368 replies to this topic

[victorian fan]

I think it was mostly used by servicemen....correction = service personnel.

[Holden West]

I'm not the nightclub type but I'm curious about the Carlton Club in Esquimalt. Does anyone know the history of that place? It seems like it's been there for quite a while.

It's been around since at least the 80s but I can't remember its former name. I think it used to be a gay club for a while, too.

[VicHockeyFan]

I think it used to be a gay club for a while, too.

Correct! Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Somehow CHAMPS comes to mind, for the old name, but that sounds so, er, gay now.

I'll come up with it.

[LJ]

I am not sure where the Carleton club is but there used to be a small nightclub on the south side of Esquimalt Rd just past Head called The Bacchanalia Club.

[Sparky]

I am not sure where the Carleton club is but there used to be a small nightclub on the south side of Esquimalt Rd just past Head called The Bacchanalia Club.

At one time they used to have strippers at the Bacchanalia. The Carleton (located across the street), used to have a Tiki Mariner kind of look to the interior, the gals used to go there looking for sailors..........sometimes the sailors were all out to sea. (wink)

[sailor]

when I first got here in '77, it wasn't the Carlton Club but The Queen's Head. Another guy and I had just arrived here after boot camp and didn't know the drinking establishments. We were at Naden, so called a cab and asked the cabbie to take us to a nice lounge. He dropped us off at the Queen's Head. We quickly realized it wasn't the kind of place we were looking for and went back outside. The cabbie said "That was quick, some guys took longer to figure it out."

It seems that he would do that to sailors unfamiliar with Victoria or Esquimalt, as a joke. He brought us downtown and dropped us off at Bartholomew's, no charge.

[LJ]

Does anyone remember a place downtown called the Tillicum Bicycle Club, IIRC?

You had to be a member to get in but the membership was quite cheap, it was upstairs but I don't remember what was downstairs, a store or office or something. It was somewhere in the Government st area, between Yates and Fort, just guessing here.

[Sparky]

If my memory serves me correctly there were two clubs. One was the Tillicum Club located upstairs on the south side of Johnson Street in the 600 block not far from Douglas Street. I think there was a men's clothing store (edit added Dorman's) ........memory flash.......on the ground floor. I knew the manager there and was able to get a membership with my medical card that had my birth date altered. These were the days when 21 was the age of majority.

The other club was on Langley street in what is now part of Bastion Square. It was officially called the "British Public Schools" club. Also nicknamed "The Jokers Club" I am a bit fuzzy here. (too much liquor at a young age) I obtained a membership there also while underage as the bartender used to live behind the gas station where I worked on Cordova Bay at Parker Avenue. His name was Ted Floor. Hell of a guy.

So, after hours of drinking illegally, we used to go the the basement of the Royal Olympic hotel and play pool. This place looked like it came out of an old movie. Cigars and Fedoras, with tiled walls.

The only "Bicycle Club" that I remember was "The Birmingham Bicycle Club" which was located in a corner of the Old Forge, where the slot car track used to be.

I probably have some of this wrong, but it might be pretty close. Anyone care to add some accuracy?

[G-Man]

Could we have some years or at least a decade for colour?

[Sparky]

I'm going to go with 1967.....I was in San Francisco in 66 on a warm night at Haight Ashberry......but in all fairness the 60's were a bit of a blurr....

[Holden West]

Thanks for the great stories. I'm sure the Queen's Head patrons were saddened to see yet another taxi load of fresh sailors make a hasty departure. Like taking candy from a baby.

[Sparky]

I'm surprised that I am still alive. That was one hell of a childhood. I still have other memories in the vault.

[victorian fan]

I used to go to a private club upstairs on Langley St, The Old Schoolboys or some such name.

[LJ]

Could we have some years or at least a decade for colour?

The Bicycle club I (vaguely) remember would have been closer to Bastion Square than Johnson st. This would be in the early 70's. I was pretty sure it was called the Tillicum Bicycle Club tho.

I think Sparky and I must have shared a glass or two in some of these fine establishments.

Was the Olympic hotel on Government and the pub was in the basement, or is that some other place I vaguely remember.

I too would have been better served with more sobriety at a young age.

[LJ]

If my memory serves me correctly there were two clubs. One was the Tillicum Club located upstairs on the south side of Johnson Street in the 600 block not far from Douglas Street. I think there was a men's clothing store (edit added Dorman's) ........memory flash.......on the ground floor. I knew the manager there and was able to get a membership with my medical card that had my birth date altered. These were the days when 21 was the age of majority.

The other club was on Langley street in what is now part of Bastion Square. It was officially called the "British Public Schools" club. Also nicknamed "The Jokers Club" I am a bit fuzzy here. (too much liquor at a young age) I obtained a membership there also while underage as the bartender used to live behind the gas station where I worked on Cordova Bay at Parker Avenue. His name was Ted Floor. Hell of a guy.

So, after hours of drinking illegally, we used to go the the basement of the Royal Olympic hotel and play pool. This place looked like it came out of an old movie. Cigars and Fedoras, with tiled walls.

The only "Bicycle Club" that I remember was "The Birmingham Bicycle Club" which was located in a corner of the Old Forge, where the slot car track used to be.

I probably have some of this wrong, but it might be pretty close. Anyone care to add some accuracy?

Ok Ok it is slowly coming back to me now, I am still confused about the name. The place that was upstairs on Johnson I couldn't remember the name at all so perhaps it was the Tillicum club and I am merging names in my mind. I spent many a Friday and Saturday there.

The place you mention on Langly st, was it upstairs as well, I seem to recall it having lots of windows looking out and being up a flight of stairs, and I thought it was called the TBC but your memory seems better than mine. That just means that I was more inebriated when I got there I guess.

[victorian fan]

It was officially called the "British Public Schools" club.

Ah Yes, that was it. Thank-you LJ.

[Sparky]

I think Sparky and I must have shared a glass or two in some of these fine establishments.

Was the Olympic hotel on Government and the pub was in the basement, or is that some other place I vaguely remember.

We probably had a "few" at one time or another. The "Royal Olympic Hotel" is now called the Carlton on Johnson Street. Interestingly enough on the construction drawings back near the turn of the last century, it was refered to as the Carlton.

Although they had one of the first "beer parlors" (men in one section, women and escorts in another) that is not what I was referring to.

I was under age at the time so after drinking at one or both of the previously mentioned private clubs, my friends and I used to sober up by playing pool in the basement of the "RO' as we called it. (yes before we drove home)

The pool room in the basement was the size of the entire building footprint. Old time decor from the 20's it seemed like. Interesting characters (dressed like they came out of an old movie) hanging around trying to "shark" some money out of you at pool or snooker.

I wished I had my Mom's "Brownie" camera at the time.

You might be referring to the "Churchill Hotel" basement pub......good place to score some pot.

[LJ]

"

Churchill Hotel

That's the place!

[Holden West]

The Martlet, Victoria College
Editorial
November 20, 1962

LETTER HOME

i go to the place on the hill...actually the place stinks in many ways, actually...the campus is all over the country, the cafe smells so bad you can almost hear it...like cabbage...the parking lots are keen to. the faculty plays father knows, no cards nodrinkingnosmokinginclassnonono. the students' council takes the krap for what nobody else wants to do. i b*tch and cry like you and you and you but who cares? i mean who cares? i wear my scarf and go to hockey games and smoke my pipe and go to rugbygamesintherain and wear my oldest face and to to the tally-ho and wear my oldest shirt and go to the churchill. age 18 seemstobeoldenoughformost every thingexceptbooze. i mean who the hell wants to go to dances in the barn anyway? if i want to dance in an air hanger i'll dance in an air hanger why not shut the place up instead of staging milling matches? the college is o.k. too though...painting at night...hangings from the tower frosh week eggs glass scuffle vegetables costumes going very small...ropes johns suspensions a gas...a gas...classes are alright...

as i said, who cares? who actually gives a damn?...actually, who gives a damn? i don't...

[VicHockeyFan]

The Martlet, Victoria College
Editorial
November 20, 1962

LETTER HOME

i go to the place on the hill...actually the place stinks in many ways, actually...the campus is all over the country, the cafe smells so bad you can almost hear it...like cabbage...the parking lots are keen to. the faculty plays father knows, no cards nodrinkingnosmokinginclassnonono. the students' council takes the krap for what nobody else wants to do. i b*tch and cry like you and you and you but who cares? i mean who cares? i wear my scarf and go to hockey games and smoke my pipe and go to rugbygamesintherain and wear my oldest face and to to the tally-ho and wear my oldest shirt and go to the churchill. age 18 seemstobeoldenoughformost every thingexceptbooze. i mean who the hell wants to go to dances in the barn anyway? if i want to dance in an air hanger i'll dance in an air hanger why not shut the place up instead of staging milling matches? the college is o.k. too though...painting at night...hangings from the tower frosh week eggs glass scuffle vegetables costumes going very small...ropes johns suspensions a gas...a gas...classes are alright...

as i said, who cares? who actually gives a damn?...actually, who gives a damn? i don't...

Obviously there was a lot more drugs than rabbits on campus back then.