The Lipthorpe Era
Brothers Keith and Jim Lipthorpe, who had opened the Stockton Fiesta Club in 1965 had now built this jewel in the crown of “Norton Entertainments”, which first opened its doors in August 1970.
According to Keith Lipthorpe (in his book Club Fiesta, The Real Story), the Sheffield Fiesta was the result of a four-year effort. Keith had started to plan the second club in 1966 and had visited many cities, including Birmingham and Leeds before settling on the location in Sheffield. The location was not without its challenges - access for beer deliveries was a major headache, until it was decided to install very long, insulated pipelines down into Pond Street so the Fiesta’s storage tanks could be replenished when needed. One advantage of its location was the height. The illuminated signs on the top half of the building could be seen for miles around (as long as the electricians remembered to switch them on!).
Photo: The official opening, in the presence of the Lord Mayor (Sidney Irwin Dyson) and Lady Mayoress (Mary Dyson) of Sheffield. Also in the picture are Jim and Keith Lipthorpe (in the dapper suits), six of the famous “Fiesta Fawns” and other members of staff in the background. August 1970
Photo: Inside the club. We see here a view from the stage looking off stage-left. At the back of the tiered seating can be seen the à la carte restaurant (back left) and (back right) two of the numerous bars that were to be serving drinks to the thirsty customers.
In the foreground we see an array of musical instruments (including a lovely Steinway baby-grand piano (which I believe was the property of the Fiesta club) ready for providing the backing for “The Shadows” - the club’s opening act.
All the seating was fixed and very plush. The seats closest to the stage were all stage-facing. The view of the performers was absolutely fantastic!
Downstairs, there was a choice of rooms for customers to enjoy. The ‘Sunset Room’ was a self-contained disco which was in operation all through the evening until the club closed at 2am. Adjacent to the reception area was a lounge-bar with more plush (orange and rotating!) seats and low-level tables for drinks. This was a quieter area where people could chat and enjoy their drinks away from the music.
Photo: People dancing on the Fiesta stage.
This photograph was obviously taken in the early 1970s, as the wall-mounted loudspeakers were the original ‘Philips’ ones.
Photo: A later photo of the stage. The photo was taken slightly later in the 70s (74?), as the ‘Philips’ speakers had been replaced with superior ‘Dynacord’ columns. To the upper left of this photo, we can see the balcony, which was reserved for VIP visitors (such as the directors and their guests). I was told the balcony was originally intended to be occupied by the resident band but I don’t know if this was true.
On the ceiling above the stage were ultra-violet tubes which made everyone’s white clothes (and underwear!) glow. A very popular form of ‘disco’ lighting in the 70s!
Also in the photo, we can see the specialised design of scaffolding that was used to support the roof of the building. This was the only way, at the time, to have the main auditorium completely free of pillars which would have obstructed views of the stage. The scaffolding was painted black, except where the diagonal pieces met, which were painted shiny silver to resemble stars. Interspersed throughout the scaffolding were coloured pygmy bulbs - the ‘Star-Lights’ as we called them. The glittery-gold solid pelmet masked the stage lights from the audience and the silver-satin drapes on the stage gave the whole room a very classy look.