OUR recent double-page spread of photos of Batley Variety Club sparked lots of memories.

Built on a disused sewage site on Bradford Road in Batley, the club was opened by Jimmy and Betty Corrigan in March 1967, with The Bachelors topping the bill.

The Corrigans had travelled to Las Vegas to research nightclubs and work out a design for their Batley venue. Despite having a capacity for 1,750 people seated, with standing room for more, the club had an intimate feel, with low ceilings, tables arranged in tiers, giving unobstructed views of the stage, and the resident band at the back of the stage so the artistes could be closer to the audience. Ticket prices were low, even for big name acts, and food was served with plastic cutlery to avoid noise.

Batley Variety Club gained a reputation as one of the North’s top venues, attracting big names from America, including Louis Armstrong, Neil Sedaka, Roy Orbison, Eartha Kitt and Gene Pitney as well as UK stars such as Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Morecambe and Wise and Ken Dodd. At its peak the club had 300,000 members. It closed in the late 1970s, later re-opening as The Frontier nightclub, and is now a gym.

When our feature went online hundreds of people left comments on Facebook pages, including the T&A’s We Grew Up In Bradford. Here are some of your memories of the famous venue:

Philip Mitchell recalls Roy Orbison’s appearance at the club, where he’s said to have met his wife, a waitress there: “Roy Orbison got Penny Arcade from Sammy King, a local musician who wrote it. He played it to Roy at The Beafeeter restaurant, I was there, after his show.”

Freda Hirst: “Saw the great Frankie Laine several times. He always had time to meet fans after the show.”

Tony Hindle: “I went twice in the 70s, saw Gene Pitney and Lulu, fantastic nights.”

Rob Ostick: “Went to see Little and Large back in the day. Remember chicken in a basket.”

Barbara Williams: “Great nights out...The Hollies , Sacha Distel, Freddie Starr.”

Kevin Sweeney: “I wasn’t old enough to go there in its hey day but in later years when it became the Frontier I saw Showaddywaddy there.”

Hazel Elsworth: “Went to see Shirley Bassey there 50 years ago and remember being able to smell her perfume from where we were sat.”

George Mazur: “My mum saw Tom Jones there in 1972!”

Allyson Matthews: “I met Alvin stardust through a T&A competition when I was 10.”

Bobbie Kent: “I was the first female impersonator to work BVC, I followed Shirley Bassey.”

Pauline Cannon: “We used to have our Grattan ladies Christmas do there. Saw Neil Sedaka The Hollies, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Freddie Starr and lots more over the years.”

Ann Billing-Gough Muff-Muffy: “We had a Ladies Christmas night out from Kays Catalogue. Billy Fury was on the night we went.”

Sheila Farnell: “Saw many big stars there, we also used to to Wakefield variety club especially if Tony Christie was there.”