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“NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO”


So, we’ve got as far as a large group of teenage boys and girls, hanging around Shaw Lane corner after school, wondering what to do with themselves.

A favourite place was The Hollies where we often went on summer evenings. Some of the girls were in local Girl Guide Companies, and after Guide meetings, we (and some of the boys) could usually be found sitting on the wall of Bryans chip shop, eating a three-penny bag of chips.

The two local cinemas, the Cottage Road and The Lounge, saw plenty of action. The Mugs Club at St. Chads was also popular for a short time — at least whilst the curate Malcolm Stonestreet was running it, and one summer St. Chad’s Tennis Club was the place to be. For quite some time, we went to a coffee bar called The Piazza at the top of Raglan Road, Woodhouse Moor — a jukebox and chrome machines spurting out frothy coffee. (Vance tried to make well-chewed pieces of soggy, salivary paper stick to the ceiling. He did this by either flicking or spitting the bits of paper upwards. Soon the ceiling was speckled.) There was another coffee bar just about where the Beeb’s radio studios are now, which I think was The Concadora.

In later years, when we were a little older, The New Inn and The Woodman were popular and the Headingley Bowling Alley had many visits.

One entertainment was following The Raiders. Most of The Raiders lived in Headingley and, as they were also part of the Shaw Lane crowd, we always knew where the next dance would be happening. It also benefited The Raiders, as they had a ready-made fan club to turn up and support them.

(More memories and pictures of The Raiders then and now can be seen on their own website. The site also has some entries from Tarm’s diaries for 1962 to 1964. See if you remember being at any of the gigs he refers to.)

Sometimes The Raiders were playing at private parties, and we couldn’t go. Neither were we allowed to go to their rehearsals. Later, when they eventually got transport, we were only allowed a lift in their van if we were a bona fide girl-friend!

If we weren’t going to a Raiders dance, we went to parties at each other’s homes. Everyone who was there probably has different memories of what went on at these parties. For example, I remember that there was some alcohol, but I don’t remember drinking being a big part of the evenings. On the other hand, Beau seems to remember nothing but alcohol! I have definite memories of playing records, dancing, and an awful lot of snogging!

When Frankie Gauld found her 1963 diary (see below), I couldn’t believe the number of parties we had. In September we had ten parties in eleven days! Bear in mind that at this time we were fifteen / sixteen years old, most of us were still at school and we had no transport other than our bikes or a lift from our parents. You’ll see that not many of the parties are on Saturdays. I think this was because we were at Raiders dances instead.



“‘Spin the bottle’! That's what we used to do at the parties I recall most vividly (and the lovely Susan Carroll telling me her hair was like straw!). We didn't have too much alcohol normally - just now and again perhaps, and at some parties we were just sort of sitting around - but then there were those that were more risqué perhaps, based on early 1960's standards anyway - or did I just dream them?” Ralph Sims





Here are some extracts from Frankie’s 1963 diary —


PARTIES 1963

Tuesday 1st January
Bring in New Year at Susan Carroll’s. Go with Gordon Dixon. Then Gordon, Martin, Jon & Chris come to our house. Leave at 1.45. Rise 11.45. Susan phones. Go to town with boys.

Friday 4th January
Jane Mitchell’s

Saturday 5th January
Mr. Baker takes us to and from Allan William’s party.

Saturday 12th January
Chris Lake’s

Saturday 2nd February
Katy Brady’s

Saturday 9th February
Bernard Eccles

Friday 15th February
Jane Mitchell’s

Sunday 17th February
Jane Mitchell’s

Friday 1st March
John Mason’s

Friday 22nd March
At John Mason’s: meet Sue, Sandra and Robin at the bus stop. Good fun, etc.

Friday 29th March
John Mason’s

Wednesday 17th April
John Mason’s

Thursday 18th April
Brian Johnson’s

Friday 19th April
Chris Rickeard’s

Monday 22nd April
Vance Johnson’s

Friday 3rd May
John Mason’s

Saturday 11th May
Go to Sandra’s party with Hugh, Jo (Joanne Agar?) and Robin in car. Too crowded. Gatecrashers. Go to Jane Mitchell’s with Martin, 2 Johns and Hugh.

Sunday 12th May
Sandra’s wireless missing

Saturday 18th May
Chris Lake’s

Thursday 30th May
Chip shop - meet Brian, Gordon: can’t find others; go to Baker’s, Carroll’s etc.

Saturday 1st June
Karen Metcalfe’s

Thursday 6th June
Lesley Bell’s

Saturday 8th June
Katy Brady’s, Arthur’s

Saturday 6th July
Katy Brady

Monday 22nd July
Beau Midgley

Saturday 27th July
Here

Monday 29th July
Caroline Phillips’

Sunday 25th August
Sandra Baker’s

Monday 26th August
Beau Midgley

Tuesday 27th August
Mike Debussy’s

Wednesday 28th August
Mike Debussy’s

Thursday 5th September
Pod’s

Friday 6th September
Katy Brady’s

Saturday 7th September
B Smith’s

Sunday 8th September
Go to Ralph's barbecue. Very good. Raiders play. Go home. Then out with Oz and Garth to Harrogate.

Monday 9th September
Anne & Mike Debussy’s

Tuesday 10th September
Donald Longley’s

Wednesday 11th September
Tappy Blackburn’s

Friday 13th September
Bruce’s (Bowling?)

Saturday 14th September
Oz’s cousin’s

Sunday 15th September
Sandra’s

Saturday 28th September
Kay’s

(Frankie has now met Hugh Morley, and from here on, the parties are at friends of Hugh’s.)

Tuesday 31st December
Meet Patrick Boucher. Roger W's party good. Hugh collects me 9.30 and Anona and friend. Then Old Leo's and Raider's Dance. VERY GOOD. Then meet Oz. Home here at midnight.