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Off Topic 10 Notorious Hull Nightspots

Discussion in 'Hull City' started by Chazz Rheinhold, Jun 21, 2015.

  1. Chazz Rheinhold

    Chazz Rheinhold Well-Known Member

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    Cant say I've heard of the Lord Fox, dont remember Victoria. I went in Cameo a few times. All i can remember of Ocean 11 is a big scary black bouncer sticking his head through that shutter to give you the once over.

    http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/noto...-room-saunas/story-26730012-detail/story.html

    Hull has never been short of its colourful watering holes. Here, Angus Young looks at ten of the city's most notorious nightspots from the past.

    The Earl De Grey

    Now boarded-up, the former pub in Castle Street, city centre, was not a place for the faint-hearted in its heyday.

    Once part of Hull's red light district, it enjoyed something of a worldwide reputation thanks to its proximity to the docks and its colourful seafaring clientele.
    It is forever remembered for the murder of Cha Cha, the pub's talking macaw who squawked his last after being stabbed while raising the alarm during a bungled burglary.
    This nightclub in Anlaby Road, west Hull, operated under several names, including Rumours and the slightly exotic Club International.

    Legend has it that because it was a favourite haunt for most of Hull's criminal fraternity back in the day, the police kept their distance on the basis they knew exactly where almost all chief suspects would be on most nights of the week.

    Like many similar venues, it finally closed after a mysterious fire.
    Victoria Coffee Club

    Another mysterious blaze eventually put paid to this establishment in Great Union Street, east Hull, although it had been shut for several years at the time.

    The Vicky operated as a late-night watering hole in days when pubs shut at 11pm.

    Coffee was officially the only drink available. Unofficially, a wide choice of alcoholic beverages were available under the counter along with various ladies of the night who were regulars both at the Vicky and the nearby Cameo in Hedon Road
    The Royal Oak

    Today this former city centre pub is known as Leonardo's Restaurant @Quayside with a mouth-watering menu and one of Hull's best TripAdvisor ratings. But back when it was popular with crews from ships berthed next door in Princes Dock, it was a fairly rough and ready boozer called the Royal Oak.

    In those days tradition dictated that merchant and trawler crews always occupied separate rooms in the Princes Dock Street pub.

    After a few pints, however, that rule – together with the occasional crew member – usually went out of the window.

    Ocean 11

    Another 'after hours' venue in the 1970s with a reputation for troublesome behaviour.

    One elderly doorman allegedly kept a baseball bat handy while main rooms of the club, in Witham, east Hull, were nearly pitch black with minimal basic lighting.

    This allowed yet more 'business' to be carried out between members of the world's oldest profession and their customers.

    The Lord Fox

    From the outside, it looked like just another large Victoria house in Coltman Street, off Hessle Road.

    Inside, however, was an illegal drinking den complete with a full-sized wooden sauna in the living room, massage tables and a sling room where willing punters could pay to be attached to a metal rack hanging from the ceiling.

    A police raid involving nearly 100 officers just before Christmas 1986 following a four-week surveillance operation brought proceedings to a close.

    Oasis Club

    The writing was on the wall for the long-established Albion Street venue when police raided the city centre premises on a hot summer's night in 2000, arresting more than a dozen people on suspicion of drugs offences and underage drinking.

    Trading standards followed up with a prosecution for health and safety issues, including poor wiring, a lack of fire extinguishers and a build-up of rubbish around the DJ booth.

    The owners were fined £12,500 and the club closed for good shortly afterwards.

    For a time, the former cinema in Anlaby Road, west Hull, was a trendy live music venue attracting the likes of New Order, Joe Strummer and Hull's very own Housemartins.

    However it also played host to a series of less salubrious acts, including legendary male stripper Throbbin' Robin.

    It also entered Hull folklore with its 'Tower for an Hour' nickname and its equally infamous Grab-a-Granny night.
    The Monte Carlo café

    Immortalised by Shaun Tordoff's City Psychos book, the venue was a popular meeting place for hardcore Hull City fans/hooligans in the 1970s.

    To become an official member of the Monte Carlo Mob, applicants were allegedly required to have a tattoo of a skinhead and a pair of Dr Martens boots done to meet the strict entry criteria.

    Silhouette Club

    Before its move to Park Street, city centre, the original Sil in Spring Bank was a curious beast.

    A former rather dubious casino, it spread across two floors in the middle of a row of three-storey terrace houses which are now flats.

    Offering cheap late-night drinks and a dancefloor in the basement, the Sil attracted a mixed bunch of local gangsters, art students, gays and, er, journalists – provided they could get past the notoriously picky 'club secretary' on the door.
     
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  2. BOJACKHCAFCMAN

    BOJACKHCAFCMAN Well-Known Member

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    Never thought of Oasis as being that notorious, but I'm not as old as most people on here, used to get dragged in there in the 90's by workmates. Had to go to a works do at Silhouettes once, was a bit gay in there to say the least, first thing I saw was some middle-aged guy leaning on the bar, all normal stuff except he had cut the arse seat out of his trousers, probably a regular poster on here no doubt
     
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  3. Dr.Stanley O'Google, HCFC

    Dr.Stanley O'Google, HCFC Well-Known Member

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    There was one on Londesbrough Street. It was just a house from the outside.

    A bunch of us went after the Polar Bear shut, on several occasions. It was like a discreet Silhouette; fair sprinkling of gay drinkers.

    Anyone else know it/been there? Was it the Sapphire?
     
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  4. originallambrettaman

    originallambrettaman Mod Moderator
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    I used to go to Vicky's, but I don't know those other late night drinking spots.

    Silhouette was a regular haunt, I remember Oasis as a mediocre wine bar, I agree that it wasn't really notorious at all.

    I got nicked for drink driving leaving Henry's.
     
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  5. charon-the-ferryman

    charon-the-ferryman Well-Known Member

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    Sillhouette was a gay disco - end of - Penny Farthing was almost opposite - another sleazy coffee shop - Gothenburg/Rio Disco was a bit of a dump - and if you wanted a guaranteed fight on a Saturday night just go to Scamps - never saw any trouble in Royal Oak so don't know what all that's about, same as Oasis
     
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  6. charon-the-ferryman

    charon-the-ferryman Well-Known Member

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  7. charon-the-ferryman

    charon-the-ferryman Well-Known Member

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    looks like it was called Flamingo - see article
     
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  8. tigerincanada

    tigerincanada Well-Known Member

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    Just before I emigratedto Canada, my cousin and I did a pub crawl through the City centre and old town. I fondly remember the Earl de Grey. I think they had two birds (I thought they were parrots) and I also remember the working girls (not that I hired one). My memory is playing like a film for a Sailor music video. 'Cept it was probably a glass of Hull Brewery rather than a "Glass of Champagne."
     
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  9. Dr.Stanley O'Google, HCFC

    Dr.Stanley O'Google, HCFC Well-Known Member

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    In the mid-Sixties, when what became the Sil was called the Club 51 (owned by Derek Mole and Bruce Witty), I shared one of the flats above it, when I was a student at Hull College of Commerce (from the other thread). That would be 1967-8.

    The 51 Club had 2 floors - ground and basement - as did the Silhouette. There would be a gang of mods/beats who'd be there from when Gondola closed of an evening, until about 10.00/10.30 p.m. when Mole closed it and re-opened it as a gambling club. Lots of Chinese would arrive after the restaurants shut at night.
     
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    Last edited: Jun 21, 2015
  10. originallambrettaman

    originallambrettaman Mod Moderator
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    #10

  11. charon-the-ferryman

    charon-the-ferryman Well-Known Member

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    I used to go into Earl de Grey many Saturday nights having started at Whittington and Cat then on into old town which would be a combination of Royal Oak, Green Bricks, cant remember its proper name, was it Princes Dock Tavern, Bonny Boat and one at the corner of market place near Holy Trinity - seem to remember there were two parrots and one was killed by a burglar - long time ago
     
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  12. Ernie Shackleton

    Ernie Shackleton Well-Known Member

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    I used to go to the Silhouette in the mid 80s. It was very gay but apart from one 'misunderstanding', I liked it. It was chilled and people just had a good time.

    Went in Earl De Grey a few times when we first started going into town, based on it's reputation. I found it quite a sad, depressing place.
     
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  13. tigerincanada

    tigerincanada Well-Known Member

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    Is my memory correct that the George on Walton Street was popular around 1968 or 1969? They had a space called the blue room. As I recall the walls were painted pseudo psychadelic and featured UV lighting. One night, my mate and I picked up a couple of girls and walked them home for miles away from my mates house. In return, we got a pleasant good night - no kisses, no fumbled grope.
     
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  14. WhittlingStick

    WhittlingStick Well-Known Member

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    Piper Club (newland), Kingfisher on Cavill and Mermaid (boothferry) all opened my eyes in different ways
     
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  15. dazzar86

    dazzar86 Well-Known Member

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    I'm too young to have gone in any of these... but I did go to the Silhouettes on Park St when it became an indie club and hosted NME tours.

    Remember seeing The Cribs, Hard-Fi, Bloc Party, Editors, Tom Vek, Towers of London, The Rakes and Maximo Park all play there for the price of about £3! bargain.
     
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  16. Party Hull!

    Party Hull! Well-Known Member

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    I went to see The Departure in there. Code, it was called.
     
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  17. dennisboothstash

    dennisboothstash Well-Known Member

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    Silhouette was always a good night I think. Gay but in the days when being openly gay was still being defiantly anti establishment. Which created a good crowd of gays, punks etc etc

    Where exactly was the Monte Carlo Cafe though? A bit before my time
     
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  18. Chazz Rheinhold

    Chazz Rheinhold Well-Known Member

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    I was in town a while back during the day and nearly bumped into Twaddles, i'm sure it was him(he's not dead is he of the Aids??).
     
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  19. Blaknamberblood

    Blaknamberblood Well-Known Member

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    used to hit the earl de grey first on a saturday night before heading up old town, had some interesting times in there, also used to go to the silho on a regular basis. Have to say while the earl was always an `interesting` stop, never had too many problems in the silhon, and at the time had a reputation of being the place to go. Ventured into the Coffee club a few times, hairs on neck stood up in there tbh, but when your a young daft lad it all seemed so normal.
     
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  20. Blaknamberblood

    Blaknamberblood Well-Known Member

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    remember the parrots well, in fact on the demise of one the other stressed itself out and ended up plucking its own feathers out, the baldest parrott you`ll ever see !
     
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