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Rookery Road dance hall Handsworth

chucka

Black Country Mon
Hi there, many, many years ago i used to go to dance hall in Rookery Rd, i think it was called the Plaza though i cant be sure as my memory seems older than me, i remember there used to be a pencil factory on the opposite side, can anyone remember going there and the name of it ? :rolleyes:

Chucka
 
chucka, it was the Plaza. It started life as a cinema, went through the dance hall era and is now a mosque or something. I worked on the door there on odd occasions and I cant remember whether it was when I worked for Mothers club or The Tower. I have a feeling it was a Mecca venue, if so I would have beem placed there when they were short staffed or as an extra man if trouble was expected.
 
The Beatles played there early in their career, and along with a few thousand others I queued up on the off-chance of getting in. Fat chance!The queue ran all the way to Soho Road! Unknown to one another, my future wife was also in that queue, about 6 years before we met.

Big Gee
 
When I used to go to the Plaza it was owned by Ma Regan, who also owned The Ritz Kings Heath and the Brum Cavern Small Heath.

Ann
 
chucka, it was the Plaza. It started life as a cinema, went through the dance hall era and is now a mosque or something. I worked on the door there on odd occasions and I cant remember whether it was when I worked for Mothers club or The Tower. I have a feeling it was a Mecca venue, if so I would have beem placed there when they were short staffed or as an extra man if trouble was expected.

Preuming the building is nowadays a mosque, maybe Mecca was the ideal name for it:biggrin:
 
Oh nice one Richie. I do like a person with a sense of humour and I must say I never thought of that one. Ha Ha
 
I used to go to the Plaza in my teenage years as it was not far from where I lived. I used to go with my friend Jean Thomas who lived on Soho Road and still have my card. I posted this recently on the Nightclubs of the Past thread.

Judy
 
I played at both the Handsworth Ballroom, and the Garry Owen in Small Heath. Owned by the Regan family, the bandleader for both ballrooms was Charlie Simpson. The band stage at the Garry Owen had large barriers in front of it, almost like football club barriers. I wondered why, until one St. Patricks Night dance I found out! We were playing "How do you speak to an Angel" when the fight broke out. Within seconds there were fights everywhere. Charlie shouted "whatever happens lads, don't stop playing" We played the song non-stop for around twenty minutes, until the police, plus dogs, got the whole thing under control. Happy days!
 
Hi there, many, many years ago i used to go to dance hall in Rookery Rd, i think it was called the Plaza though i cant be sure as my memory seems older than me, i remember there used to be a pencil factory on the opposite side, can anyone remember going there and the name of it ? :rolleyes:

Chucka
Yep, it was the Plaza, a great night club, I used to go there around 1968
 
Hi there, many, many years ago i used to go to dance hall in Rookery Rd, i think it was called the Plaza though i cant be sure as my memory seems older than me, i remember there used to be a pencil factory on the opposite side, can anyone remember going there and the name of it ? :rolleyes:

Chucka
I do remember the Plaza on Rookery road. I loved going there I don't remember the pencil factory, but I don't remember anything else. Memory seems poor.
 
I do. I used to go to the Plaza dancing on nights out. Loved it. I don't remember the pencil factory, I don't remember anything else. Memory poor. Might remember just as going to sleep tonight.
 
I don't remember a pencil factory either, Rookery Road school is opposite what was the Plaza and I can't see where the factory would have been - maybe further along the road?

Current view opposite, school playground next to the houses.
Screenshot_20210115-160456_Maps.jpg
 
I've found it - Excelda Works!
Ok.................I went to school there and watched as the Plaza was converted from a picture house (we went in to see the projectors before they pulled them out), we never knew it as a pencil factory only as a silver/jewelry place!
 
No, I didn't see the Bee Gees at the Plaza but they must have performed there - they are mentioned in this page from the Birmingham Music Archive...
 
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