The Golden Torch, more commonly known as The Torch, was a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

in Tunstall,

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

, England. Opened as a mod venue, it later became important to fans of

Northern soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...

with their all-nighters.

Peter Stringfellow Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs. Early life Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsi ...

was amongst the many DJs who at some time had a residency there while the main soul all-nighter DJs included Keith Minshull, Colin Curtis, Alan Day and Martyn Ellis

History

The building was located on Hose Street, behind the Sneyd Arms Hotel on Tower Square in Tunstall. It started as a church, before becoming a

roller skating Roller skating is the act of travelling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreation, recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on s ...

rink, and in the 1940s, the Little Regent Cinema. It featured marble pillars, and a balcony overlooking the dance floor. Retaining the original features, the cinema was converted into a mod club by Christopher Burton—a contemporary of Ivor Abadi (founder of the Twisted Wheel. The club was opened on 30 January 1965 by headliners Billy J. Kramer and

the Dakotas The Dakotas, also known as simply Dakota, is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geo ...

. Acts such as the

Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

and

Wayne Fontana Glyn Geoffrey Ellis (28 October 19456 August 2020),

followed. In 1967, after a performance by visiting

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

artists Inez and Charlie Foxx, the Golden Torch became a major soul venue, with a similar clientele to

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

's Twisted Wheel. After the closure of the Twisted Wheel in 1971, Chris Burton took up Keith Minshull and Colin Curtis' suggestion of Saturday

all-nighters at the Torch, holding its first on 11 March 1972. The Torch's all-nighters proved a massive success, running from 8pm Saturday to 8am Sunday. Although the building was designed to hold a maximum of 500, a record 1300 people attended an all-nighter in 1973. Artists who performed live included

the Drifters The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul vocal group. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1959 and ...

the Stylistics The Stylistics are an American Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All ...

, Oscar Toney Jr,

the Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, the group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones, Clarence Johnson, Burt ...

and

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the num ...

. However, it became a victim of its own success, with regular police presences, drug-taking and overcrowding. When the club came to renew its licence on 16 March 1973,

council refused the renewal; without a licence the club simply faded away. The building afterwards burned down in a fire, but (following a public appeal led by former club barman and part-time DJ John O'Brien, and his friend Steve Hoskins) a plaque now commemorates the club on Hose Street. The closure paved the way for the Wigan Casino, now without any real rivals, to become internationally famous as the UK's foremost

Northern Soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...

club, until local council antipathy forced it, too, to close, in 1981.Dave Shaw — ''Casino'', , Bee Cool Publishing

References

External links

The Golden Torch
{{Stoke-on-Trent Nightclubs in England Music venues in Staffordshire Soul music Buildings and structures in Stoke-on-Trent

History

See also

References

External links