Ballroom of the Stars – The Imperial Ballroom, Nelson

For most people, the small Lancashire town of Nelson will be remembered for its cotton links.

However, over 60 years ago, the gritty northern town exploded into the music world as THE place to see some of the greatest musical talent the world has ever seen. Legends such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Tom Jones, and countless others performed in Nelson, gracing the stage at The Imperial Ballroom or The Imp as it was affectionately known.

“The Imp was where they went to have fun with their friends, where they met their future wives or husbands,”

Memories and images of those Halcyon days were captured in a book, The Ballroom of the Stars, by local author Steve Chapples in 2005. Unfortunately, Steve passed away ten years ago, but his book continues to generate interest among locals, so much so that the book is due to be reprinted.

Here’s an extract from when we chatted with Steve about when The Beatles came to Nelson. The Imperial Ballroom stood just over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Bridge on Carr Road, on a site now occupied by a group of residential flats called the Imperial Gardens, in memory of The Imp.

The huge, hangar-like structure, dating from 1911, was once the largest indoor building in Europe. It was originally a roller-skating rink, but in 1925, it became a municipal hall and staged all manner of functions, from wrestling matches to beauty contests.

The ballroom measured 43 yards by 46 yards, and when it became a ballroom, the ceiling was underpinned with Essex boarding, which gave The Imp, as it became known locally, unique acoustics which few other venues could match.

The Imp attracted some of the greatest 30s, 40s, and 50s dance bands, like Geraldo, Ted Heath, Joe Loss, and Eric Delaney. Its capacity was once 3,000, but fire regulations reduced it to 2,000.

Its demise came in 1976 when it burned down. Some nearby residents greeted this with relief, but the vast majority wept openly. For them, The Imp was where they went to have fun with their friends, where they met their future wives or husbands, and where they were entertained by some of the greatest acts in the world. The cause of the fire was never discovered, and an open verdict was declared, but arson was strongly suspected.

1963 – From me to you

On May 11th 1963 history was made when The Beatles arrived in town one week after their Mersey mates Gerry and the Pacemakers, Steve describes the occasion quite vividly.

“As we all know, this was the start of Beatlemania, and nowhere was it greater than at The Imp, which, as usual, seemed to be in the eye of the hurricane.

In those early days, some groups were playing up to three gigs a night, playing a 25-minute set before being whisked off to the next engagement, so it was vital to get in and out quickly. As Ringo said, “We sometimes played fast if no one was listening to us.

“This was the start of Beatlemania, and nowhere was it greater than at The Imp.”

“When they came to The Imp in 1963, they had just had their first number 1 with ‘From Me To You.’ “The first thing Paul did on The Imp stage was to say, ‘Shurrup’, but to no avail. Fifty girls fainted and had to be carried to the relative safety behind the stage. The noise was so deafening that the group was barely audible. One girl, who had skipped school to see them, said the next day, the other girls kept touching her just because she had breathed the same air as her idols. Some girls were so excited they were bleeding from head wounds caused as a result of banging their foreheads against seats and walls.

The memory of The Imp lives on in the hearts of local folk. ‘Reception officer’ Adrian Shaw, who worked at The Imperial from 1963 to 1965 after leaving the army, recalls the day the Beatles came to town in 1963.“The place was chaotic; young girls were screaming and fainting. It was at this point we christened them ‘screamagers’!

If you’d like a copy of GOIN’ DOWN TH’IMP, you can buy it from Colne Bookshop, Electron in Burnley, or the Music Box in Nelson. To guarantee a copy, please get in touch with http://georgedavidgrimshaw@gmail.com.(£20 plus p&p)

NorthernLife June/July/Aug 24