SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

The dancehall in the county arcade thread got me thinking. Didnt Sir Jimmy Saville move to the rollerena after he finished at the spinning disc (old mecca). I remeber going there in the sixties and am sure he was one of the resident DJs. This venture became the in place during this period for all teenagers and was always packed out.

I don't remember JS spinning there, the only DJ I remember is Daz Darwell. But saying that I didn't start going until 1969. Daz finished his DJ'ing days doing the sunday night disco at The Haddon Hall in Kirkstall.

I remember Daz well. I am talking about when the Rollerena first opened 67 ????? Daz was the DJ later on and was at his pinicle when he moved up to the Ace of Clubs in the mid 70s. He used to do a mean stunt of picking tables up with his teeth.

On thinking (ho that hurts) wasnt there a ice skating rink underneath

I remember the table lifting (ouch!!) I witnessed him doing that at numerous pubs around Leeds in the 70's, there was a bowling alley beneath the Rollerena BTW.

I was a second engineer at the Top Rank Bowl under the Rollarena. One night I sneaked upstairs to see the awesome Booker T and the MG's doing their soundcheck in the Rollarena. There was a very cool nightclub on the top floor for a while called Caroline's.    

carith wrote: On thinking (ho that hurts) wasnt there a ice skating rink underneath Memory does fade Carl, but I THINK it was built as an ice rink and then converted to a rollerina - or the other way around, but not both at once. May be wrong though, anyone know ??

I think it first opened as Silver Blades ice rink about 1962 operated by Mecca Leisure. I started work at the Top Rank bowling alley on the ground floor in 1969, and by that time Siver Blades had changed to the Rollarena. The bowling alley closed down around 1972.I must correct my previous post regarding the night club on the top floor. It was called "Caroline's".

StoneyRocker wrote: I think it first opened as Silver Blades ice rink about 1962 operated by Mecca Leisure. I started work at the Top Rank bowling alley on the ground floor in 1969, and by that time Siver Blades had changed to the Rollarena. The bowling alley closed down around 1972.I must correct my previous post regarding the night club on the top floor. It was called "Caroline's". It definitely opened as Sliver Blades in the mid sixties. There was definitely a bowling alley underneath. I used to go there, in fact in the first ten pin bowling boom we used to alternate between that, the one on the Merrion Centre, the one in the Arndale at Headingley and one on George Street in Wakey.

there was also a rollerena at armley its now a bingo hall.