Bredbury Hall Country Club (Bredbury)

Bredbury Hall Country Club just outside Stockport , was the "In" place to be on Sunday nights from about '65 -68'. It was a very hip/mod place to be and hang out with , and to hopefully get laid by some "posh" (bird) so naturally it was packed every week!

Every Sunday night , The Studio One Band would take the stage, fronted by our old friend Kirk St James. The basis of the band were from my Big City Blues band - Martin Tetlow, John Burrows, Henry Quick and Dave Moss.

Martin Tetlow went on to be with Money (who I played with for a very short while in 69' ) with Alan Faulkner, by way of Reception .

They (Studio One) were different , as they had no lead guitarist , but sported 2 saxes, sometimes a trumpet too, as I recall . Somewhat .like a Georgie Fame /Blue Flames thing. They were very good and did all the great soul/Stax tunes - maybe some of our web visitors may be able to help out with a picture?

Tribute to Bredbury Hall

I think the Manchester Federals were one of the first bands to play Bredbury Hall in the early '60s. We were resident every Wednesday night for about 2 years. Does anybody remember?

Chris Evans - 15/2/09

I used to work behind one of the many bars in Bredbury Hall. I'd finish at 3:00 in the morning then get ferried home in the company van only to get up at 7:00 to get the bus to Manchester where I worked in the Steiner Salon at the Midland Hotel. Funny, but I never seemed to get tired in my younger days!!!! 

One night I was talking to 2 men at the bar (one of whom was very drunk) and when he asked for more drinks I refused to serve him and told him I thought he'd had enough for one night. Then his mate (Bruce) said: "I don't think you should have said that love ... this guy owns the club". Shock-horror. But I didn't get sacked ... I ended up dating Bruce who convinced the owner to keep me on. 

The tales I could tell of the goings on at Bredbury Hall. Life now seems quite boring in comparison. Hey ..... I've got a good idea - I'm living in Crete now and don't work so I have 24 hours a day in which to do absolutely nothing at all .... why don't I write a book? Will start straight away.

Joanie Thompson - 30/11/10

I worked on the door with Bill Parkinson Harry Niled, Albert Jeffres, Jeff Lawton and Pat Plant in the sixties. I am Roy Ellison and my wife Margaret had a dancing school on saturday afternoon. It was the best run club any where in the world.

Bill is still living in the Isle of Man, Peter Fray the first manager lives in Stockport, John Sykes manager lives in Cheshire.

People meet me and say you worked at Breders on the door, once seen never for got Roy....

I could write a book on the things I know - it was the BEST CLUB!!!!!! 

Roy Ellison - 28/9/11

 A photo of Bredbury Hall staff in the sixties. At the front in the middle of the photo from left to right are the doormen me (Roy Ellison), Bill Parkinson and Jeff Lawton !! And at the back in the door way are left to right John Lamming. Assistant manager Frank Michell and owner and manager Malcolm Harvey. 

I could tell you about ever one in the photo it was a great staff!!

Roy Ellison - 6/10/11

Great place to play. We did a wedding reception there once about 1964 ish. Finished up playing Tuesday nights in a sort of a loft above the dance floor. Plenty of talent there - never seen owt like it. Great for us hillbillys - we loved it.

Norman Carhart - Tony Marshall and The Deputies - 12/10/11

I use to go there when they had the gaming tables I was a friend of Peter a croupier there. Was Freddy Crisp in charge of the gaming?
Great club. 

Sherry - 28/12/11 

Every year I go to Cheltenham for the gold cup meeting in March. In 2008 I was in the Liberal club sat next to a bunch of rugby players who were recounting the time they played in Stockport and went to Bredbury Hall for the evening. One described it perfectly. " it's the only place I have been where, if you fall over, there will be a woman under you before you hit the floor"
Anybody remember Sid Ryall? He is now 80 and still going strong.

Geoff Straw - 1/1/2012

On the picture of Bredbury Hall is my band, at the back on the right. I am in front of the first window to the right of the main door saxaphone in hand.
I was a member at Bredbury Hall long before I put my band in and have lots of good memoriesof those times,from when Tony Stuart, his wife and daughter Caroll where there. They then sold on to Frank Mitchell.

We all got on well together and I made some good friends there.

I always had some good banta with Bill Parkinson and Harry Nield who I knew well, as also besides my music I was involved in martial arts and weight training. My instructer Hosaki (osi for short) used to pop down to the club and once I had signed him in he was straight onto Sid Bransons gambling table. I think John Sykes was his manager at the time. We all knew each other and it was like one big happy family.
Does anyone remember the champagne parties after hours? I think Malcolm Harby was responsable (Top Man).
There was a buzz at bredders that you didnt get anywhere else.

After disbanding Studio One band arround 1968 I Joined the Mabellebes who where good friends of mine. The pressure of organising the band plus bussiness commitments and getting married had become to much for me and the Maybellenes had a good structured management team which was good for me.

Organising the music and management of the band was hard work. When people see the final product on stage they dont see the background work that went in to make it tick. Besides which I really enjoyed the perfomance which made up for that. I enjoyed 5 happy years with the Maybellenes. We played top venues and were never short of work.

Still dable in music , but now live in the south of France near St Tropez with my wife (who was with me at bredders) and my one of my sons with his family,

Love the life here but miss the Manchaster music scene family and friends. Best wishes to anyone who knew me.

Rod Symons - 23/11/2013.

Does anyone remember Alan Tatler who worked on the door and John Gauchi. Alan died a few years ago and my husband was a good friend of them both (Chad Whalley) - he used to play football with them and travel to Spain frequently with them. 

Sue Whalley - 3/2/14

Back in the late 1960s my pal John Edwards, a police traffic officer who very sadly is no longer with us god bless him, was a member and I too joined.

In those days as far as John was concerned the police membership had a understanding with the bouncers to assist if any trouble broke out which never happened.

You entered the barn via downward steps, walked along a narrow whitewashed tunnel and arrived into the barn where you were met by a small gambling area. The place was awash with beautiful posh birds (posh to me lol) and loud superb sounds of the times.

We spent alot of time upstairs looking down on the girls with our beer in hand. You had to be careful as there were lots of low beams to walk into and the low atmosphere lighting didn't help haha.

Now i haven't been to Bredders since 1971 but I recall church type windows on the upper floor overlooking the carpark and pool and wicker bucket seats hanging from the beams by chrome chains. Somehow I doubt its as good now, I think the character have been lost, oh and Angela Lennard a gorgeous girl I met there and dated for all of 3 months haha. Mad, great days...

Dennis Hiley - 2/3/14