A Wistful Longing...

Occasionally - usually, it has to be said, on what is known in our house as a ‘two bottle night’ - I can be heard singing along to my Jackie Album, at the top of my voice. David Cassidy, Donny Osmond and the, oh so gorgeous Alessi Brothers! Alcohol consumption clearly brings out the nostalgia in me. It should be noted that I still skip ‘Seasons in the Sun’ by Terry Jacks - far too depressing!

Nostalgia is a strange beast. I can be driving to work (oops, not any more!) or the shops and a song will be played on the radio that instantly takes me back to a place and time in the past - sometimes I’m shocked by how long ago it was, but I still experience a kind of wistful longing for a past experience. For me, music is usually the thing that prompts these feelings, although it can be a smell or a particular type of food - ham and new potatoes instantly returns me to our beach hut on Gorleston beach, in the sixties!

Yesterday morning I checked the local news to see that the iconic Regent Bowl in Great Yarmouth had been destroyed by an overnight fire. What is reported to have been the oldest working bowling alley in the country had literally disappeared in a considerable puff of smoke, along with neighbouring buildings and an indoor market. My instant reaction was shock, coupled with sadness. Fortunately nobody was injured, but even so, it felt like a tragedy on a grand scale. Great Yarmouth often gets a bad press, and relies heavily on its holiday trade. This fire is bound to impact massively over the rest of the season.

After the initial shock though, I felt waves of nostalgia for a venue that has been part of so many lives in the area. The bowling alley was brilliant. It felt as if it had been there forever, with its polished lanes and quirky features. Despite numerous ‘modernisations’ it still retained its character - the noise of the balls and the pins falling, the smell of the shoes (oh, the smell of the shoes) and the cheers of someone getting a strike. It was a goto activity on a rainy Sunday afternoon in the late seventies for me and my friends. All those Jackie songs playing in the background, making up rude names to put on the score sheets (no hi-tech scoring screens in those days), and laughing like drains when someone managed to fall over and slide down a lane. We thought we were good if  we scored anything over 80! Years later, I also enjoyed Regent Bowl as a family activity, and was always immensely proud that my two children spurned the bumpers, preferring to score an unaided 20 rather than a ‘vanity’ 100!

I am certain that I am not alone in my many happy memories of the Regent Bowl, and this post is dedicated to everyone else that feels that wistful longing over its passing. I sang out loud to Donny last night, just for you.