By Elliott West
“It was a magical place with absolutely fantastic memories for me. It wasn’t in the right place, being in a small town, but as soon as walked through the doors you were no longer in England”.
Mel Scholes
Introduction
Situated over the bus station in Longton, Jollees was the must-go-to Stoke-On-Trent nightclub. The largest-capacity cabaret venue in the UK, attracting a wealth of stars from show business, entertainment and darts. In its heyday in the 1970s, this club which had a capacity audience of 1,690 was filled to the rafters and people would flock to come here to see the likes of Bob Monkhouse, Cilla Black, Cliff Richard, Roy Orbison, Les Dawson, Ken Dodd, Tommy Cooper and Frankie Howerd. Launched in 1973, this converted bowling alley which cost £200,000 to modify opened to a fanfare of show business. The star-studded opening night included Little and Large, the 1960s chart-toppers The Fourmost with the Lord and Lady Mayoress of Stoke-on-Trent and Stoke City football stars Geoff Hurst and Gordon Banks also in attendance. Mel Scholes who died in 2004, was the Master of Ceremonies. A man who was a Signal Radio DJ and became synonymous with the venue.
The Place to Visit
Jollees was so successful precisely because it had great staff and a brilliant management team. It was a northern nightclub that provided people with the opportunity to dress up and have a good night out. At its peak, the club employed 180 staff including lighting staff, doormen, sales and day staff, and was serving around 1,100 meals in baskets each night. The nightclub was awarded the Club of the Year in 1977 and was the host of the World Darts Championships from 1979 to 1985 and the Miss Stoke-on-Trent beauty competitions. The nightclub was even graced by royalty. Princess Margaret in 1977 and 1980 and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1980. Both were treated to a star cabaret with Margaret watching the likes of Frankie Vaughan, Norman Collier, and Lena Zavaroni with Hughie Green as compere. The Duke of Edinburgh got to see Bob Monkhouse, Faith Brown and Little and Large with David Frost flown in, especially by Concorde to host the event. The Duke of Edinburgh left by the royal train at 11.30 pm.
Some residents complained about the safety of the club as it was situated above a bus station and only a few pillars were holding up the concrete floor. However, after complaints to the local council, the structure was thoroughly checked and deemed safe. Yet when Mel Scholes used to belt out Rock Around the Clock, the wooden seating on top of the flooring used to shake. A Rock and Roll atmosphere that allowed the residents of Stoke-on-Trent to have one of the country’s top cabaret clubs on their doorstep. One of the regular acts was Pete Conway, the father of the singer Robbie Williams. He called it “the best variety club in Europe”. An act that often got a late-night call to appear to replace an act that hadn’t turned up. A club that he praised for having a great reputation and facilities that were renowned throughout the country on the entertainment circuit.
Darts at Jollees
This nightclub would go down in history books as not only a fantastic entertainment venue but also as an iconic darts location. All the darting greats came here to battle it out for the World Championship between 1979 and 1985. Keith Deller sent shockwaves through the world of darts in 1983 when he beat his friend Eric Bristow with a dream checkout of treble 20, treble 18 and double 12 to win the title. A checkout of 138 has come to be known as the “Deller checkout”. A win that was described as one of the biggest shocks in the history of sport. Deller beat three top seeds on the way to the title.
Eric Bristow would take the title here in 1980, 1981, 1984 and 1985. The Crafty Cockney ruled this stage. A nightclub where the beer flowed in a cloud of cigarette smoke. Accompanied by the dulcet tones of Tony Green and Sid Waddell. The oche was truly magical in those days and it was a must-see for all sports fans. Darts like snooker ruled the waves in the 1980s and produced so many well-known names, sadly many of whom are no longer with us.
The End of an Era
All good things must come to an end and on October 2, the club closed as a cabaret venue. On the last night, the audience sang We’ll Meet Again. A fantastic entertainment venue for eight years but it did stay open. It continued as a night spot, later holding raves, renamed Shelly’s Laserdome. It closed in 1992 but the owners of a Stoke bar bought it in 2016 and bought the rights to the name. A bar with a 300-capacity. The original site including the bus station was demolished in 2004 and turned into a branch of Wilko’s.
