Greetings.

Dean, although your dad was the Durham Ox, did he ever live in Durham?

Neat. Feel free to share the others & we may able to help with the names on the bill.

I got one of the programs made into a larger piece. Struggling to make out the print on the others.

Found out the Clayton ballroom was demolished and is now a doctors surgery. Lucy's was on the opposite side of road.

The Lucy's nightclub was formally the Palace Theatre and not the Clayton.

The Palace Theatre was converted to a cinema.

Bedlington's other Cinema from what I can see was the Prince of Wales , again a Theatre/Cinema conversion

Fat Moes used to get a fair few name bands appearing, the cinema frontage looked typical suburban local 1920s style cinema, I found one pic and can't find it now.

Not sure he was also a boxer and bouncer so some stories could be from that circle.

I can find the Ballroom in the papers as far back as 1938 but not when it was built. The pub is much older. The Ballroom did become many things . Roller skate rinks were so popular for a while and it certainly was one. It was burned down in 1974. One of the Disco's was Fat Moe's.

Also the Carnival Club in the mid 1960's.

When it burned down it was only being used for storage.

Dean , did your dad not pass on any wrestling stories.

The nightclub was called many names over the years lucifers, Lucy's, domino, but I believe it was a cinema originally. The pub across the road is called the Clayton Arms.

The original frontage which I am trying to find a photo of was typical of a theatre or cinema, I wonder if that was its original use.

Fantastic posters, I've heard the Clayton mentioned a few times. The nightclub that was there when I went, was a bit eventful.

You beat me to it Ron, evidently it could get a bit naughty at weekends , the sort of place where you went to the bar and ordered a pint and a gumshield, That photo is from the early to mid 1970s as the original frontage was totally different, it looks more like a working mens club on this photo

Here we are

Hope you enjoy these Dean , great to have you here.

Fancy having a Dad who was a wrestler, how cool is that!

Well, thanks for sharing this lovely photo Dean. It's great that you have joined us. Maybe you can help us to improve your dad's short entry in our A-Z

https://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/bbrown.htm

Your dad is still talked about fondly by the North East wrestlers Les Prest and Jimmy Devlin.