ISLE OF WIGHT NIGHTCLUBS: BEACHCOMBER – A FLAVOUR OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC IN THE SEASIDE RESORT OF SHANKLIN

The Polynesian-themed Beachcomber nightclub – located in Shanklin Hotel – was one of the Isle of Wight’s more unusual nightspots.

Beachcomber did not cut corners in its attempt to recreate a desert island in The Bay – it came complete with an alligator pool and a sweary parrot at the entrance (the live alligators were actually South American caimans).

Local residents and tourists could dance amidst South Sea decor from 1963, when Beachcomber opened, until its closure at the end of 1985.

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There was also a fake tropical storm that would brew up every 20 minutes or so to add authenticity to the experience.

The story of Beachcomber Bar and Discotheque begins in 1956 when Shanklin Hotel was bought by Ben Brown, who had been a purser for P&O Cruises.

Brown is said to have been inspired to create Beachcomber from his world travels. However, it is more likely that the inspiration for Beachcomber came from the fashionable Beachcomber in Mayfair London (featured in the video above).

Unusually, the Beachcomber Discotheque began at the early hour of 09:00 – or was this a typo?

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Tiki Bars – serving elaborate cocktails – were a craze that had come to the UK from America in the early 60s. The interiors of tiki bars and nightclubs would feature exotic masks and carvings, large tropical murals, large plants and palm trees, rocks and lava stone and indoor waterfalls and lagoons.

Exotic cocktails were somewhat cheaper back in the day. A vodka-based Beachcomber Sling in Shanklin would set you back 6 shillings (30p), you could purchase a rum-based Suffering Bastard for 6/6 (32.5p) and a gin-based Polynesian Passion for the amorously inclined would also cost you 6/- (30p).

However, pre-decimalisation earnings were somewhat less than they are today.

Beachcomber Bar seems to have been quite civilised and sedate in the 60s, featuring live jazz bands and appealing to a middle-class and middle-aged clientele.

However, as time moved on to the 70s and 80s, it became a mecca for local teenagers. Underage drinking was not uncommon.

Former patrons recalled:

“Gosh I remember going there at the age of 14, then onto Eastcliff to finish the night off. Great times, shame the youngsters of today won’t ever have the fun that we did.”

“I so remember that bar! I I felt very grown-up as a 16 year-old drinking in there with my boyfriend”

“Loved it there. Open until midnight (very unusual those days) and the tables had a discreet lower shelf for the less mature drinker to park the evidence if the feds turned up.”

The most vivid memories of former habitues of the Beachcomber were of the animals:

“I absolutely loved the place. The multilingual parrot on the stairs, the Hawaiian music, the caimans in the stormy pool where you could sit close by on the low wall, the subdued lighting and those wonderful cocktails.”

“I spent half my life in there in the 70s. The crocodile and the parrots. That wouldn’t be allowed now. They probably all died of passive smoking.”

“I’ll never forget it as one of them little crocodiles got hold of my finger and would not let go as someone said they were not real, so I had to poke it.

One of the caimans was apparently called Sydney and the multilingual bird Coco. The caimans were said to have been taken for walks around the car park on chain leads.

In 1979, the Beachcomber Bar was visited by environmental health officers from South Wight Borough Council regarding the resident ‘alligator’, which had been licenced under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976. The officers were obliged to look at the reptiles twice a year.

Sometimes, fights would break out at the Beachcomber. The most serious incident of violence came in September of 1983 when 4 mainland men were imprisoned for a racially aggravated assault in the nightclub.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge L. McCreery commented:

“One of the things that plague seaside towns on the south coast, including the Isle of Wight, are parties of young people like you.

“You get yourselves wildly and hopelessly drunk and get into trouble.

“You come down to the Isle of Wight for a so-called stag party and it is abundantly clear you must have started drinking immediately you got on the Island, or on your way by ferry, and you drank all day.”

Sadly, the Beachcomber closed its doors at the end of 1985. In the noughties, the former nightclub was used for indoor short mat bowling. In 2018, it was converted into hotel accommodation.

What are your memories of Beachcomber? Let us know in the comments…