Strand Hotel: Reminiscences

Strand Hotel, Portstewart: prospect from the golf links

A FRIEND OF THIS BLOG HAS KINDLY SENT FOND MEMORIES OF TIMES SPENT AT THE STRAND HOTEL, PORTSTEWART, AND THE NORTHERN COUNTIES HOTEL, PORTRUSH

I HAVE great memories of going to The Strand in the late 1970s/early 80s, when it was our regular haunt of a Saturday night.

Of course that was the heyday of disco, and there were no fewer than three separate dance floors - the most popular was the Cellar, which was accessed by an always-packed-with-people narrow staircase (not so much H&S or fire regulations in those days I suppose).

Then there was the upstairs disco frequented mostly by the young farmers, and another, more upmarket area at the other side of the hotel which seemed to us to be for a much older crowd ("older" to us then being people in their 30s).

Admission was £2, with a letter stamped on the back of the hand which was then widely copied using felt tip pens or eyeliner (and that wasn't just the girls - this was also the age of the New Romantics, don't forget).

As well as the discos they would have live music, and anyone who socialised on the North Coast in those days will have danced to Cuddles, or Plug Torrens and Dominic, legends in their own lifetimes.

Of course there were other great venues, not least Kelly's nightclub in Portrush and Spuds for live music in Portstewart, but The Strand will always hold a particular place in the affections of many, remembering that all this was happening at the height of "the Troubles", when any sort of apparent normality was welcome.

Not a comment on architecture or historical family lineages this time I'm afraid, Tim, just a fond memory of part of our more recent social history!

*****

I THINK it must have been 1989 or 1990 when it closed.

It was subsequently demolished for re-development, but the site then lay half-finished for years, until the local Council put a complete or demolish order on it in 2013.

Northern Counties Hotel, Portrush (Welch Collection/NMNI)

Another little nugget relating to the Strand's history - Jack Fawcett, who bought the hotel in partnership in 1963, also owned the old Northern Counties Hotel in Portrush.

It had started out life as The Antrim Arms, and when the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway purchased a share in it in the 1880s it was renamed.

The newly-named hotel was improved by John Lanyon in the late 1800s and by Berkeley Deane Wise in the early 1900s (Wise was chief architect to the railway company and his designs included the red brick and mock Tudor-style railway stations we see in Northern Ireland, the Portrush railway station being a fine example).

Those of us of a certain vintage will recall the big revolving entrance door of the Counties and the timber-panelled sitting room, where the two enormous resident Irish wolfhounds were usually to be found sprawled asleep and snoring in front of a roaring fire.

On warmer days they would invariably be found lying at the revolving door so that guests had to clamber over them on their way in or out.

The dogs were big genial creatures, and didn't seem at all put out by people interrupting their snoozing.

Both The Strand and the Northern Counties were the venues for many years for weddings, dinners and dances.

The Counties had an ornate grand ballroom on the first floor, where I recall taking dance classes (I can still produce a fair quickstep when the occasion demands, though unfortunately it is rather creakier these days) and a heated pool (up on the second floor I think?) where I learned to swim.

Sadly the old hotel was destroyed by fire in 1990.

The modern hotel now standing on the site makes a pleasant place for coffee.