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The Azena ballroom Gleadless


Guest Dean123

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Guest Dean123

Does anybody know where i can obtain a picture of the azena when it was in its heyday?(beatles played there in 1963) Searched the net,picture sheffield ect with no luck.Spent many hours playing around the derelict building when i was a kid,in fact i've been in there today,its a co-op,but would love to see a reminder of how it looked.

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Does anybody know where i can obtain a picture of the azena when it was in its heyday?(beatles played there in 1963) Searched the net,picture sheffield ect with no luck.Spent many hours playing around the derelict building when i was a kid,in fact i've been in there today,its a co-op,but would love to see a reminder of how it looked.

I was just talking about this place yesterday.

Someone I was working with lived almost next door.

He says that above the ceiling of the now supermarket is the original ballroom ceiling as it was before conversion. Don't know if this can be verified but it sounds reasonable. After all they're more likely to cover things up if possible, rather than ripping out and replacing.

The Azena has had a couple of other mentions on here somewhere. I'll try to find them when I've time.

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No luck yet with the Azena vox. Do you know anything about 32 Fulton road ? I have had a look on google street view and the building is still there. W/E.

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No luck yet with the Azena vox. Do you know anything about 32 Fulton road ? I have had a look on google street view and the building is still there. W/E.

Nothing as yet about it's history but until recently it was the home of City Limits Dance Studio.

They moved a year or so ago to a very large building on Penistone Rd. Next door to the New Barrack Tavern.

There must be some money in this dance lark.

First image Google Streetview

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Guest Dean123

Rumour has it that the beatles signatures are still visible on one of the interior walls,how true this is i don't know.

There must be some pictures of the exterior out there somewhere.

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Nothing as yet about it's history but until recently it was the home of City Limits Dance Studio.

They moved a year or so ago to a very large building on Penistone Rd. Next door to the New Barrack Tavern.

There must be some money in this dance lark.

First image Google Streetview

32 Fulton Road has a mention in this Topic .. The Walkley Electric Theatre, Fulton Rd

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I was just talking about this place yesterday.

Someone I was working with lived almost next door.

He says that above the ceiling of the now supermarket is the original ballroom ceiling as it was before conversion. Don't know if this can be verified but it sounds reasonable. After all they're more likely to cover things up if possible, rather than ripping out and replacing.

The Azena has had a couple of other mentions on here somewhere. I'll try to find them when I've time.

The Azena link is here

Azena Dance Hall

WOW!, I'm a link fairy lol

There is also a bit of history in the link but a more complete history is given in Pauline Shearstones book "A History of Gleadless"

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Guest Dean123

Thanks for the link Dave h,interesting reading,i was raised on charnock......it does seem however there are no pictures of the Azena in its heyday,would love to see how it looked,i can remember the "Azena" sign still being in place,think it was red and very of its time.

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Thanks for the link Dave h,interesting reading,i was raised on charnock......it does seem however there are no pictures of the Azena in its heyday,would love to see how it looked,i can remember the "Azena" sign still being in place,think it was red and very of its time.

Unfortunately, even Pauline Shearstones book on this subject only has a fairly recent black and white picture of the building as a Somerfield supermarket :(

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I was just talking about this place yesterday.

Someone I was working with lived almost next door.

He says that above the ceiling of the now supermarket is the original ballroom ceiling as it was before conversion. Don't know if this can be verified but it sounds reasonable. After all they're more likely to cover things up if possible, rather than ripping out and replacing.

The Azena has had a couple of other mentions on here somewhere. I'll try to find them when I've time.

I hear they are refitting the store soon, so all may be revealed!

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I hear they are refitting the store soon, so all may be revealed!

What sort of a refit?

If it is still going to be a Supermarket it is likely that any refit will be more cosmetic or just a reworking of the internal layout than any structural alterations to the building that will reveal anything of its former glory..

I think any talk of what the Beatles nay have left there is largely rumour and folklore built up after they had been and gone.

Remember that they only appeared there once, very early in their career while they were becoming famous but not universally well known.

At the time they appeared (Tuesday 12 February 1963) they had only had one single (Love Me Do) which had charted at No. 17, its highest position, mainly due to sales in their home town of Liverpool and possible, mainly through Brian Epsteins NEMS outlet. Their second single and first album (both called Please Please Me) had been recorded the day before their appearance at the Azena but at the time was unreleased. Much of their early exposure was through touring, often appearing at venues like the Azena and they had briefly appeared on Granada TV.

At the time of the Azena appearance I think they would have appeared, performed, took their payment from Stringfellow and gone.

Later in 1963 or even 1964 when Beatlemania kicked off and they became incredibly famous then I think rumours of what happened at the Azena would have started.

Having said that, I, like every other Beatles fan in Sheffield would just love to be proved wrong and that something does come to light at the Azena.

Sadly we have no pictures, but there must still be people around locally who actually attended the Azena show.

It would be great to hear from them of their memories and experiences of this vent.

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On the rear of a recently acquired pair of STD & SJOC tickets. Don't know the date issued, unfortunately.

That's a very interesting ticket madannie.

"DANSE SALON" :blink:

Now dance is not exactly a subject I know much about but, -

Dance spelt with an S, "Danse"??

and,-

Don't you normally dance in a hall or a ballroom and even practice dance in a studio??

This one seems to be a salon

So what is the significance of calling it a, quote, "DANSE SALON"?

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Does anybody know where i can obtain a picture of the azena when it was in its heyday?(beatles played there in 1963) Searched the net,picture sheffield ect with no luck.Spent many hours playing around the derelict building when i was a kid,in fact i've been in there today,its a co-op,but would love to see a reminder of how it looked.

Todays copy of The Star RETRO contains a very rare amateur picture of The Beatles at the Azena.

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Does anyone remember the saturday morning discos at the Azena? Would have been around 1968-71 ish. Panda pops and crisps!.

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Guest Dean123

Hi again :) not a picture of the Azena in its heyday.....but two pictures have been recently added to picture sheffield

Not sure how to post them,or if i'm allowed to,so if anyone wants to stick them on here,that would be great.

I'm delighted to see a picture after all these years,just go to picture sheffield and type in azena.

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Hi again :) not a picture of the Azena in its heyday.....but two pictures have been recently added to picture sheffield

Not sure how to post them,or if i'm allowed to,so if anyone wants to stick them on here,that would be great.

I'm delighted to see a picture after all these years,just go to picture sheffield and type in azena.

Nice find.

I can remember the Azena in its "Bingo Hall" days in the mid 1970's

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Nothing as yet about it's history but until recently it was the home of City Limits Dance Studio.

They moved a year or so ago to a very large building on Penistone Rd. Next door to the New Barrack Tavern.

There must be some money in this dance lark.

attachicon.gifCity_limits.jpg

First image Google Streetview

Run by the Bennett family as in Daren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova.

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