Remembering the Cornwall Coliseum Carlyon

1980s 1990s 2000s In the 1980’s, Carlyon Bay really came Armatrading, The Kinks, Led Zep, Meat And it was used as a venue in more Over the years the nightclub was During this period, the Coliseum Easter 2000 saw the last show featuring into the limelight after undergoing a Loaf, Paul McCartney, Paul Young, The ways than one: the roof of the Coliseum renamed a few times: Beelzebub, struggled to stay afloat due to a number The Cornwall Youth Brass Band before £2.5 million refurbishment. The Cornish Police, The Proclaimers, Slade, Tina played host to Alison Moyet and her Oasis, Bentleys, Quasars and ultimately of reasons including its location and it was shut down due to the building Riviera Lido was rebranded again Turner, Alison Moyet, Procol Harum, The band filming the pop video for their hit Gossips. When it was refurbished in the performers’ dislike of the acoustics. being condemned as unsafe. The band’s becoming Cornish Leisure World – Jam, Thin Lizzy, Tom Jones, Genesis, single ‘Is This Love’ and T’Pau recorded the late 80’s, it won the Disco of the It was also competing with the newly secretary, Phillip Hunt, recalls placing A Showplace for the 1980’s. Ultravox, Black Sabbath and UB40. a large part of their video for their single Year Award. opened Plymouth Pavilions and the Hall buckets around the auditorium during ‘Road to Our Dream’ inside the arena. for Cornwall so turned to ‘raves’ instead the performance to catch the rain The main building was dubbed the It also boasted the longest bar in In 1988, Exchange Travel Ltd sold the Glen Campbell recorded a live album with Dreamscape, Obsession and Dance leaking through the roof. Cornwall Coliseum and the name Europe and staff would move around property to Domaine Leisure who there in 1981. Planet becoming regular features. stuck. It had a licensed capacity of the bar on roller skates serving drinks continued running the complex as Gossips continued to operate until early 3,400 standing and a seated capacity and collecting glasses. This tied in Other attractions included a crazy before but also applied for planning 2003 when it too closed its doors for of 2,600. perfectly with the use of the main hall golf course, a nightclub and the pool permission for the erection of a holiday the final time. as a Roller Disco once a week. which was re-opened in 1981 along village with 444 self-catering homes, Exchange Travel’s ambitious strategy with the remainder of the complex. The an 81 bedroom hotel, a water park, of attracting famous acts was Every year, the popular BBC Radio 1 swimming facilities were available to shopping arcade and office suite. astonishingly successful with the most Roadshow would come to Cornish anyone with a concert ticket so they famous names in the world gracing Leisure World attracting massive A further planning application was could relax poolside and enjoy free the stage of what was then the largest crowds and WOMAD (World of Music, submitted in 1989 for the erection of BBC Radio 1 Roadshow draws crowds food from the barbeque. venue in the country. Arts and Dance) became another 511 holiday dwellings and permission popular feature with tents and was granted in 1990. The list is endless but to name a few: campervans covering the beaches. Remembering Elton John, Status Quo, Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey, The Who, Blondie, It wasn’t just the pop and the modern The Cornwall Coliseum Chris de Burgh, Culture Club, The entertainment world that was drawn Chippendales, Duran Duran, Eric to the Coliseum. Opera’s, ballets from Carlyon Bay Clapton, The Clash, Iron Maiden, Joan London, brass bands and classical Programme cover for the final concert concerts were also very popular. WOMAD 1850s 1920s/30s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s The three beaches at Carlyon Bay, The site’s fascinating leisure and There were midnight parties by the The fun and wild activities of the 30s The club was reopened in 1952 and A group of businessmen got together In 1976, the complex was sold yet again previously rocky coves, began forming tourism history began in the 1920s with pool, bathing beauty contests, speed were short lived and when war broke was run as previously but the sparkle and bought the beaches and the sports to Exchange Travel owned by Graham following the diversion of the Sandy the beach huts and café doing a roaring boat riding, and afternoon tea dances out in 1939, it signalled the end of a had been lost. With rationing still very club renaming it The Cornish Riviera McNally who decided to improve the River with the river depositing stent trade but the complex that became – this was an age when money was very glamorous period. The club was evident and an austere economic Lido Club. They re-opened the pool location. The main building was turned from the china clay quarries over a known as the Coliseum was originally no object and decadence and lavish closed and it was initially used to store climate, visitors to the club dropped (the largest in the Westcountry) and into a large auditorium with a new period of 80 years to the 1930’s. built in 1936 and known as The Cornish lifestyles were the order of the day. gas masks and as a meeting place for dramatically. pavilions plus the sports hall which was roof and large car park area and the Riviera Sports Club housing tennis city evacuees to be collected. redesigned for dinner and tea dances, additional Wimpy café and nightclub The club was regularly frequented by Tourism also suffered greatly due courts, badminton courts, a ballroom private functions, beauty contests, buildings were added. the rich and famous including Noel The US Army used the area as a staging to petrol rationing so eventually The and two bars. pantomimes, comedy evenings, musical post for the Normandy landings and the Cornish Riviera Sports Club closed its It was an exciting time of Coward, Gertrude Lawrence, Charles events and ‘riotous nights of wrestling’. An outdoor Olympic-sized swimming Laughton and Lord Donegal, a famous building also provided a suitable venue doors. All that remained for the next redevelopment for the complex and the pool provided additional entertainment columnist of the time. Lord Donegal for their concerts. 8 – 10 years were the untended Wrestling was a big crowd pleaser often venue enjoyed a resurrection as punk including a greasy pole which was the would fly down in his private plane and outdoor tennis courts, the original café playing to a full house with participants and new wave peaked commercially. Pupils from Kings School, Canterbury focus of much betting activity: if you land on the golf course, infuriating the and the beach huts which were rented from all over the world. were all evacuated to the safety of could walk to the end of the pole and golfers. It is a well known fact that the by local people. South Cornwall and set up dormitories Well known acts from this era included back and drink a glass of champagne at Prince of Wales, Edward VIII and Mrs in the Carlyon Bay Hotel using the Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, The Pretty Things, the same time you won – but the prize Simpson were also visitors. club as a gym and for classrooms. The The Searchers, The Troggs, Herman’s is unknown and it seems no-one ever school now has a day house named Hermits, Marianne Faithful, The Kinks managed to complete it. ‘Carlyon’ in memory of those years. and Billy J Kramer. However, there were often complaints about the echoing acoustics and seating arrangements with large pillars blocking views and in 1968 the Miss Carlyon Bay 1963 venue hit financial problems and was eventually sold. It was run solely as a beach complex only opening in the summer until the mid 70s..

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