remember the Selecta-Disc record shops of Nottingham. A fixture of that era of record collecting. With roots on a Mansfield market in the mid sixties, Brian Selby opened his first shop on Arkwright Street in the late sixties with two premises. A slightly more in depth article about Selecta-Disc can be seen here and a link to a BBC documentary and all you want to know about the history of Selecta-Disc.

The above well known photo of Selecta-Disc on Arkwright Street was probably taken in April 1973 or possibly May 1973. This is based on the window display. Most record shops then and now would put the latest releases in the window and I can see three albums in the far left window that I have that give clues as to the date.

The most recently released I can see is the David Bowie album Aladdin Sane (top row, second left) which was released on the Thursday 19th April 1973. The Faces album Ooh La La (middle row, far left) came our in March 1973 and was number one in the UK Albums Chart in the week of 28 April 1973. The Beatles released the Red and Blue Albums, officially titled 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 on April 2, 1973. One of them is in the bottom left corner. It is a little hard to see but in the far window of the “Import Export” shop there is “King Crimson” mentioned in the window display and the album “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic” by King Crimson had been released on 23 March 1973 so might have something to do with this.

Let’s say Selecta-Disc have just received the new Bowie album in the first week of it’s release I would guess the photo date might be between 19th and the 30th. By May albums that would probably be in the window display would be Wings, Red Rose Speedway depending on which source you take released on April 30th or May 4th and Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells May 25th.

Another well known picture that circulates on the internet is below which I have been able to put some names to faces. The photo is of two rock groups and a few others standing outside of Selecta-Disc on Arkwright Street, Nottingham in 1971. The two groups were “Pancho” from Nottingham and “Home” who recorded three albums for CBS in the early seventies before Laurie Wisefield and Cliff Williams went onto greater fame with Wishbone Ash and AC/DC respectively.

The photo was taken by George Toone, father of Andy Toone of 70’s Nottingham rock group Odysseus, to promote a forthcoming gig of Home supported by Pancho at the Imperial on St James’s Street. It was almost certainly on Saturday 21st September 1971, the day of the gig.

Before Selecta-Disc took over the premises another record store was in operation.

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SANTE FE YOUTH CLUB (1960’s)

The Santa Fe was a Church youth club at St Faith’s church hall on Collygate Road in the mid to late sixties that had disco nights and the odd live performance. It was opened in 1962 by the Bishop of Southwell in December of that year. Although a youth club had run there for the four previous years this new endeavour with a membership of 300 had twice weekly meetings, a stage, coffee bar, badminton court and an amplifying system built by one of the members 22 year old Terry Hefford.

Some memories I found on the Nottstalgia Forum.

“Does anyone remember this small wooden building with a tin roof. between The Mundella school, and the church? in the mid to late 60’s, they played Soul, Motown and Ska music. There was no licence as it was on church premises. An electrician from the meadows area ran it ? I think it was open Tuesday & Thursday nights till around 10.30pm. The walls were decorated with ‘monsters’ copied of chewing gum cards. It was lit only by UV lights. If you got there early enough, you could watch Top of The Pops on a Small screen TV on the ceiling. There was a small counter that sold pop chocolate and crisps etc. If you were skint they would give you a plastic cup of water. When people started throwing water at each other, they priced it at 1d(one old penny). I believe it closed down around 1970.The building survived in its original form complete with decor till the mid 80’s”.

Reply
“The Santa Fe was my introduction to pop music and girls. As a Meadows lad born and bred I can remember plucking up the courage with a couple of mates to pay and enter what was really the corrugated iron church hall of Saint Faith’s church. Kids came from all over Nottingham to listen to the records spun by Terry Hefford who used to live on Bunbury Street between the bus sheds and Bathley Street (near Booth’s Newsagents). The records I particularly remember hearing are “Come On” by the Stones.(July 1963), “Chapel of Love” – Dixie Cups and the ever increasing diet of marvellous 60’s stuff from the Liverpool groups. A great place from which I “graduated” to the Palais, the Vic (Locarno), the Dungeon, Boat Clubs, the Beachcomber etc. Great days, wonderful memories.
Malc Fox (ex Trent Bridge Juniors, Mundella and Wilford Crescent West)”

Reply
“I am very grateful for your input on this. I have been trying to find more about the club for years. Yes I remember the name now. Terry Hefford. I did not know that the club existed as early as 63, or the genre of music other than Soul/Ska music played around 68. I have spent my time since 68 collecting the music that was played there. Motown/Stax/Atlantic type stuff was easy. Some of the rarer cuts I got but only the coming of the Internet and P2P did I manage to get more, some of them even then with difficulty. I still have gaps in my collection. Some of my favourites

Freedom Train -James Carr
Backfield in motion – Mel & Tim
3 time loser – Wilson Picket
Shing a ling stroll – Eddy Wilson
Funky Broadway ain’t funky no more – Bobby Patterson

I will think of more soon no doubt. The Fe’ shape my musical tastes to this day. I went on to DJ at the Slipper, and Tally Ho Club Ilkeston Road. The Tally ho was a Jamaican Club which still exists today (The Drum?). A white DJ playing Jamaican Chart in a Black Club!. Working 8-5 as an electrician, 7-30-11, at the Slipper, and 11-30 till 0200, took its toll. The Tally Ho had to go. I was told I was sadly missed by the punters B)“

Reply
“Can you remember the Pictures on the wall of the Fe’?, cartoon monsters that were copies of a series of chewing gum cards available in the early 60’s. the cards had a normal character on the front, when you turned it over, it transformed into a monster with bulging eyes. Anyone used to collect em?“

Reply
“Can’t say I remember exactly what the pics on the walls were like, but I do remember they were fluorescent, & I got a big shock when the lights came on. Did you ever wonder why all the girls tried to wear something white to the Fe’? LOL“

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JIM’S TATTOO SHOP
When I turned 18 (1975) I went Jim’s to get my first tattoo. Jim’s was on Arkwright Street close to the Trent Bridge end. Although I was a long haired hippy wannabe watching rock bands at the Boat Club by the river Trent I was also a Forest fan. Living the duel world of playing Pink Floyd albums one minute to following Forest up and down the country the next I was exposed to this now culturally excepted artform from the terraces. These weren’t the fantastic art pieces of today but rather the “choose a design” off the wall. I had a dragon, butterfly, forest emblem etc. Before Jim Coombes took over the premises were being run by or shared by Stuart Fretwell who was fined £5 in 1972 for tattooing a minor.

Jim Coombes featured in an Evening Post article in 1979.

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Mushroom Bookshop (Arkwright Street)
There isn’t to much to say about Mushroom in relevance to the Meadows except it is where it was first opened although it soon moved to town. Somewhere towards the Trent Bridge end (I think) it was co-founded by Mike Leonard. It became better known on Heathcote Street in Hockley and I often visited picking up underground literature like “Release” and “IT”.

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Pete’s Chippy
In the 1970’s Peters Fish and Chip Shop was run by Peter Zannetou (known as Pete the Greek), who took over the shop with a ten year lease in 1970. This was a chip shop I and my friend Bill (he had been born in the Meadows) used to visit on our way home from gigs at the Nottingham University. After seeing such groups as Chic Corea, Alex Harvey, The Strawbs, Isotope and the Soft Machine we would make our way back to town and walk down Arkwright Street towards Trent Bridge and then Lady Bay. Often stopping for a bag of chips at Pete’s we would play the pinball machine while waiting. Pin Ball Wizards indeed. After the first wave of demolition many shops including Pete’s suffered because of the traffic ban which started in January 1974 and their passing trade dried up. With the second wave of demolition starting in late 1974 all the shops of the old Arkwright Street disappeared altogether.

Bill Kinnell’s Jazz Club (1952)
Jazz was very popular in Nottingham after the war. It still has the oldest surviving jazz club in the country, formed in 1941 by Bill Kinnell and Ken Allsop. Firstly the Revivalists in the forties and then the late fifties Trad Jazz boom used any venue capable and willing reverberating with the sounds of clarinets, trumpets and piano’s.

After the original founders of the “Rhythm Club” parted ways in 1949, Bill Kinnell ran the “Jazz Club” and Ken Allsopp continued with the “Rhythm Club”. Both Bill and Ken’s events had been held in town but in 1952 Bill needed to find a new site for his jazz meetings and for a short time he used the Mayfair Social Club, 7,9 & 11 Arkwright Street for some jazz recitals before it was closed down by the police for illegal liquor sales. Bill also used the Goodchild’s record shop address for his Jazz Club before he found new premises in West Bridgford shortly after.

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Fredrick Collins Butcher Shop (Arkwright Street)
Not really music related but I can claim a small family connection with this shop from the 1950’s. Fredrick Collins and his wife were from Ruddington but ran this Butcher shop business at 134 Arkwright Street throughout the 1950’s. It was their daughter, Freda, who caught the eye of my dad’s brother (my Uncle Tom) in the mid fifties and they duly married.

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The Town Arms at Trent Bridge was also a jazz venue for many years. The Riverside Jazz club was formed in the early sixties and lasted many years. A few “Riverboat jazz” trips in the 50’s also added to the appeal of this popular location. A couple of bigger local names who played there were Johnny Crocker who played for the Mike Cotton Sound and Chris Barber’s Band among others and Dave Rowberry who eventually replaced Alan Price in The Animals.

1951

1957

1961

1962

1966

1967