Grey's, Grey Street

There were big changes to Britain's gaming laws in the early Sixties, which had an impact on the country's nightlife. The general public could now be relieved of their earnings in betting shops and Bingo parlours, while the high-end gamblers were catered for by the casinos. Several Newcastle nightclubs had roulette wheels, which added a sophisticated spin to a night on the town, and Grey's Club was where velvet-jacketed hairdressers, footballers and businessmen could flash their cash, and flush it away on the gaming tables.

The building housed a casino, cabaret room, restaurant and had a discotheque with a doorman called Rasputin, and its heyday began in the Seventies when it was owned by David McBeth. A former footballer and singer who'd toured with The Beatles, he was precisely the kind of successful man-about-town that his club hoped to attract. But the reality was different. It was strictly over-25s only and the actual Grey's customer was nearer twice that age, and their biggest success was managing to climb the stairs.

By the time McBeth sold the club in 1996, it was a noted haunt of those who grab grannies and grandads. This was soon remedied by its next owners, when it enjoyed a few years of DJ nights and parties, although it's currently closed while the area awaits redevelopment.