Nottingham is well-known for having a vibrant nightlife that entertains a large student population, what with the countless clubs and bars, you are spoiled for choice. But did you know that this reputation has been in the making since the 60s? We chatted with Christine Fletcher-Noble to get a look into the suave and sexy Parkside Club on Station Street and its booming business back in the day...
When it comes to the glamour of the swinging sixties, nothing reflected the era better than the Parkside Club. The glamourous club opened its doors in 1963 at 11 Station Street, under the management of Dennis and George Akins. The venue had previously been the rather seedy Victorian Commercial Hotel which, despite being next door to a police station, had been rumoured to be a brothel.
After an extensive, and expensive, makeover, the club became the premier place to see and be seen. It combined the best ideas from top London clubs with European casinos to create a mixture of fine dining, glamourous cabaret and gambling. A lot was riding on the casino being successful.
Smooth dark oak panelled walls, red velvet banquettes, oil paintings lit with discreet lighting add to the atmosphere of the luxurious club. Mirrors dotted around the room helped to give the impression of a much larger space.
Fine dining and champagne accompanied the show. Produce would be bought in London and shipped to Nottingham where the elaborate meals were prepared by a Spanish chef. Dishes were certainly boozy
One of the best parts of the club was the investment into bringing top cabaret acts to the city. This included accomplished singer Mimi Pearce, the Bert Hartley Trio and Miss Jackie Trent. Trent was having an illicit affair with Tony Hatch, a songwriter, while working at the club. After she left, the two married and co-wrote Downtown which was a hit for Petunia Clarke.
Christine Fletcher-Noble, a professional dancer, moved to Nottingham after the Shakespeare Club in Liverpool, where she had been dancing, burned down in 1963. There was no expense spared when it came to the acts, even their costumes which had elaborate headdresses had to be right. The Parkside dancers were a spectacular part of the show.
“We did different routines over two shows a night. We changed the show once a month because we had the same people coming in but we always had a star artist. There were four dancers on at once, one male singer, one female singer and a trio for the band,” she recalled.
“It was every type of dancing that you get in a cabaret club. The costumes we had were hired so they came from a firm in London. They changed every month when the shows were changed,” she added. “They were very ornate, beautiful with feathers.”
Fine dining and champagne accompanied the show. Produce would be bought in London and shipped to Nottingham where the elaborate meals were prepared by a Spanish chef. Dishes were certainly boozy. Fresh lobster was flamed with brandy, turtle soup had a splash of sherry, while sirloin steaks were given a red wine sauce.
There was, as you may expect, a dress code to get in. “It was very glamorous with a dress code. Most men wore bow ties and suits while the ladies were in evening dresses and gloves. You went to town. You couldn’t turn up in a pair of jeans as you wouldn’t have been allowed in,” Christine said. “In the 60s, people dressed up to go to the theatre or the cinema. Life is very casual now but back then it was a special occasion.”
It wasn’t long before the club began attracting the rich, the famous and those who liked a gamble. “We had people working there like Val Doonican (Irish singer), Adam Faith (singer and actor), Des O’ Connor (comedian) and Anita Harris (singer) who were all regulars,” Christine recalled.
“We had Diana Dors (actor) there one night. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor too. All of the people who worked at Theatre Royal would finish their shows at 10pm and then go straight down to the Parkside. We did a late show they would watch so we had all the stars there.”
Taylor and Burton came to Nottingham to promote their film Marlowe's Doctor Faustus at the Moulin Rouge cinema in 1967. Although this may not be their only visit, the couple sat in the club happily watching the Irish comedian Dave Allen performing his routine.
Christine met her husband, manager Roy Fletcher at the club. Although she left, Roy continued working at the Parkside.
What of the rumour that 1960s gangsters, The Kray twins once famously put in an appearance at the Parkside? We may never know. Some say other ‘hooligans’ would try their luck, claiming connections but were swiftly sent on their way.
One such character that contributed to the club’s atmosphere was Miss Kathy and her girls. Kathy, who was at this time in her 50s, ran a tight ship of hostesses who were to make the businessmen feel welcome while ensuring they spent money. She was a charming listener who had her regulars who would return to the club for a chat and attention. Her girls would sit dining and drinking champagne with the men who visited the club. It was said when she passed away, her funeral cortege stretched half a mile through the streets.
Eventually, the club changed direction, bringing in a slightly different act including exotic dancers. They even brought in a Miss Justine Starr, a fire-eating, snake act. This was also a trend in clubs across London including many in Soho so it may be that that is where the idea came from. George Akins purchased the Old Reform Club on Victoria Street, transforming that into the Victoria Club.
The club drifted into different names and ownership in the seventies becoming Churchills for a brief period in the late 70s. It advertised three bars, resident singers, visiting artists, and adult entertainment while boasting: ‘No lady will ever refuse an invitation to the Churchill’s Club.’ Christine Noble and her husband, Roy Fletcher even tried to reopen the club in the 80s but sadly it didn’t work. It also became the After Dark club in the 1990s. After a long period of being used as artist studios and left empty, the building was eventually demolished in 2021/22. It is now student accommodation.
Special thank you to Roy Fletcher, author of Nottingham Parkside Club: a Potted History and Christine Fletcher-Noble for the interview.
If you have any of your own photos of the club, or have memories of any of the places mentioned then please get in touch with History Editor CJ De Barra. Email history@leftlion.com
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