Club Balaton Remembered

It is generally accepted that in built up areas, the maximum walking distance to a bus-stop should be 400 metres. Up until the 1990s, the same could be said for our pubs, especially those located within housing estates that were easy walking distance for local residents. Many of these old estate pubs have gone. Our high streets have now become the place to socialise, with a mix of retail, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Many of our area’s pubs have gone, including (in some cases) the buildings too. The Dame Agnes Mellers, The Belle Vue, The Porchester Arms, The Coopers Arms, Smithys, The Jubilee, The Peveril, The Wishing Well, The Gardeners, The Earl of Chesterfield, The Oakdale, The Tally Ho and Jackie Bells. All names that are consigned to history.

In Gedling there was The Grey Goose, The Phoenix and The Westdale Tavern. Many of these names will be familiar to us, but there was one that was less well known, a club that was tucked away in Gedling on the steepest point of Besecar Avenue.

This was called Club Balaton. Originally a miners’ social club and a boxing club, it opened at Club Balaton in the 1970s. In the late 1980s it was renamed Charlie C’s before closing in the 1990s.

Photo and comments taken from Nottingham Memories The Way We Were (Facebook)

‘Charlie C’s’ Restaurant, Besecar Ave, Gedling, 1987

Why Club Balaton?

Stephen Soos explained the name.

My Dad bought it as a shell in the 70’s and rebuilt it along with the wall and car park. The wall is still there because it was too thick to remove. It was called Club Balaton after Lake Balaton in Hungary, where my Dad was from. My Dad was Rudy. A big loud proud Hungarian. He left Hungary when the Russians invaded. He landed in England. Roll on it time. I live in Ukraine and was forced to leave when the Russians invaded and 2 days later landed in my Dads hometown. No, not by choice. It just happened that way. Next fun fact. I stood in the town square thinking about this place my Dad would talk about so much and in a huge shop window in front of me was a giant image of the entire town square aspect from 1956. The year my Dad left. I was seeing what he was seeing.

Julie remembered the family

oh we loved it there, ended up being good friends with Rudy and Iris, remember Iris coming over to see my new cottage when we moved to Nuthall. I remember your sister, in a photo on a horse, she was beautiful, like a model x

David Cox – My dad went in there in the 50s when it was a miners’ club, coz we lived in Berry Hill Grove.

Alma – My husband Mick Wood helped Rudy do the club up.

John Freestone – Used to be a Boxing Club back in 1967. Used to live on Hartington Ave off Westdale Lane. Walked past it on my way to school.

John Moody responded to Stephen Soos

Your lovely Dad helped my Dad Bert Moody build a stone wall at 25 Clifton Grove when he was rebuilding the Balaton, using some of the stones from the Balaton build. I lived at 25 Clifton Grove, it used to be a miners club then Rudy and his wife Iris basically rebuilt the old club. Many many brilliant nights at the Balaton my membership number was number 3 👍🏼

Jean Weston – Pauline and Geoff Turner owned it then 1987 my family lovely people

The building was later demolished, probably in the 1990s and two residential properties built on the site,  which is on the corner of Besecar Avenue and Redcar Close. Here is the same location now.