Memories

The old Dreadnought Hotel in Bathgate.
A hotel, restaurant, bar/lounge and disco all in one. And I lived in LOVED the place.

This building evokes lots of mixed memories for me. I grew up in this place...... Well, from around the unofficial age of 15 :)


This was 'the' place to go if you were a rock chick. (Or rock dude :)
In the early days, it was all Mohicans or hair down to your knees, biker jackets (I still have mine although I don't wear it now) with the more zips the better, casual or outrageous dress and nobody, and I mean NOBODY, had short hair.
Walking into the Dreadnought with short hair would have ruined your life instantly :)
The rock disco (they're called nightclubs these days I believe :) was at the back of the building and was a dark black gloomy place. But unlike other clubs, I don't recall any trouble. The clientele may have looked dodgy but it was, surprisingly, the most relaxed and laid back place.

This is where I had my first ever proper 'pub' drink, where I used to go for a bar lunch with my mum on our T-breaks from work, where I used to walk home from, with my older sister, holding her up because she couldn't handle a diamond white or two :)
This is where I found my identity and started to become me.
This is where I used to go on Hogmany, my sister and I leaving at 11:55 to be home for 12 like my mum wanted and back out the door 5minutes after 12 to finish the night we'd started.
This is where I met my 'then' husband......and subsequently where I held my divorce party :)
This is where we had my nana's funeral T........

When it shut down a few years ago, I was gutted. I didn't go there with anywhere near the same frequency as I had previously, (blame a control freak partner) but it was like the end of an era.

A brief disastrous spell in part of Room at the Top (another crappy club that is no more) and The Dreadnought has now re-opened elsewhere in Bathgate.
The dress code has altered, the clientele are soooo young!!!! (Maybe coz I'm old now) but you will still come across a few of the 'old' rockers, albeit with short hair or no hair :)
It will never ever be the same, but it's not bad at all. And really, it's not so much where you are, than who you are with, that makes a night :)
....... right?....... :)