Eel Pie Island, 31st August 1960
I found these rather fantastic photographs from Google’s Life magazine collection. They feature some teenagers at a ‘rave’ on Eel Pie Island at Twickenham on a Wednesday night August 31 1960. There is practically no other information other than the photographs were taken by a Peter Hall (I’m presuming not the theatre impresario who became Sir Peter Hall).
Does anyone know anything about the parties held on the island at the time and what kind of music would they have been listening to? Was it some kind of jazz? There seems to be a sort of young scruffy beatnik sort of style going on.
Two girls called Marian Dawson and Kathleen Mayo, the original caption made sure we knew that Kathleen is holding her boyfriend's drink while drinking apple juice.
Dirty feet on Eel Pie Island
The wall decoration is described as 'beatnik graffiti'.
The two girls would be in their late sixties now.
Charles Mingus – Boogie Stop Shuffle
Charles Mingus – Better Git It In Your Soul
Buy Charles Mingus’s Ah Um here
Peter Hall’s Eel Pie Island photos are here
One of those 2 girls is clearly Darlene from Roseanne. She’s doing very well for her age.
I was hoping for some serious replies Lissa. Stop wasting my time, I’m watching Gossip Girl.
I think I’m in love with the blonde. She’s kind of…grubby…
Great pictures!
Fab pics. Hugs to the brunette clutching her boyfriend’s pint.
Some stuff about the Island here Rob.
‘It was very difficult not to get laid on Eel Pie Island’ – George Melly (!)
Thanks Mr Melly (! indeed) I love it when you see old pictures and you wish you could have been there. It’s extraordinary how the photos look so contemporary isn’t it?
Sad to say the music would have been so-called trad jazz of the Chris Barber/Acker Bilk ilk.
Yes, it was jazz. There’s a write up in Time Out and some pictures and memories at http://www.eelpie.org. I’ve looked before and there’s surprisingly little info on the web for such a famous and long lived London landmark.
http://www.timeout.com/london/features/267/Eel_Pie_Island_Records.html
I’m pretty sure I shared a sleeping bag with the blonde one on Brighton Beach.
didn’t cliff harper, anarchist illustrator and later known for his woodcuts in the guardian live at eel pie island when it was squatted in the late sixties? i think he writes of it “the education of desire” collection. i don’t think he liked it very much…
For anyone who’s interesetd I am co-author of a book called Eel Pie Island, which covers the musical history in depth. Not published until October this year, but available for pre-order on Amazon.
I think the blond girl might be Gillian Hills, starred with Adam Faith in “Beat Girl”, did some songs with Serge Gainsbourg – she would’ve been on this sort of scene in the late 50s early 60s, and it’s Life magazine, so some shots probably staged.
Here’s a few links;
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bjVjNlkwtQQ/SI7TAlxYDdI/AAAAAAAABDo/xTevT4KX6B4/s400/gillian%2Bhills.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4gaHpQC7ns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeaT8RsFVIQ
Hmm, I think you may be right. Gillian Hills was 16 in 1960, so just the right age I should think.
Rob
What a great web-site. I’ve been on it for 3 hours.
I’ve re-lived my life fro 16 to 23 and currently here at Eal Pie Island.
Long John had a bed in the hall of our flat in those days and we’d go with him to Eel Pie. I remember him singing with Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner and then when with his band after Cyril died. I recall hearing Rod Stewart there for the first time, this must have been right after the famous “meeting on the station.”
I love others references to names “do you remember…?”
Funny how we all had monikers. Mine was “Prof” and I remember “Libby”Mick (I believe he’d done a Libbys commercial at some time,) “Jewish Jerry”-a West End Face-along with “Hotdog George”
who, needless to say, had a hotdog stall in Soho at the time.
Klooks Kleek down the road from our flat and those great nights listening to the Steam Packet-John, Jules, Rod, Dickie Hekstall Smith, Brian, Micky Waller. Another flat-mate at the time-Gus Dugeon who of course later became Elto John’s record producer.
Love the reminiscing. Some of our “friends” from those days became famous, some sadly have died, but those of us who moved on to maybe less glamourous lives and are still around have to consider ourselves blessed that we were part of that scene that certainly shaped my life and who I am today. Hello and Peace to you all.
Roger.
I’ll have to speak to my mum, she went to Eel Pie Island many many times from about 1956 till the very early 60s.
I know she has mentioned George Melly being there & befriending film actor Peter Lorrie’s son too.
Mum would often sleep under the stage with many others too, this was all before The Stones started playing there, she has often talked of the old Eel Pie Island Hotel & its ballroom with its sprung floor many times, I hear it burnt down in the end.
Not sure, but the girl on the left looks like a young Carol White, the actress. Good friend of my sister’s!
Unlike the “staged” picture of the two girls, the couple dancing in the photo “Dirty Feet on Eel Pie Island” are John Davies who lived in Putney and Maureen Trusty who married Dave Brock (Hawkwind). It’s so nostalgic to see these as I spent many great evenings on the Island from 1959 to the early 60′s.
I had a website from the 1960′s about eel pie but it was deleted from Geocities when they closed down. We went there in the 1960′s. Loved the Old Gal at the toll bridge. Used to hang with the gang at Richmond on the riverbanks.Anyone hear from Camberley Rob or Dave Hamlin. We wondered what happen to them. Found Bristol Alan. We live in Canada now. Would love to hear from anyone that used to frequent eel pie. As we lost all our contacts with the website
Brenda, hope you and Bob are well — can you email please? thx – Weed
My friend Jean Black used to go to Eel Pie Island A LOT ‘back in the day’ … She was telling me about it yesterday.. (which is what made me come and look it up now) .. Little tiny lady.. she described HERSELF as ‘Looking like a Gypsy girl.. but with hair like pubes!’ … haha
She says she remembers the (Old) woman that used to collect on the money on the bridge… and how she would chat and laugh with her.. (and how she always thought she looked like a witch from a childrens book.
Yes, it would definitely have been trad jazz in those days (my dad used to go, and I live not too far away – the place is a local legend!)
Another place, not too far from Twickenham, that you might want to check out is the old Station Hotel in Richmond where people like Alexis Korner played and bands like the Rolling Stones began their careers…
Only went to the island once or twice with friends, must be about 1963/64, R&B music then, yes the little old lady did look like she was straight from the pages of Hansel & Gretel, she collected a shilling from everyone. I remember standing on the dance floor and a girl asking me to dance, I said “Sorry I don’t dance” which was ludicrous really seeing as you were bopping up and down on that sprung dance floor just by standing there. Back in the very late 90′s I used to drive limo in Vancouver Canada and I took Long John Baldry home a few times, I said to him once “You’re a long way from Eel pie island John”, he replied “Oh gosh yes”! Poor guy died with not too much money to his name and friends collected for his send off.
Every one wore bowler hats, used to go there all the time music trad jazz. I am now 72
does anyone know simon dunne from the hotel days,apparently he used collect tho rent,
I was married on Eel Pie Island last year in a garden next to dear Trevor Bayliss’ house who is still going strong. I am really keen to uncover some photos from the Hotel era. I represent music photographers from this era so I have a double interest. Anyone who can help please do contact me: vaarta.co
Wonderful B/W photos.
I have a three colour photos taken in either 1968 or 69, in the hotel/ commune of, as I recall a young German ‘hippy’ and her two children. It would be great to be able to add more detail if anyone knows.
Go to my website and keyword “eel pie 1960s “
I used to travel on the ‘Eel pie special’ the train from Windsor to Teickenham every Wednesday and Sunday in the early ’60′s , there were 2 old girls on the Bridge with a massive brazier on the winter, the toll was 1 old penny ( half-penny each way ) we used to get there early and scrape enough money to get one person through the door , to show you had paid the doorman used a rubber stamp to print on your wrist , early on the stamp pad was quite wet so the person going through would come straight out and we would then transfer the stamp on to another 2 wrists , it was a bit faded so we had to wait a couple of hours to chance going in when everybody elses stamp would have faded. Apart from the now well known bands I will always remember Sonny Boy Williamson with his big toe sticking out of his sock !
I’ve still got my membership card!
I remember the bridge – cant remamber the old lady collecting pennies, but in those days, being young, old people were invisible……… Hrrrmmmm
I do remember the sprung dance floors, not designed for the punishing we gave them, and I remember that the upper balconies were supposed to be closed off because (at that time) they were declared unsafe, but of course we went up there!
It was the blues which attracted up from Southampton, in a Humber wartime staff car http://www.flickr.com/photos/10163027@N05/4627850898/in/set-72157624109005910
We used to go to Ronnie Scotts, etc etc and because the clubs chucked out at 2am we went to the Covent Garden area for breakfast….
I’ve been back to the Island since, and of course they had to replace the bridge,and the Hotel’s gone – but its still a very independent individual’s place, and I would give an eyetooth for a plot of land! …… or mooring?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/08/13/158704798/from-a-british-king-to-rock-n-roll-the-slippery-history-of-eel-pie-island
A National Public Radio story explaining the history of music on the island…
The music then was jazz or the Jug Bands. We mostly did the Trad dance to the Jazz bands. Alexis Korner and Long John Baldry were regulars
yes , i rmember the old lady on the bridge collecting a penny a time. also remember John Mayall etc. and the sausages and beer