>> do any of these places still exist - crawdady, richmond station hotel etc...? <<

the Station Hotel building still exists, but is now a club called Edwards or something, i think.
the Richmond Athletic Grounds building where the Crawdaddy was reincarnated is still there, isn't it? the club is long gone, of course ...


"What do you want - what?!"
- Keith

Physically, there's not much left.

[www.makingtime.co.uk]

Above link shows the Station Hotel when it had become the Bull & Bush - unfortunately the new owners have repainted it and obliterated the sign that used to be over the door giving some of its history. The "back room" where the Crawdaddy happened I think no longer exists.

The Island Hotel burned down some time in the 70's (coincidentally when its then owners could have done with the insurance money).

There was a big fire at the Richmond Athletic Ground a few years ago which destroyed the clubhouse - not sure if this was the relevant building, though.

Thanks for all the great pictures and especially the Rites of Pan article - I'm still laughing at the glue-in-the bath bit!

A story I'd love to hear confirmed or definitively denied is Giorgio Gomelsky's claim in "According to the Rolling Stones" that the first gig at the Crawdaddy drew an audience of exactly three people, largely because of the abominable weather. (The weather was certainly true - I remember 1963 and parts of Britain were snowed in for weeks.)

another link for you:-
[www.bluesfarm.htsuk.net]

Potted Shrimp.....it's from the Bill Wyman book
Rolling With The Stones.

Hey Soulllyyy...nice favourite part...one of mine is
they use to do Bo's PrettyThang or Crawdad for 20 mins....What a @#$%&' storm that'd be....WHaaaa!!!



ROCKMAN

Got This note from an aquaintance in the UK ..

Just as an aside Dan and for your interest maybe I was fortunate enough to see the Stones at the Craw Daddy Club in Richmond S.W. London, before they became famous and actually before they'd made any records, and even more bizarre, before they had a manager!
It took some persuasion from a friend of mine for about 9 mths to go and see them, as I didn't believe a white English band could play Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley numbers anywhere near as good as those two giants of R & R / R & B. I was standing at the front of the stage in what was just a cricket pavilion, and when the Stones struck their instruments and Jagger went into Johnny B Goode, they blew me away. I've been a fan ever since and saw their Voodoo Lounge Tour at Wembley a few years ago. Still Great!
Rambling on a bit I know, but I hope you find that of some interest.
Regards

alan

Everyone on the board is jealous, alan. That had to be great!

That was of big interest for sure.

ROCKMAN

Green Lady Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Physically, there's not much left.
>
> [www.makingtime.co.uk]
>
> Above link shows the Station Hotel when it had
> become the Bull & Bush - unfortunately the new
> owners have repainted it and obliterated the sign
> that used to be over the door giving some of its
> history.

I didnt realise that. Personally, I consider that an act of absolute sacrilege. Philistines.



The "back room" where the Crawdaddy
> happened I think no longer exists.
>

there was a show on Living TV a few months ago where a medium (Tony Stockwell) was helping Pat Andrews get in touch with the spirit of Brian Jones - in an attempt to do so they went down into what appeared to be a pub cellar to the spot where the Stones used to perform. As far as I can recall, this was the site of the Crawdaddy club at what used to be the Station Hotel

WOW...Gazza....didn't any spoooooky Brian Jones stuff happen...
like did she end up havin' a phantom pregnancy or anything..?



ROCKMAN

well..for what its worth - the guy claimed he had no prior knowledge of who the subject was, deduced (after visiting Cotchford Farm) that he had been murdered (placed in the pool after having been dragged there following an incident which took place in the house) etc.

Pat, to my knowledge, didnt end up "up the duff" as a result of the 'visit' though - so going by Brian's track record, he would appear to be losing his touch!

i went in when it was Edwards, you'd never had known , its directly opposite richmond train station , used to live about 1/4 of a mile away!!!

OLDKR

I saw them for the first time in Oct. 1964 in New York, but I have a neighbor/friend who grew up in Newcastle who remembers seeing them at the Club A-Go-Go when the Animals were the house band. He has great stories of seeing and talking to The Animals, Stones and just about every early 60's British band. I always bug him for a little more! Only person I've ever met who saw them arlier then myself. (He's not that big a fan anymore, but I still am!)

Disheartening isnt it? It was nice when they had the sign. Cant believe they would see fit to take that down. have these morons no sense of history?

Tell us more, AlwaysStoned. What were the highlights, did anybody bitch about the warhorse(s), etc.

I was amazed when there last (English) summer that it wasn't recognised as a national bloody monument!

I caught the train a heap of times at Richmond (was staying on the border of Richmond and East Twickenham up the road from the Wick, which is actually on the same road as the former Crawdaddy) and was disgusted to discover on my last day in London that I'd been staring at the former Crawdaddy a heap of times across from the train station and didn't realise it!

I took pics etc but was amazed that something came out of this place that became a world wide phenomenon and nobody had bothered to even hang a phuking picture of the band on so much as the dunny wall!

Anyways, beautiful part of London round those parts.

Btw, if you dig ice cream grab some at Richmond station, your tastebuds will think you rock!

kyle m

Have you ever lent somebody $20 and never seen them again? It was probably worth it.

I was talking to a friend's father last year - he's in his early '60s and grew up in London. In '63, he and his friends would build their weekends around Stones shows at Eel Pie Island and the Station Hotel.

I was a little freaked out that he was there in the earliest days and he, in turn, thought I was a little weird for knowing the clubs he was talking about.

He didn't remember much in the way of specifics, just that it was hot, crowded, and Mick was unlike anything they'd ever seen.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Disheartening isnt it? It was nice when they had
> the sign. Cant believe they would see fit to take
> that down. have these morons no sense of history?

Edwards took over about 3 years ago now- its a shite hole (you know the type of place...charge £3.50 for a bottle of warm Stella),
and i avoid it whenever i can.
Last time i was in there, i asked what became of the sign, from the Bull And Bush days, and they didn't have a clue what i was talking about.

Such a shame- this historic site, is as hallowed as Liverpool's Cavern Club- there should be a heritage plaque, at least.

Photo by Phil Bird.