From Robert Palmer, - I worked there part-time as a barman around 1950, Bob Wells was the manager, when the Crystal bar opened he managed both bars over all and I became part-time manager of the ''Fes '' , during the day in summer it was full of holiday makers, at night sailors , we used to look in the paper which ships were due in, I went home some nights with a few bruises , when the Mecca ballroom opened I was offered the part-time bar manager job. Music was sometimes available by Glen Arthur on the piano and also Colin Collins.

Joanna's, Southsea

Published on Friday 26 August 2011 Portsmouth NEWS Many of you have been recalling your youth on the dance floor and at the bars of Joanna’s, the old night club destroyed by fire earlier this month. The Southsea night spot, (also known as the Royal Navy School of Dancing) with its papier mache tree and glue-like carpet, was a huge favourite in the 1970s and 80s. At the time of the devastating blaze on the seafront I asked for your memories and possible pictures of the old haunt. One of those who came forward will ring bells with dozens of you because he was your first point of contact when you finally got in after queuing along the seafront. Ray Harwood, of London Road, Cowplain, is now 69, but for the 16 years between 1970 and 1986, he was one of Joanna’s doormen. He says: ‘There can’t be anybody who visited Joanna’s in the 70s and 80s who didn’t know me and my colleague Chris Wilson. ‘We worked the door every night and I like to think it was our friendly faces and calm attitude which kept trouble to a minimum. ‘They were a wonderful 16 years which, if I was asked, I’d do all over again,’ he added. Neil Miller got in touch to say how sad he and his wife Debbie were to see the pictures of the building. Debbie was so touched she popped down to the seafront from their home in North End, Portsmouth, to pay her last respects. Neil says: ‘We met at Jo’s in March 1987 when I was a young matelot on my first visit to Pompey from Plymouth. ‘We married in 1988 and have lived in Portsmouth ever since, had two wonderful children and became grandparents four years ago. ‘Between 1987 and 2003 we had some great nights sticking to the carpet, including my stag night. ‘In 1988 my sister also met her husband there and they have been together ever since. ‘It was sad when she closed and emotional to see her end up being destroyed by fire. The memories we have of Jo’s will always remain long after they demolish the building.’ David ‘Pony’ Moore was also prompted to write with a memory from 1977. He says: ‘A group of young girls came down from Southampton to celebrate a birthday. They ended up in Jo’s where they came upon a slightly inebriated young matelot, namely me. ‘One of the girls caught my eye. I asked if she wanted a drink. I went to the bar thinking I’d better sober up a bit, so bought two tomato juices and returned to the young lady only to find out she can’t stand tomato juice. ‘We’ve now been married for 31 years with two lovely grown-up daughters and three grandchildren. ‘Every now and then the carpet or the tree come up in conversation. Never forgotten.’ And someone, who just signed herself Alexandra, e-mailed with her vivid memories. She says: ‘I don’t recall Joanna’s because when we went it was in the very late 1960s and early 1970s when it was the Crystal Lounge. ‘You still stuck to the carpet, but they had good music, dancing and a lot of Pompey fans dressed in Levi Sta-Prest, Ben Sherman shirts and Doc Martens. ‘I remember a Chelsea fan being dangled from one of the windows one night.’ Published on Saturday 24 September 2011 Portsmouth NEWS Chris Wilson and Ray Harwood as doormen at Joanna's Ray Harwood recalls life on the door of one of Portsmouth's top discos and the night he barred the way to one of Britain's most famous faces. The blond, long-haired man pulled up in a flash car, climbed out and made his way to the door. Ray Harwood recognised him instantly, but as the man approached he knew there was going to be a problem. `I was very friendly, just like I was with all the customers. Just because he'd got out of an Aston Martin didn't make any difference,' he recalls. `But he was wearing jeans and that was a big problem. We had a house rule - no jeans. So I said: `Sorry mate, you can't come in because of what you're wearing'. `We had a bit of banter, very friendly. The manager was called, saw who it was and let him in. `These were the days when a pair of jeans cost more than a pair of ordinary trousers so it made sense, but I'll never forget that day back in the 70s when I stopped Richard Branson from going into Joanna's.' Ray, 69, was a doorman at the much-lamented Southsea disco, which burned down last month, for 16 years from 1970 until 1986. Today, as he stands by the rubble of all that remains of the historic building opposite South Parade Pier, all he can hear are the ghostly sounds of the thousands of people who poured into the night spot in its heyday. He says: `They were fantastic times and if I had my time all over again I'd do exactly the same. `There are still hundreds of people in this city who remember me and the rest of the staff and I remember them.' Ray, of London Road, Cowplain, was part of the furniture at Jo's, as everybody called it. In his checked jacket he and a colleague manned the entrance six nights a week. `We had two doors, an outer and an inner. We only ever opened one so you could control who came in. 'A few people we turned away got stroppy so we had a `bulletproof' front put on so once they were outside they could do what they liked without damaging the building. `But the vast majority of people were brilliant - just out to have a great time. `For some, especially a lot of the girls, it was like a second home. They seemed to be there virtually every night of the week. ‘You saw them come as single girls and then watch as they found a bloke, built a relationship and finally got married. ‘There must be many couples all around the country who got together in Jo’s.’ The reason it became so renowned nationwide was because Joanna’s was the favourite haunt of sailors – so much so that its nickname became the Royal Navy School of Dancing. Ray adds that his most useful piece of equipment for work was the pen inside that checked jacket. ‘There were countless times when a girl would come up to me and say ‘‘Ray, can I borrow your pen please?’’. I told them they’d be better off having cards made.’ The pen was needed so they could scrawl their phone number on a scrap of paper. Ray never uses the word bouncer. ‘We were employed as stewards. The term bouncer gives out all the wrong messages. If you’re called a bouncer it sounds as though you’re looking for confrontation from the start. ‘I had to give evidence in a court case once and the defendant’s barrister kept referring to me as a bouncer. I kept telling him I was a door steward. ‘In the end I’d had enough and called him the clerk. He got angry and told me he wasn’t a clerk and I said: ‘And, I’m not a bouncer. ‘The judge intervened and told him not to use the word bouncer.’ ‘In the 16 years I worked there, there really wasn’t much trouble. It’s all down to how you treat people. Be firm and treat them with respect and everybody can have a great night. He continues: ‘Of course, there were incidents. I remember one night when a bloke had had too much to drink. He pulled a knife on me and said he’d stab me. I put him outside and that was the end of it. ‘The next day I bumped into him in Commercial Road and he apologised and thanked me for throwing him out before things got too far.’ When Ray started working there the venue was still known as the Crystal Suite. ‘Three years later, in 1973, it became Joanna’s when it was taken over by Pleasurama. That’s when it really took off. ‘They had great DJs who played fantastic music and people would queue round the block to get in.’ RAY Harwood's most memorable moment at Joanna's? It was on November 30, 1982, and came at 2am, he recalls instantly. 'We were allowed to stay open later that night ' and we'd had a big t screen installed especially he says. The event? The launch of Michael Jackson's sixth studio album on MTV - the now legendary Thriller which sold a million copies a week at its peak. Ray says: 'There'd been a huge build up to it. It was the record the whole world seemed to be waiting for. ' 'The doors had been locked and everything came ': to a standstill. Everyone was staring at the screen. 'And when it came on - I'Il never forget this - there was absolute silence. People couldn't believe what they were watching. His dancing and the music was just something else. 'When it had finished the whole place just went crazy.' 28 great memories of Joanna’s Joanna's nightclub Friday 04 December 2015 It was the best-known nightclub in Southsea - celebrated the world over as The Royal Naval School of Dancing. And 12 years after it closed, great memories remain of Joanna’s. The Southsea night spot frequented by both servicemen and civvies opened in 1973 and was a huge favourite with its papier mache tree and glue-like carpet. Readers on Facebook were asked for their memories. Here’s a selection. Michelle Cokell: I love Jo’s. I had the best nights out in there - so many happy memories! Kim Carter: The smell! Will never forget that! And ‘door staff‘ on the ladies loos to referee cat fights! Mick Davidson: Spanners, or Royal Naval School of Dancing, Portsmouth Branch. It was never that bright in there, folk used to wee up the tree, and the sticky beer sodden carpet. Alan Preston: Joannas - all the birds dancing the NATO Shuffle! Sarah Cruise: Best night club ever! Carla Bufton: Brings back drunken memories! Dave Coomber: They finally took the tree away and replaced it with a post.So we climbed that instead! Angela Proost: My old stomping ground. Plastic glasses! And the queues when the American sailors were in port! Jacqui Munro: Stilettos embedded in the flooring! Avril Webster: I moved from a wee village to Southsea. I went to Joanna’s and had my bag pinched twice. Lyn Honess: Sticky floor but many a good night there Nick Perry: I worked there and at 5th. Crazy, crazy people lol - fun times. John Raper: I remember burger and chips near the back Suzy Taylor: Good old Jo’s aka The Naval School of Dancing! Happy days Maria Hilton: Met my wonderful husband there 22years ago. Sue Bailey Fewings: Joanna’s - feet sticking to the floor, happy days! Steve Wilson: I used that tree in 1990 - just before being ‘asked’ to leave! Amazing place!!! Amanda Blake: Oh the pee tree! Nicholas Gover: Had my first plastic glass there. Sticky floor and a tree ha ha what great memories Elaine Dawtry: Brilliant night club Rayleigh Tamla White: The place dad used to go on about lol Faye Parker-Quaife: A night of drinking on Route Alpha ending in the Naval School of Dance David Jeram: One time we went to that night club. We ‘watered’ the tree and got kicked out! Colin Hodgkinson: I was kicked out for climbing the tree and peeing on the bouncers Wendy Dillon: Yep sticking to the floor when standing too long lol Steve Piercy: The place with the wet carpet 24/7 Martyn Merckel: Did it have stairs? Never touched one on the way out! Clare Brazier: Joanna’s - happy days! Many of you have been recalling your youth on the dance floor and at the bars of Joanna’s, the old night club destroyed by fire earlier this month. The Southsea night spot, (also known as the Royal Navy School of Dancing) with its papier mache tree and glue-like carpet, was a huge favourite in the 1970s and 80s. At the time of the devastating blaze on the seafront I asked for your memories and possible pictures of the old haunt. One of those who came forward will ring bells with dozens of you because he was your first point of contact when you finally got in after queuing along the seafront. Ray Harwood, of London Road, Cowplain, is now 69, but for the 16 years between 1970 and 1986, he was one of Joanna’s doormen. He says: ‘There can’t be anybody who visited Joanna’s in the 70s and 80s who didn’t know me and my colleague Chris Wilson. ‘We worked the door every night and I like to think it was our friendly faces and calm attitude which kept trouble to a minimum. ‘They were a wonderful 16 years which, if I was asked, I’d do all over again,’ he added. Neil Miller got in touch to say how sad he and his wife Debbie were to see the pictures of the building. Debbie was so touched she popped down to the seafront from their home in North End, Portsmouth, to pay her last respects. Neil says: ‘We met at Jo’s in March 1987 when I was a young matelot on my first visit to Pompey from Plymouth. ‘We married in 1988 and have lived in Portsmouth ever since, had two wonderful children and became grandparents four years ago. ‘Between 1987 and 2003 we had some great nights sticking to the carpet, including my stag night. ‘In 1988 my sister also met her husband there and they have been together ever since. ‘It was sad when she closed and emotional to see her end up being destroyed by fire. The memories we have of Jo’s will always remain long after they demolish the building.’ David ‘Pony’ Moore was also prompted to write with a memory from 1977. He says: ‘A group of young girls came down from Southampton to celebrate a birthday. They ended up in Jo’s where they came upon a slightly inebriated young matelot, namely me. ‘One of the girls caught my eye. I asked if she wanted a drink. I went to the bar thinking I’d better sober up a bit, so bought two tomato juices and returned to the young lady only to find out she can’t stand tomato juice. ‘We’ve now been married for 31 years with two lovely grown-up daughters and three grandchildren. ‘Every now and then the carpet or the tree come up in conversation. Never forgotten.’ And someone, who just signed herself Alexandra, e-mailed with her vivid memories. She says: ‘I don’t recall Joanna’s because when we went it was in the very late 1960s and early 1970s when it was the Crystal Lounge. ‘You still stuck to the carpet, but they had good music, dancing and a lot of Pompey fans dressed in Levi Sta-Prest, Ben Sherman shirts and Doc Martens. ‘I remember a Chelsea fan being dangled from one of the windows one night.’ Ah, mid 60s, it was Then Crystal Lounge upstairs, with resident artiste Glen Arthur on his grand piano, while below it was The Festival Bar (The Fes), with resident organist Jon Garr on the Hammond, and massive numbers of matelots and holiday-makers getting hammered. Great days.

Hundreds of mourners will pay their respects to nightclub boss Published on Saturday 31st January 2013 Portsmouth NEWS by RORY McKEOWN The News HUNDREDS of mourners are expected to turn out for the funeral of one of Portsmouth's most wellknown faces. Leo Leeson, former general manager of Joanna's nightclub in Southsea, died aged 63 on January 9 and was a popular face in the city's nightlife. Sherry Skinner, 59, his partner of 36 years, said Mr Leeson, whose birth name was Richard, `lived life to the full'. She said: `I did a cleaning job at Joanna's for a while and Leo said I was too good for a cleaner, so he offered me a bar job. `He would put himself out for everyone - there was nothing he wouldn't do for anyone.' Mr Leeson was born in London on July 9, 1949, and lived in Latchmere House, Battersea. At the age of six, he moved to Doncaster where he later did an apprenticeship as a turner. His friend Derek Birch invited him to work in a nightclub as a steward and it wasn't long until Stan Stokes offered him to work at Granny's nightclub in Portsmouth's Tricorn centre. He became general manager of Joanna's nightclub in 1976 and remained there until it closed down in 2004. Sherry recalls how Mr Leeson, who suffered from heart problems, was close to her son Michael, who passed away in June last year. He said: `I don't think he ever got over Michael. `He was paying his mortgage when he was off work sick. `Leo had his first heart attack in 1992 when we were in Paris. `It was on April Fool's Day and I phoned up the club to tell them. `Lots of people would relate it to a joke but it wasn't.' She added Leo was like a father to her other children Lee, 30, and Lisa, 27, and a close friend to John Skinner. Mr Leeson's funeral will be held at 2pm on Monday, February 4, at St Mary's Church in Fratton Road, Fratton, before his burial at Kingston Cemetery in St Mary's Road, Fratton. About 500 people are - expected to attend the funeral. He will be buried beside Sherry's son Michael.