Page Four

Radio Scotland's Glasgow home may have sunk without trace, but not so Caroline House. The property has now been elegantly refurbished.

In 2001, a now-defunct website described the newly-refurbished property thus :

Six Chesterfield Gardens, The Modern Face of Mayfair

Six Chesterfield Gardens has been extensively refurbished and now provides a new, prime Mayfair office providing contemporary modern open plan office space.

Behind the elegant facade it provides 4,743 sq m (51,053 sq ft) of new office space.

Fully accessible raised floors (except in original parts).
Specialist finishes to some period rooms.
Substantial private garden.

(left: Before: ex-Caroline jocks were obliged to take turns at holding up the crumbling building)

For 'After' photographs of the outside of 6, Chesterfield Gardens, see the 35th Anniversary Offshore Reunion.

To borrow an Everettism, looking at the site "Brought back the sludge" for a few people:

Mick Luvzit (North ship) writing in March 2002
The cool picture of 6 Chesterfield Gardens brings lots of memories back... the busy office with people full of exciting energy and proud to be there. I remember the stacks of mail and the mailbags of the very successful "Caroline Cash Casino" entries. I recall the first day I was in the studio there to do an audition. After reading commercials and a little news, I was introducing 'Pretty Flamingo' by Manfred Mann, and was hitting the post perfectly when a voice interrupted me. I said, "What the hell are you doing? I'm doing an audition!" He said, "It's OK – I own the joint! I'm Ronan O'Rahilly ...and when can you start?".

I have the greatest respect for Ronan, a true visionary and just a great guy. I was sorry to let Ronan down because I left to go on holiday to Canada with my new bride and was to come back to the ship as well as to record an album for Decca, but never did return because I knew the Marine Offences Bill was coming in. However I later ('84 or '85) helped Ronan by getting a large investor from Vancouver to help fund another ship which I believe was called "Imagine". This investor asked me about Ronan and I told him Ronan was a visionary and a very successful entrepreneur who dreamed big, never gave up, always paid us on time and was just a great guy whom I respected a lot. Anyway, some great memories.

By the way Gordy Cruse came over from Victoria and spent a few days at my place in Abbotsford recently. I contacted my first wife Jan, whom I married on Caroline North back in Sept 20, 1966 and we all met over some tea and had a great time sharing memories, along with my daughter Jelisse Caroline - who is now 30-yrs-old and a knock-out!

In the evenings now I'm busy finishing up the studio in my house and preparing another show to go to Ireland....the Isle of Man and Liverpool. Kenny Tosh from City Beat Radio in Belfast Ireland has set this up for me...and he acts as the Executive Producer of these shows.

Anyway "ta ta for now" from your Radio Caroline 'Pirate Ding-A-Ling Disc Jockey friend' Mick Luvzit

God bless and remember... "You're Special! So Keep On Rockin'!"

**************

A great photo taken at the offshore wedding of Mick Luvzit and his barefoot bride Janet can be found in The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame

**************

Bud Ballou (South ship):
Thanks for sending the link. The place looks a lot better now than the old days. In the "gallery" pictures, the big room with the blue carpet and the front-facing window looks like the old Caroline conference room that had a wall-sized picture of the north ship in it.

Steve Young (South ship):
Thanks for this.... it sure brought back a lot of memories. No. 6 Chesterfield Gardens was, obviously, somewhat more "ratty" in those days, but it hummed with energy and creativity. For us "live aboards" it was a bit of real estate that connected us with the movers and shakers of the day and with those wonderful support staff who dealt with all of those logistical details that we didn't want to have anything to do with. The photos made me feel that I was right back there, once again, and I felt more than a little nostalgic for our "home away from home".

Dave Williams (North ship):
It brings back very fond memories - somehow it appears to have changed!! The last time I was in Chesterfield Gardens you couldn't move because of the mailbags (Caroline Cash Casino entries) which filled every piece of empty space - the hallways, stairs, landings etc. It looks as if the new owners have done a massive makeover.

Our Down-Under Correspondent, John Preston, also remembers the mound of mailbags:
I actually visited the place when Caroline was there, can't remember how I got invited! Interesting to look around and they got us to listen to and comment on a commercial which was read with a north of England accent which we couldn't understand that well so they didn't use it! It was when Caroline Cash Casino was on air, as there were sacks of mail in the hallway.
Black-Berry way! Colin Berry shows Tony Blackburn how to do the Indian Rope Trick "Just like that"!
 

Hans Knot has kindly scanned some more items from his archives. Of the T-shirt leaflet, Hans says, "This one was taken from the Fredericia in 1967 when in Amsterdam harbour. There were loads of them on the ship."

Tony Prince tells us he thinks he still has one of the T-shirts somewhere!

Caroline North T-shirts were personalised with fans' fave DJs, Jerry 'Soopa' Leighton, Daffy Don Allan or the Royal Ruler, Tony Prince!

Some of these shirts were on display at the Caroline North Exhibition

"When it was raining and cold, your friend went on your paper round with you." – John Newstead

Imagine if you will, being thirteen in 1967. You live in the North of England in Cadishead, a small village just outside Manchester. Your father works for Gardner Diesels (favourite of fort-based stations for generators). In 1967, the North of England was a grey, wet and damp place. If you have seen the film Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, you will understand.

When you were thirteen in the Sixties, you were lucky if you had a paper round. The papers had to be delivered before 6.00am so the steelworkers at the local steelworks had their paper to read at work.

Up at 5.00am, on your bike at 5.45, with your trannie set to Radio Caroline North. They started transmissions at 6.00am, but put on a tape of Hawaiian music at 5.30, with a smooth female voice saying, "Welcome to Radio Caroline North. We will start at 6.00 with the Late and Early Show." So when it was raining and cold, your friend went on your paper round with you. They stayed with you all day; Don Allen, Bob Stewart, Tony Prince, Mick Luvzit, in the morning, Jerry Leighton, and all the rest. So thanks, if any of the above read this, from that thirteen-year-old lad in the rain and cold on his paper round.

I know that Caroline North is the forgotten offshore station, but in the grey North of England, they were beloved. Even now in the morning, I still hear that music, the voice and the sound of the best radio station in the world.

The webmasters would like to thank John very much for this evocative memory. Caroline North is certainly not forgotten on this website, as everyone can see.

We forwarded John's comments to Bob Stewart, who said: " Hi Mary and Chris, Thanks for forwarding the paper boy's memories. It's really nice to know. All the best to you both, Bob."

 
Steve Young has found us a couple of great pictures. He says:

I came across this photo of me, sandwiched between Peter and Gordon and hanging on to 'Lady Godiva'! It was taken at Wimbledon Palais circa Sept/Oct 1966, when the song was moving up the Caroline Countdown of Sound. 'Lady Godiva' rode around the Wimbledon Palais dance floor on a white horse... Now that was a sight to behold! I thought the photo might add an "interesting dimension" to the Big L website.

 I also read your review of the book by Mike Read regarding the south coast music scene in the Sixties. There was a reference to the Wednesday night 'Caroline Nite' at the Shoreline Club in Bognor Regis. Here's a photo of a handbill that I saved from a visit there some time in '67 when I emceed an appearance by The Turtles. I don't remember an awful lot about the club although it was packed to the rafters so it must have been a popular venue.

Many thanks to Steve for rescanning the Shoreline poster in 2012 to reproduce the nice, clear copy on the right. Note that the 1967 poster promotes a regular 'Errol Bruce Show'. Errol, of course, broadcast from both the North and South ships, and Swinging Radio England. (Click on the poster to enlarge.)

The question is, does anyone own up to having been the lady who took the role of Lady Godiva? We reckon if that Peter and Gordon promo happened now, 'Lady Godiva' would probably be completely naked - and so would the horse! – Mary

We named our daughter Caroline

From Ann and Martin Davies:

Do you ever go to the Halfmoon, Putney? The promoter, Caroline Davies (Carrie), was named after Radio Caroline. We did our courting in the Dunes at Camber whilst listening to Caroline.

We went on a Pilgrimage to Walton-on-the-Naze when Radio London was moored there for a while. We met Keith (Cardboard Shoes) Skues.

Thank you for helping to keep the dream alive.


Photo: Mum and Dad at Abbey Road, Easter 2002. Says Ann: "Caroline's mummy is me – the lady with the megaphone. Her daddy, Martin, is the one with ash blonde hair (or is it grey? Love is blind!) behind me."
All contributions for our offshore scrapbooks will be gratefully received. Radio London scrapbook here.