Saturday night dancing! Who doesn’t remember the excitement and the joyful days of Saturday nights in Blackpool during the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s?
‘[…] I was under age to go dancing […] It was very exciting, making plans on Friday night and sneaking clothes and shoes out of the back door so my mum didn’t notice’ (Jacqueline Kilcoyne)
‘I was rushing to get changed after work to catch the 4:30pm train to Blackpool’ (Nina Brookes)
‘I would finish work, get changed quickly and meet up at the station with friends to get the train.’ (Nina Brookes)
The Blackpool Tower, which was influenced by the Eiffel Tower in France, was designed around 1894 by John Bickerstaffe. In 1929, the first Wurlitzer organ was installed at the Tower, in the Ballroom.
The Reginald Dixon was the organist that played the Ballroom’s Wurlitzer organ from 1930 until his retirement in 1970.
Going to Blackpool was, for the most part of the 1900s, the most exciting and interesting place to go and enjoy holidays. Before the tower existed, people enjoyed their holidays by going to the theatre, or to see a black and white movie at the cinema. The arrival of the Dance hall created and innovated new forms of enjoyments, mostly famously known by the youth of the period.
‘It was the thing that everyone was looking forward to.'(Betty Wardle)
‘If they wanted something different, it was ‘the place.’ (Albert Barton)
The boom of the 1920s started with taking the 4:30pm train towards Blackpool and getting ready to shake that skeleton at the ballroom tower with Reginald Dixon, Ken McIntosh, Ted Heath, Joe loss. We also had the the first Wurlitzer organ and so much more. It was the most popular place for seventeen year olds. But, we wouldn’t leave before stopping to grab a meal of fish and chips or eat some burgers, smoke cigarettes, enjoy the beach and drink beer at the local pubs.
Here are a collective memories on the Dance train days. In this clip, Nina Brookes, Jacqueline Kilcoyne, Albert Barton, Raymond Morrison, Stella Morrison, Jim Jones, Wilfred Griffiths and Walter Ainscough had shared with us their experiences taking the Saturday night special trains. Jim Jones also share with us his experience as a driver in Bolton at the organization of the special trains. Others like Stella Morrison, Jacqueline kilcoyne and Albert Barton tells us what were the fashion to go dancing during the 1900s.
Watching this video from Aaron1912, drives you to a journey to the past, listening the Reginald Dixon plays and people dancing at the centre of the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool.
Here there is another video from the Cannock Chase Organ Club,
For some of the artists and songs played at the Tower, click on the links below.
