15 Feb 2008 • 6,543 views
The Grafton Rooms
The Grafton Ballroom in Liverpool opened in 1924. Now a legend, it was a purpose-built dance hall able to accommodate 1200 dancers. It was built next to the Locarno Ballroom which is now known as the Liverpool Olympia.
Joe Loss, Victor Sylvester, Duke Ellington and The Beatles have all played The Grafton
Since the 1970's, the Grafton has been historically notorious as Liverpool's leading Grab-a-granny venue. most Thursday nights, adolescent young men from all over the city would head for the Grafton in the hope of forging a brief romantic encounter with one of the city's thirty-something divorcees.
They were rarely unsuccessful.
It does have quite a reputation, Liverpool were playing a European Cup tie in Turkey and in response to a banner reading
"Welcome to Hell" someone had a banner that read
"You call this hell? You wanna try the Grafton on a Saturday night!" Says it all really.
(To put the record straight I must admit to never having been inside the place)
In
the Grafton Grab-A-Granny
And there were plenty,
A ten to two dance
To a tremble in the entry.
The Liverpool Saga 800 lines for 800 years, written by the people of Liverpool.
Your conversion puts one right back to the 20's