Mr George / Park Lane / Mr G's Club

I remember this scene in Park Lane nightclub. It certainly does bring back some great memories! After visiting a few pubs around town, we would go onto the club which was located in the Lower Precinct, next door to the then C&A. On a Saturday night, usually there was a queue to go in as it was the best club in town.There were 2 bars and a cocktail bar on the ground floor, and the big dance floor as shown in the picture, and upstairs, there was another bar and a smaller dancefloor. You had to wear a smart shirt and trousers to get in, sometimes a tie and jacket, and the ladies always dressed up in their best frocks for the big night out. The music and sound system was brilliant, and the DJ would always play a slow smoochy track half way through the night so you could have a slow dance with the ladies, then it was back to the chart and disco tracks again. At the end of the night he would play 2 x slow tracks again before saying goodnight. Some of the music played in the club that year was: Simple Minds - Dont You Forget About Me. Aurra - You And Me Tonight. David Bowie - Lets Dance. Steve Arrington - Dancing In The Key Of Life. Sister Sledge - Frankie. Phylis Nelson - Move Closer. If anyone can remember any others please do mention!

This pic was taken in its heyday, and as Deannottz said, you HAD to be smart to get in, NO white socks or jeans! Unfortunately, genial manager Pat Loughran left in 1985 and George brought down a manager from his Doncaster set-up, whose sole intent was to make money, hence the dress code was relaxed and trouble makers were allowed in, the place was rammed. To alleviate this, Memory Lane (upstairs) which was initially built as a cabaret style venue was losing money, so they shut the kitchen and made the venue into another dance floor, causing no end of problems with fights on the stairs. To the right of the photo as you look at it was a seating area, but to accommodate the small dance floor, it was ripped up and a smaller floor incorporated onto the existing floor - again, VERY crowded, and fights ensuing. When Pat ran the club, he had one huge Maori doorman, Ben Rowe and there was never trouble. When the new manager came, and the trouble started, he employed hoards of doormen, mostly ex-cons who loved a punch-up. This was before the doors were regulated, and Tony Walsh (Banger Walsh) saw a niche in the market, and started Mayfair Security. Tony was a nice bloke, hard but fair, he knew the revellers out for a good time and the idiots intent on trouble. It was around this time, clubs stopped playing great music from charts and the dreaded 'house music' cropped up - horrid stuff! I last visited Park Lane in 1988, it had changed from the BEST club in town to something that resembled an 'upmarket' working mens club.

Ace, I think that about sums it up. In its heyday a fabulous place to be Does anyone remember the dodgy Adam & Eve nights on a Friday where if you found your match you got a dodgy cocktail - oh the memories John

For those scratching their heads, the 'Adam & Eve' nights were fantastic 'introductions' for revellers. Upon entry, you had a sticker attatched to your jacket, for lads it was a 'male' theme, and when the ladies tipped up, they got the opposite sticker to your theme, ie Adam & Eve, Derby & Joan, Anthony & Cleopatra, Charles & Diana - anyone who had a famous 'other half'. The idea was you looked for the corresponding sticker to yours, and once found, you went to the classy cocktail bar and had a free cocktail, usually a watered down Pina Colada with 2 straws that you had to share whilst drinking. It was a decent ice-breaker. Of course, once you finished the free drink, you went your separate ways. I don't think many romances started from the Adam & Eve nights, but they were great fun - even if you 'met' someone you had absolutely NO interest in, you STILL had the courtesy to go along and have the drink and a chat. Manners were everywhere in those heady days.

Brilliant photo Ace!! I'm right there in my hey-day at 'The Lane'. Just as I remember it. I also did the Adam and Eve nights - think they were usually on a Wednesday. I know a lad that actually married the girl he met on one of those nights. I remember Pat Loughran as well. Did he ever move on to Bobby's in the Burges? My mate Fat-Matt Carter helped out running the place too - used to love swanning past the queues outside the door to get into the Cocktail Bar with his private key Always remember a real bulldog of a bouncer there as well.

Oh and forgot to mention Memory Lane upstairs. We'd always start in there and then move on downstairs as my mate worked with one of the Memory Lane specific DJ's. Forget his name. They always played Luther Vandross's 'Never Too Much' at the start of the night. Even now when I hear that track it makes a stir - all the lads were getting the first rounds in and finding a 'spot' to watch the girls arrive. Was terrifically exciting at the time!

I seem to remember sticking to the floor as you walked up the stairs from the entrance into the main bit!

This was uploaded on Memories Of Coventry

I paid a visit to Coventry last weekend and noticed that the location where Park Lane once stood, is now a closed down and empty former TJ Hughes store. It was a sad sight to see. I could not help but to pause to reflect the good nights I spent in the club all those years ago. It was a brief trip down memory lane!

I thought the ground floor had always been retail premises? (It was originally Barnwell's furniture and then later Kwik Save).

You're right Dutchman - Park Lane was on the Upper levels of the Lower Precinct where today's New Look store is (and above for the Memory Lane dance floor).

Hi I'm Pauline, George's niece. My lovely uncle was my mum's brother and did sadly pass away a couple of years ago peacefully in Majorca. We are not any relation to Stephen Hendry the snooker player as was questioned earlier.

I probably read this post different to clubbers, but once upon a time I was a clubber in a different area, and my uncle George was not happy about me clubbing. Great to see so many good memories of my uncle. I do remember staying at uncle Georges and going to Park Lane about 14yrs old for dinner when uncle G was buying Hippodrome AND YES being allowed to go behind the bar to make up cocktails and taking lots of cocktail sticks before going off on hols to Florida. Was great fun for a kid of my age. I hope I do him proud. My shop is going from strength to strength and he is my inspiration!

Sandy was with him all the way x

Wasn't this the club where under age females used to sit in the shadows drinking Pernod and Lemonade?