Archive for the ‘Eel Pie Island’ Category

A Rave on Eel Pie Island in August 1960

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Eel Pie Island, 31st August 1960

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 makes sure that we know that Kathleen is holding her boyfriend's drink while they are drinking apple juice.

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

Dirty feet on Eel Pie Island

The wall decoration is described as 'beatnik graffiti'.

The wall decoration is described as 'beatnik graffiti'.

The two girls would be around sixty eight now.

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

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