The Inferno And Twisted Wheel
A Memory of Welling.
I was lucky to be a teenager when the Inferno and later the Twisted Wheel were fantastic venues to hang out.The Inferno was owned by Paul Mayer (who also opened the Twisted Wheel) and my first time at the club was in the autumn of '63. But its Mod hay-day was in '64 when the music, played by DJ Dave Perkins, was all Motown, Bluebeat, Soul and the best hit records.It became so popular that kids on scooters, and off the train, came there from all over London. I used to go most nights with my mates and it was here many of us first dated. During the summer the kids hung around outside as often the heat inside was unbearable. There was one local band that often played there - Keith Rossiter and the Classmates. They made one record which I still have - In Morroco. When it burnt down in '65 all of Welling's Mods were devastated. Girls hung around outside crying, even some of the boys. Luckily the Twisted Wheel in Welling High Street opened not long after.
The Twisted Wheel was wonderful. Named after the famous Northern Soul club, it soon established itself as a great meeting place. No live music but there was a terrific jukebox. On any given night the scooters were lined up outside and the place was packed. Downstairs was the café bar and upstairs the dance hall. The Wheel ran until '66, but other venues we went to were the Witchdoctor in Catford, and the El Patido in Lewisham. We also went to The Railway, a pub with adjoining hall opposite Dartford station, a great dance venue, especially during the summer of '66. In a way we were spoilt for choice, but we never forgot the Wheel and the Inferno
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Welling 60's scene, the one titled The Welling Mods: Long Gone but Never Forgotten incudes your name on the roll-call. I hope all has gone well with you throughout the passing decades. Best wishes Bernard x