Bossa Nova Club, Todd Street, 1965. (c) Manchester Beat.
The Bossa Nova was near the side entrance to Victoria Station on Todd Street. It was a cocktail bar in the 1960s and in later guises was Chico's (named after Bossa Nova's owner, Chic Taylor [1]) and the top floor was also the Top Cat Club. The building was, for a time, a café called the City Cafeteria in the early '60s and then Silverpool Restaurant next to Nellie's Florist in 1963. [1].
Chico's / Bossa Nova, Todd Street. (c) asaph_art (Alan Moores) at flickr.
The building is shown here in the 1980s as the Top Cat Club, also described as the former Cathedral Sunday School which may be a clue to its original use. The place was listed so stood for many years until it deteriorated so badly that it was demolished only a couple of years ago; the old Hanging Ditch Post Office to the left still stood, but not for long.
1. www.manchester-forum.co.uk.
We used to frequent the Top Cat in the early sixties after a night on the town - funds permitting.
ReplyDeleteAll I can remember is a huge selection on the jukebox and strippers.
"chicos, names after chic taylor" woww, im his granddaughter and know very little of my grandad as sadly he passed before my life even started, but to randomly type his name into google and to come up with this was amazing :)
ReplyDeletekatie louise CHIC taylor
HI
DeleteMy brother is Fred who had a son with Lorraine chics daughter their son was also called Chic put he sadly passed away
Katie, I don't know how accurate this is but it may prove useful:
ReplyDeleteChic Taylor Served with the RAF Bomber Command in 1945 stationed somewhere in the UK. He later went on to win the novice WL boxing Championship, recorded in a UK newspaper entitled "A Night At The G.P.O. - March 9th, King Edward Building, LONDON". This would have been around 1946/49.
Chic Taylor moved to Manchester and became the owner of The BOSSA NOVA Night Club on Todd Street Manchester, next to Victoria Railway Station. The club was on the second floor, the entrance of which would be obscured in the daytime by a quaint little flower shop at street level.
Around these times Chic Taylor was also top of the bill at the Ritz Ballroom, a very popular venue in its time, and remembered by many I'm sure! He was for some time the band leader, and also played many instruments himself.
Around 1959 he moved from his home address at Wilson Street, Gorton, to Sundorne Walk, near what was then called Heywood House, a large community housing complex. He was also a good friend of the local priest from St Benidicts Church, Ardwick.
(from reference [1] above)
The 1980s picture seems to be out of time. the club was the Bossa nova club in 1974 so calling it the Top Cat is probably wrong -although I may be wrong itcould have been the top cat club on two differnet occasions - although unlikely. the last remants of the building are about to be demolishes ( in 2015)
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely the Top Cat Club in 1979, the last time I went there.
ReplyDeleteHi, do you remember someone who worked there name all called Maltese Tony or Maltese Anthony?
DeleteIt's listed as the Top Cat Club on a map from 1996 https://luna.manchester.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/Manchester~12~12~877~232898?qvq=&mi=0&trs=88275
ReplyDeleteWent they once on a works do .Full of cigarette smoke and prostitutes ,not mycup of tea.Did manage to see a certain Mr Tom Jones having a quiet bevvy on his own with a couple of heavies nearby
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the irish bouncer /doorman called pascal
ReplyDelete