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Posted: Thu 05 Aug, 2010 5:40 pm
by cinderella
I now work in the building on Kirkstall Road which housed the Ice Rink on the ground floor and then later Caroline's nightclub on the first or second floor. The ice rink became a bowling alley and it now houses stuff belonging to ITV (what was Yorkshire Televsion.) It's very odd sitting in the office where once we danced in Carolines in the 60s.!

Posted: Fri 06 Aug, 2010 3:57 am
by wayniac
cinderella wrote: I now work in the building on Kirkstall Road which housed the Ice Rink on the ground floor and then later Caroline's nightclub on the first or second floor. The ice rink became a bowling alley and it now houses stuff belonging to ITV (what was Yorkshire Televsion.) It's very odd sitting in the office where once we danced in Carolines in the 60s.! The ice rink and bowling alley were in the same building at the same time.The bowling alley was under the ice rink.Originally the ice rink was called Silver Blades and I think that the bowling alley had 24 lanes.The ice rink was later converted to roller skating and renamed the rollerena.The Merrion Centre bowling alley started with I think 42 lanes and the last six were a private club. At the time it was the longest single level alley in Europe. At some point the last six lanes were lost forever...

Posted: Fri 06 Aug, 2010 11:30 am
by Trojan
wayniac wrote: cinderella wrote: I now work in the building on Kirkstall Road which housed the Ice Rink on the ground floor and then later Caroline's nightclub on the first or second floor. The ice rink became a bowling alley and it now houses stuff belonging to ITV (what was Yorkshire Televsion.) It's very odd sitting in the office where once we danced in Carolines in the 60s.! The ice rink and bowling alley were in the same building at the same time.The bowling alley was under the ice rink.Originally the ice rink was called Silver Blades and I think that the bowling alley had 24 lanes.The ice rink was later converted to roller skating and renamed the rollerena.The Merrion Centre bowling alley started with I think 42 lanes and the last six were a private club. At the time it was the longest single level alley in Europe. At some point the last six lanes were lost forever... In the tenpin bowling craze of the mid sixties, I was a regular at the Kirkstall and Merrion Centre one - there was also one in the Arndale at Headingley.

Posted: Sat 07 Aug, 2010 3:59 am
by Bramley4woods
Trojan wrote: wayniac wrote: cinderella wrote: I now work in the building on Kirkstall Road which housed the Ice Rink on the ground floor and then later Caroline's nightclub on the first or second floor. The ice rink became a bowling alley and it now houses stuff belonging to ITV (what was Yorkshire Televsion.) It's very odd sitting in the office where once we danced in Carolines in the 60s.! The ice rink and bowling alley were in the same building at the same time.The bowling alley was under the ice rink. In the tenpin bowling craze of the mid sixties, I was a regular at the Kirkstall and Merrion Centre one - there was also one in the Arndale at Headingley. I am reliably informed the grill in the Headingley bowling alley (Cigany Grill ? ) aquired a certain reputation.So I'm told ...

Posted: Sat 07 Aug, 2010 9:05 am
by Cardiarms
Was that the bar/restaurant at the Alma Road end? If so I seem to remember that it had a stage and ladies in artistic poses. I could be wrong, I was very young.

Posted: Sat 07 Aug, 2010 11:22 pm
by blackprince
wayniac wrote: cinderella wrote: I now work in the building on Kirkstall Road which housed the Ice Rink on the ground floor and then later Caroline's nightclub on the first or second floor. The ice rink became a bowling alley and it now houses stuff belonging to ITV (what was Yorkshire Televsion.) It's very odd sitting in the office where once we danced in Carolines in the 60s.! The ice rink and bowling alley were in the same building at the same time.The bowling alley was under the ice rink.Originally the ice rink was called Silver Blades and I think that the bowling alley had 24 lanes.The ice rink was later converted to roller skating and renamed the rollerena.The Merrion Centre bowling alley started with I think 42 lanes and the last six were a private club. At the time it was the longest single level alley in Europe. At some point the last six lanes were lost forever...
Yes the bowling alley was underneath the ice rink in the 60s. I used to bowl there on Saturday mornings for a year or so about 1963. Every so often the management would ask over the intercom if there was a doctor in the house to attend to injured skaters upstairs . It put me off ice skating for life. I also bowled at the Merrion Centre alley a few times.

Posted: Sat 07 Aug, 2010 11:33 pm
by Uno Hoo
The worst bit about the ice rink was the smell in the changing rooms - there weren't many domestic showers then, nor did folk bathe as frequently, so foot odour was rank. The skates were attached to boots, but nonetheless your ankles became very tired after a short while. There were ankle supports available, but we macho lads didn't want to appear soft when we were out on the pull.

Posted: Tue 08 Oct, 2013 6:41 am
by Pauline
I used to go to the rink almost every day after school (2 buses) and stayed till the last bus home. I've lost track of everyone I knew there, Stanley, Tommy, Denise....Denise and I would sit on the sidelines and cheer on the Leeds Speeds! I moved to Spain in 1966 and then moved to the United States. Now living in Hawaii and working as a tour guide. Would be great to find them again.    

Posted: Tue 08 Oct, 2013 1:44 pm
by Chrism
Ice rink.

Re: ice rink

Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2018 10:58 pm
by Susie hulme
My mum and dad Jon and Diane Hulme were two of the instructors at silver blades 63-65 a lot of you who used to go there would remember them
The bowling ally was downstairs and there was a restaurant overlooking the rink. Yes the changing rooms smelled of sweaty feet, I was only seven or eight at the time but r3member a vibrant atmosphere.