SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Uno Hoo wrote: iansmithofotley wrote: Hi John Croggy,Around 1968/69, I got a very good hiding outside the International Club in Nassau Place by three local villains who arrived in a stolen white Ford Zephyr car. Two of them, both from Gipton, called O’Leary and Cheetham, were arrested, but the main man (and driver) escaped. I later learned that, at the time of the incident, he was an escapee from prison. I have very happy memories of the place.Ian     Gee whizz, Ian! What has to happen to give you unhappy memories? I was thinking the exact same uno the mans a total star dont you just love him?I could sit in a room with him and blakey and just listen to there fantastic tales of there exploits all day long

Hi Tony,Your mention of a club near Sheepscar does raise some vague memories. I remember going a few times to a club around there about early1971. You went upstairs to it. The name Carribean Club comes to mind. Anyone else recall it?John Croggy

Hi John Croggy,It was known as the Shaheen Club. It was an upstairs club and near to Sheepscar Junction. The Police kept trying to get the place closed down but without success. I remember, on one occasion, that the Fire Brigade succeeded where the Police failed. They got the place closed down due to the large numbers of people visiting the premises and the weakness of the floor/dance floor which was a safety issue. Also, the fire escapes were inadequate. The premises were set back from the main road and there was a taxi firm underneath it, or nearby. Ian    

Hi Ian, Yes you're right it was the Shaheen Club. I would never have remembered that but now you mention the name I can recall it well. How do you manage to remember all these details?John

iansmithofotley wrote: Hi John Croggy,It was known as the Shaheen Club. It was an upstairs club and near to Sheepscar Junction. The Police kept trying to get the place closed down but without success. I remember, on one occasion, that the Fire Brigade succeeded where the Police failed. They got the place closed down due to the large numbers of people visiting the premises and the weakness of the floor/dance floor which was a safety issue. Also, the fire escapes were inadequate. The premises were set back from the main road and there was a taxi firm underneath it, or nearby. Ian     This sounds very like the Room At The Top Club to me, which was upstairs above a commercial premises around the Sheepscar area - in North Street, I think. That had a rather dodgy dance floor. I think the steps to the upstairs were on the outside of the building, or maybe that was the fire escape, and that it was near the old Balmforths building. I knew it around 1974-76, and your description of the Shaheen Club sounds so like the RatT that I'm wondering if that was an earlier name for it?

ClaphamCommoner wrote: iansmithofotley wrote: Hi John Croggy,It was known as the Shaheen Club. It was an upstairs club and near to Sheepscar Junction. The Police kept trying to get the place closed down but without success. I remember, on one occasion, that the Fire Brigade succeeded where the Police failed. They got the place closed down due to the large numbers of people visiting the premises and the weakness of the floor/dance floor which was a safety issue. Also, the fire escapes were inadequate. The premises were set back from the main road and there was a taxi firm underneath it, or nearby. Ian     This sounds very like the Room At The Top Club to me, which was upstairs above a commercial premises around the Sheepscar area - in North Street, I think. That had a rather dodgy dance floor. I think the steps to the upstairs were on the outside of the building, or maybe that was the fire escape, and that it was near the old Balmforths building. I knew it around 1974-76, and your description of the Shaheen Club sounds so like the RatT that I'm wondering if that was an earlier name for it? I wonder if that could be a folk club that I used to go to in what I think would be the early to mid 1970's. It was on North Street near to the New Briggate end in small premises on an upper floor that you reached up a narrow flight of inside steps. I seem to recall seeing Tony Capstick perform when he was still not that well known.

Leodian wrote: ClaphamCommoner wrote: iansmithofotley wrote: Hi John Croggy,It was known as the Shaheen Club. It was an upstairs club and near to Sheepscar Junction. The Police kept trying to get the place closed down but without success. I remember, on one occasion, that the Fire Brigade succeeded where the Police failed. They got the place closed down due to the large numbers of people visiting the premises and the weakness of the floor/dance floor which was a safety issue. Also, the fire escapes were inadequate. The premises were set back from the main road and there was a taxi firm underneath it, or nearby. Ian     This sounds very like the Room At The Top Club to me, which was upstairs above a commercial premises around the Sheepscar area - in North Street, I think. That had a rather dodgy dance floor. I think the steps to the upstairs were on the outside of the building, or maybe that was the fire escape, and that it was near the old Balmforths building. I knew it around 1974-76, and your description of the Shaheen Club sounds so like the RatT that I'm wondering if that was an earlier name for it? I wonder if that could be a folk club that I used to go to in what I think would be the early to mid 1970's. It was on North Street near to the New Briggate end in small premises on an upper floor that you reached up a narrow flight of inside steps. I seem to recall seeing Tony Capstick perform when he was still not that well known. Ha ha, no - this was definitely not a folk club! The Room At The Top played reggae, soul, Motown (it was laregely a black club) and cheesy disco - the records they played alot in the mid 70s were by Barry White, Gloria Gaynor, Freda Payne, Disco Tex and the Sex-o-Lettes, Carl Douglas (Kung Fu Fighting), etc.BTW, it was at the northern end of North Street, between Meanwood Road and Sheepscar Street, not down by Briggate... I think it was close to the old bank on the corner, with Balmforth's factory behind it.

ClaphamCommoner wrote: Leodian wrote: ClaphamCommoner wrote: iansmithofotley wrote: Hi John Croggy,It was known as the Shaheen Club. It was an upstairs club and near to Sheepscar Junction. The Police kept trying to get the place closed down but without success. I remember, on one occasion, that the Fire Brigade succeeded where the Police failed. They got the place closed down due to the large numbers of people visiting the premises and the weakness of the floor/dance floor which was a safety issue. Also, the fire escapes were inadequate. The premises were set back from the main road and there was a taxi firm underneath it, or nearby. Ian     This sounds very like the Room At The Top Club to me, which was upstairs above a commercial premises around the Sheepscar area - in North Street, I think. That had a rather dodgy dance floor. I think the steps to the upstairs were on the outside of the building, or maybe that was the fire escape, and that it was near the old Balmforths building. I knew it around 1974-76, and your description of the Shaheen Club sounds so like the RatT that I'm wondering if that was an earlier name for it? I wonder if that could be a folk club that I used to go to in what I think would be the early to mid 1970's. It was on North Street near to the New Briggate end in small premises on an upper floor that you reached up a narrow flight of inside steps. I seem to recall seeing Tony Capstick perform when he was still not that well known. Ha ha, no - this was definitely not a folk club! The Room At The Top played reggae, soul, Motown (it was laregely a black club) and cheesy disco - the records they played alot in the mid 70s were by Barry White, Gloria Gaynor, Freda Payne, Disco Tex and the Sex-o-Lettes, Carl Douglas (Kung Fu Fighting), etc.BTW, it was at the northern end of North Street, between Meanwood Road and Sheepscar Street, not down by Briggate... I think it was close to the old bank on the corner, with Balmforth's factory behind it. Do you mean this place? It used to be a night-club but for the life of me I can't remember the name. It's had a few renames over the years.

ClaphamCommoner wrote: iansmithofotley wrote: Hi John Croggy,This sounds very like the Room At The Top Club to me, which was upstairs above a commercial premises around the Sheepscar area - in North Street, I think. That had a rather dodgy dance floor. I think the steps to the upstairs were on the outside of the building, or maybe that was the fire escape, and that it was near the old Balmforths building. I knew it around 1974-76, and your description of the Shaheen Club sounds so like the RatT that I'm wondering if that was an earlier name for it? Ian     Hi Clapham Commoner,The premises were the same. The place was known, at various times, as the Shaheen Club, the New Shaheen Club and Room at the Top (and possibly others names too).' Sheepscar Junction' was broadly the junction of Meanwood Road, North Street, Roundhay Road and Sheepscar Street North. From memory, I suspect that the premises were technically on Sheepscar Street North. Funnily enough, being brought up in Woodhouse, I always knew the junction as the 'Golden Cross Junction' as there was a pub of that name at the junction of North Street and Meanwood Road.As you say, the club premises were above commercial premises and shops. Between these buildings and Appleyard's garage was a car park and a petrol station. In the 1980's, the premises below the club were a private hire taxi place and I seem to remember that there was a murder committed outside the premises.There are photographs of the area on Leodis. Here is a very old photograph but the premises can be seen on the right:http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... AY=FULLIan    

Earlier query from Leodian:- I wonder if that could be a folk club that I used to go to in what I think would be the early to mid 1970's. It was on North Street near to the New Briggate end in small premises on an upper floor that you reached up a narrow flight of inside steps. I seem to recall seeing Tony Capstick perform when he was still not that well known. Earlier reply from ClaphamCommoner:- Ha ha, no - this was definitely not a folk club! The Room At The Top played reggae, soul, Motown (it was laregely a black club) and cheesy disco - the records they played alot in the mid 70s were by Barry White, Gloria Gaynor, Freda Payne, Disco Tex and the Sex-o-Lettes, Carl Douglas (Kung Fu Fighting), etc.Thanks ClaphamCommoner. Yep, that is definitely not the folk club I went to.