Saturday night at the Queens: The rock 'n' roll Wolverhampton ballroom
From ballroom to rock 'n' roll, it was the place where young couples would happily dance the night away during the swinging sixties.
During its heyday the Queens Ballroom and Restaurant in Wolverhampton would be packed to the rafters every Saturday evening.
Many had their first date at the venue, some caught the eye of their future partners on the dancefloor and others just went along to enjoy the music.
"Saturday night at the Queens was a special night. Everybody would get dressed up - the men in their Italian suits - and the women in their mini-skirts.
"It was a fantastic place, everybody wanted to go to Queens," recalls Peter Richardson, who has written a story inspired by his experiences at the dance hall.
The venue, in Queen Square, started life as the The Queens Cinema and was built for Associated Provincial Picture Houses.
It opened on September 30, 1914 becoming the city's eighth cinema.
Then on May 15, 1959, the cinema was given a new lease of life as a dance hall and re-opened as the Queens Ballroom at a cost of £30,000.
It proved popular with young people in the city offering a variety of music to dance to during the week.
"It didn't matter what night it was, it was also packed in there, you couldn't move.
"The queues used to go down the street. There was a commissionaire on the front door and you would pay him your two bob and then he would let you in.
"Inside there were photographs of people like Clark Gale, James Dean, Cliff Richard and Marilyn Monroe.
"Queens used to open on a lunchtime too between 12pm and 2pm for the office workers to have a bop.
"Many office workers went back to work knackered but they wouldn't miss the lunchtime bop for anything.
"Often the Wolves team would come in after training, have a dance and then either go back to training or go do something else.
"I met some fantastic characters including many of the Wolves players like Peter Knowles," says Mr Richardson, who used to work on Wolverhampton market and now lives in Shatterford, near Bewdley.
Sadly its popularity waned and it was finally demolished in 1978 before the site was redeveloped by Lloyds Bank in 1980.
Mr Richardson's fond memories of the dance hall inspired him to put pen to paper and write a story based on the popular venue.
"I would keep telling people stories about Queens and they told me you should write a book," said Mr Richardson.
His story is called Queens Empire and is one of many that he has written over the years.
It's been inspired by real events but he says he has used artistic license to exaggerate some of what happened and alter some of the details.
"Not only do I think it would make a good book but I also think it would make a good musical because everybody loves the sixties," said Mr Richardson.
