MANY parts of York have changed over the years, but in one particular way, this area has changed the most.
You wouldn't know it today if you walked along Terry Avenue, just downstream from Skeldergate Bridge - but this was once a throbbing part of York's nightlife scene.
This first picture is from 1972, and shows The Ardath club - a floating night club. When planning permission was renewed that year, councillors praised its interior and said it was a good tourist attraction for York.
Fast forward a decade or so, and The Ardath had been replaced by The Barge, which was a pub rather than a club:
Alas, this was one pub that certainly didn't run dry.
In August 1984, The Evening Press reported that 80 disco dancers and drinkers had escaped unhurt when water got into the pub, and the next day it looked like this:
It was pumped out and righted, but in March 1985, it sank once again.
By then, it had been replaced by The Flying Dutchman, visible to the left in the photo above, and to the right in the photo below.
This was The Flying Dutchman when it arrived in November 1984.
Its owners told The Evening Press at the time that the 127ft vessel would be a bistro and nightclub.
After a refurbishment, it opened in autumn 1985 but its application to extend planning permission a year later was refused.
As for its predecessor, The Barge.... It remained a sorry sight in the river for a few months, before being towed away into this history books. Photographer John Giles captured this image in April 1985.
The accompanying long caption read: "Webbed feet are the only ones these days that are safe near The Barge, once York's only floating pub.
"Today, as the river rises and the hull sinks deeper in the mud, former customers can just remember what was, but is likely to be no more.
"For the dcks, The Barge remains a half-submerged attraction which excites their curiosity.
"As the sun glints on the windows, a duck admires her reflection and shares the sinking feeling.
"She has a ringside seat as a piece of York nightlife is going... going...".
Do you remember The Ardath, The Barge or The Flying Dutchman? Share your memories below, or email maxine.gordon@thepress.co.uk
Or join our nostalgia group on Facebook at Why We Love York - Memories.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel