Mod and scooter memories of the 1960's in Bristol

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Mod and scooter memories of the 1960's in Bristol

Postby Chris P » Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:24 pm

I was listening to a Radio 2 program today about peoples memories of a certain period, and the upshot was, that if these memories weren't shared then they would die out with the passing of people of a certain age......... Not wanting to be alarmist, many of us who can remember the 1960's in Bristol are now aged mid to late 50's, and, with luck, probably have about 20 or so years left before its too late (gulp :shock: )

So what I thought might be a good idea, particularly for our younger members, is that the "older gits" amongst us, jot down on the forum, our memories of those "halcyon days".

Who wants to kick this off?
Chris P
 

Postby Jim » Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:49 pm

OK- Here's one of my favourite scooter related memories-

Coming out of the Locarno on Monday nights, and seeing all the scoots parked outside the Hatchet pub-maybe 30 of'em- magnificent! Then we'd start'em up- the noise and smell of 2 stroke engines echoing around the buildings, then we'd just ride up and down, past the Entertainment Centre, maybe 3 or 4 times, just showing off and trying to impress the 'birds'! No crash helmets in them days either, maybe a bobble hat if it was a bit cold! To me as a 16 year old, it was pure joy- scooter heaven!

I still get the same buzz riding my scoot now, except of course, the bobble hat has been replaced with a crash helmet!

Jim
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Postby Chris P » Wed Oct 01, 2008 10:08 am

Once you'd reached the magical age of 16, you needed to get yourself a scoot, and you could either do this from the Motorbike section in the Evening Post on Friday, or visit one of the dealers. The two main dealers in Bristol were Kings and Greys which were situated in Stokes Croft. Both had vast stocks of Lambrettas and Vespas, and one shop always priced theirs in "Guineas" which was an old term and related to 21/- (£1-1-0d or 105p in new money). This made the bike look cheaper than it was! I can remember seeing 2nd hand GT200's priced at 140 Gns :shock:

One of the main dealers had an accessory shop just round the corner in Cherry Lane where they sold everything you needed for your scoot. Ancilloti exhausts were around £5, crash bars £3-10-0; back racks £4ish. Most saturday afternoons there was a crowd down there buying the latest bits for their scooters and then bombing round The Centre showing it off! (no change there then).

Other dealers at the time were Trident Engineering up Gloucester Road (now a trendy wine bar); Bristol 6 scooters at the top of Blackboy Hill before they moved to Cotham Hill (which in itself is a trendy Film studio now). Mike Clark Scooters in a tiny shop in Fishponds (now Speedwell Motor Cycles?), Ken Avery in Kingswood, Brian Newth further up Gloucester Road, and of course Aplins ("be in Thursday....")

Trendy hangouts:- Aunt Gemmimas; The Way Inn; Top Rank; Heartbeat, and of course The Locarno which you could write a book on!

I suppose The Old Gits (Me; Jim; Dave; Steve; Russ etc etc) paths must have crossed in those heady days, but non of us remember each other......yet.

Who's next?

Chris
Last edited by Chris P on Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Chris P
 

Postby Steve Holloway » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:08 pm

Well remember my elation, aged about 16, at getting served my first `brown split` (in a mug with a handle, not a sleever!) in The Bali Hai bar (Locarno) after getting past the bouncer.

If I remember rightly, the bouncer used to stand at the entrance to the bar by the totem pole now owned by Chris P.

The Way Inn on College Green was a regular haunt, as was Aunt Gemimas (wasn`t the full name Aunt Gemimas Kitchen?)

Remember my first scoot, a 1965 TV175, bought from a mate in Southmead (with a little help from my Dad!) originally bought by him from Bristol 6, which is where I returned most weeks to buy my `shiny bits`

[/u]
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Postby Martin M » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:27 pm

I think this is a great thread, I'm far too young to remember the 60's! Not born till '66, so my abiding memories are from the early 80's revival times, and not from round here either as I'm originally from Coventry.
What would be great is some photos of the scene from those days...Keep the memories coming guys.
Martin.
Vespa Sprint
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Postby Chris P » Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:19 pm

OK- how sad is this lot then? Some of the remnants of The Locarno Ballroom, which I rescued prior to its criminal demolition.

Image
Bouncers warning sign- this was positioned opposite the DJ. If there was any "trouble" within the Locarno, a panic button would be hit, and the area in which the trouble was in would be illuminated. The DJ would then broadcast a coded message to the Bouncers, and the trouble would be "politely" dealt with.......

Image
Gents Neon sign

Image
Cloakroom sign

Image
The famous totem pole. We used to put out our "Embassy dog ends" up the nostril on the pole. When I repainted it I found one still in place!

I couldn't carry home the maple sprung dance floor :oops:

Chris
Last edited by Chris P on Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:26 am, edited 4 times in total.
Chris P
 

Postby Chris P » Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:41 am

Clothes- suits were generally made to measure at places such as Burtons, Hepworths and John Collier in Broadmead. Cost around £15 to £20 all in. Mainly 2 piece 3 button (covered) with slant pockets (and a ticket pocket) Rear vent- as long as possible (these started around 6 inches and progressed higher and higher, as Jackie Wilson sang, up your back with some ending between your shoulder blades :shock: 14 inch bottoms with no turn ups. Colour; dark with a nice herringbone weave. Sleeve buttons; anywhere between 3 and 6 on each side!

Shoes- slip on loafers or brogues

Shirt- pastel Ben Shermans; rear cloth "hanger" with pleat. Collars had an embroidered hole either side in which to place your tie pin which kept the tie (thin) in place and your collar wings straight. The tie was additionally pinned with a "tack" to the front of your shirt with a pronounced prominence to the front.

Outer wear for the scoot- Genuine M51 parka or the then "new" M65, or alternatively a genuine British Services Great Coat from the "Army Surplus down Hotwells" (probably Macruss). The Royal Navy one was prefered in view of the colour I think.

The Dogs do das or what? :puzzled:
Chris P
 

Postby Colin » Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:53 am

1964-67 Now you're talking Scoots. Although living in Yeovil at the time,
Bristol was the Holy Grail of entertainment and Scootering outside of London for our bunch of immaculately turned out gang.
Thursday nights straight after work we headed for Bristol to the
Corn Exchange where Thursdays was the Rhytham, Blues & Soul night,just about anybody famous did a gig there. We saw Clapton, The Ram Jam Band,John Lee Hooker,The Faces. Saturday nights was either 10 pin bowling,followed by egg and chips and a coffee at Aust Services or if there was enough of us not to get yer head kicked in we would head for the Bamboo Club.
On my day off ,my mate John on his GS 150 and me on my Li would do the rounds of the Scooter shops,these included Grays in Stokes Croft,who always had bikes for sale parked outside on the pavement. The place I recall for Vespa Spares was the Old Douglas plant in Kingswood,still going in 63, but if you rode a Lambretta, God lived at Trident, a shop which I recall was so clean and cool you were almost afraid to enter. No respecting Lambretta rider ever dared out without a front or rear chrome
carrier, Trident had the lot in stock £5 bought you Zannucci which were the best you could buy,also in stock for £3.50 were twinpipe Teapot exhausts,Jimmies were the same price, and Ancilloti orange sport boxes slighty more.Trident also kept GT side panels in chrome at £25 a pair new,and the impossible to find spray paint in sidepanel colours. The best selling Li 150 was around £157 and the GT 200 was a massive £220 with custom purple side panels.
Top club in Bristol at the time were The Avon Valley Scooter Club, and amongst the events they held was a Rally which was Sundays
on the old Whitchurch Airfield,admission was 5 shillings in 1966 and the events included an egg and spoon race,whereby the passanger held an egg in a spoon and at the drop of a flag every bike raced to the finish 100yards away.
Sundays was always a rideout day, only two destinations really, the Sea front Weston or the South Coast on Bank Holiday.
Back then Scoots were every living breath.
SX 150.
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THE 60S

Postby des coles » Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:35 pm

Anyone out there remember Tony Prince?...Heinz?.... Saturday mornings under 16's Club. I certanly do 1963 - 1966 and I remember all the songs etc - - Millie with "My Boy Lollypop" - - The Batchelors - - The Mersey Sounds - - I COULD GO On and on. But then I got married in 1968 (no I didn't have to), thats what you did then, couldn't try-before-you-buy on a scooter.
Mondo.Best of the lot Vespa T5,Lambretta TV175
des coles
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Postby Chris P » Wed Oct 15, 2008 3:17 pm

Tony Prince is still about (up North I think) Heinz is dead (or was it Jet Harris that died recently?)

Good year 1968- got my first scoot then.

Chris
Chris P
 

Postby Alan Woodier » Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:07 pm

Martin M wrote:I'm far too young to remember the 60's! Not born till '66, so my abiding memories are from the early 80's revival times, and not from round here either as I'm originally from Coventry.

I can remember the 60s :cry: and from Coventry as well mate ;-)
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