THE LOST HOTELS
July 1, 1959: Ken Bulmer tells me by phone that the last London Circle business meeting at the White Horse the decision was reached to accept the offer of the British Science Fiction Association and that London will hold the Convention in conjunction with the BSFA. No hotel has as yet been booked, nor has a Convention Committee been elected. It is expected that the Committee will be formed shortly, while a search for a suitable hotel is already in progress. The Convention will take place at Whitsun. - Ron Bennett, SKYRACK #4 January 5, 1960: Good Friday 15th April to Easter Monday 18th April. Event - The London Convention organised by the BSFA. The Place - The Dominion Hotel, Lancaster Gate, London W.2. Bed and Breakfast is 35/-, with reductions for juniors who are willing to share rooms. Bookings should be made directly to the hotel manager, and not to BSFA Secretary, Sandra Hall. The Convention fee will be inclusive for the weekend and has been set at 15/.- (10/- for BSFA members, with reductions for juniors). Deposits on Convention fees may be paid to Archie Mercer, 434/4 Newark Rd., North Hykeham, Lincoln. Guests of honour at the Convention will be Nova Editor, Ted Carnell and TAFF delegate, Don Ford. Suggested programme outline is as follows: Friday - general renewal of fannish acquaintances. Saturday - "light" items, such as twenty questions, cover guessing competitions, etc., with the possibility of an informal banquet in the evening, followed by a dance. Sunday - BSFA AGM late morning, with the afternoon devoted to more serious items (in contrast to the light items of Saturday, and NOT to the AGM!), with films in the evening. Suggestions from groups willing to fill in the blanks of this outline should be sent to Sandra (41 North End House, Fitz-James Avenue, London W 14). How about you, hmmm? - Ron Bennett, SKYRACK #12 February 22, 1960: Because of the dissatisfaction expressed at the high prices of the Dominion hotel, the site of the BSFA Easter Convention has been switched. Take note, therefore, of the following:
TIME: Remains Good Friday 15th April to Easter Monday 18th Apr. BOOKINGS: Bed & Breakfast 30/3d. Double rooms 58/-. Some four bedded rooms 22/6d per. Priority for cheaper accommodation to be given to younger fans travelling the greatest distances. All bookings (no deposits) to be made by letter through Ella Parker 15l Canterbury Road, West Kilburn, London NW6. The Sandringham is not a licenced hotel but the Manager is agreeable to our bringing in alcohol provided we keep it to our rooms and the lounge provided for us. A night porter will provide tea or coffee. Breakfast is normally from 8 - 9.30, but as a concession this has been extended to 10.30. If anyone would like to insure articles of value, John Newman, 36 Bulstrode Ave., Hounslow, Middx., will take care of any inquiry. Auction material to Ella Parker. Convcntion fees to Archie Mercer, 434/4 Newark Rd., North Hykeham, Lincoln. These have now been reduced to: BSFA Members 7/6, junior members 5/-; Non BSFA members 10/-, junior nonmembers 7/6d -- for the entire convention. This is a BSFA Convention and is not being organised in conjunction with the London Circle. - Ron Bennett, SKYRACK #14 March 5, 1960:
 Friday April 8, 1960 I had arranged with the hotel manager at which the Convention was to be held, that I would take the bookings from the fen and give them to him in a block. I'd told him to expect around 50 to sleep(!) with about the same number visiting the lounge we would be using for a Conhall. The hotel didn't have a licence for selling drinks but I was assured there were no objections to our bringing our own in provided they were kept to the bedrooms and our lounge; the hotel would even provide us with glasses! I figured it was best to be honest and told him that in all probability there would be very little actual sleep done over the weekend as we only had this one chance, annually, to meet up and exchange talk and the like. To this he was also agreeable. I suppose I should have been suspicious, because every demand I made on behalf of the Convention was met with the bland promise: "If we haven't got it we'll get for you." Things looked fine from where I Was sitting. I phoned the hotel on Friday to let them know I'd be down that day with the bookings I had. A woman's voice said: "I'm the owner, the man you saw was my brother who was standing in for me for a couple of days." I thought more about it than that the least the brother could have done was to tell me it wasn't his hotel. He had assured me he'd be there himself over the holiday in order to help things run smoothly. As it turned out, he'd lied in his teeth. When I arrived and had a cigarette well alight we got down to business. How many would we be? When was it for? For how long would we be there? What exactly were we? (alright chum, you try and answer that one!). It transpired that the hotel owner hadn't been advised on any of the detailed arangements made on her and the hotel's behalf by her brother. This meant that every time I told her about something else her brother had promised would be done or obtained for us she dashed over to the phone and called him to query it. From the expostulations at our end I gathered the brother was unrepentantly telling her: "Yes, that's right, I did say that." When the girl - she wasn't really much more than that - realised how far he'd gone in her name she did the honourable thing and agreed to accept the bookings. We had to make certain adjustments, such as some things she knew or couldn't afford to get in for us. She was anxious for the good name of her hotel to do her best for us and I was only too willing to compromise with her on what I thought the gang would stand for; reminding myself all the time that there was only a week to go before the Convention and we had to have this hotel, there just wasn't time to find another. My pride took an awful beating that day. - Ella Parker, ORION #25 (June '60)
 Tuesday April 12, 1960 I had an appointment with the hotel that day to give them the last of the bookings and to make sure all was as it should be. When I got to the hotel the owner introduced me to her mother who looked as if she was on the point of leaving, she was putting on her hat. Instead of going out she pinned me with a hard look and remarked: "Miss Parker, I don't like the sound of this party you have arranged for Easter. I don't like it at all. If my daughter takes my advice she'll cancel the whole thing." To say I was dismayed would be to understate the case. I was aghast. I'd already done diplomatic battle with the daughter and we'd reached some sort of working agreement but I could see this old battle-axe wasn't going to be easily persuaded, indeed, she wasn't going to be persuaded in any way if she could help it. I don't know if my face showed that I recognised defeat even before I'd begun fighting, but in spite of all my pleas she stuck to her guns. I must be fair and say that the daughter was on the verge of a right battle royal with her mother, in order to honour her word that she would have us there. The old woman over-rode her on every point. I wondered if perhaps Bobbie Gray could effect some sort of compromise with the old haybag so I asked permission to use the phone and called her. As I wasn't on the BSFA committee I had to let her know what had happened anyway. It was no go. We were out! 48 hours to the Convention and nowhere to go! - Ella Parker, ORION #25 (June '60)
| |||
|
