Gosh "The Strega", that brings back youthful memories..

Gaiety wasn't that bad, though it was a den of iniquity. You were usually safe in there despite the scum bags and dealers because it was usually full of off duty coppers and press!

Strangely enough me and G1 had a conversation about this place not so long ago, it was before my time so I never went but it sounded like a fun place.

I went to the Strega once, a bit intimidating, I too never thought the Gaiety was that bad and never felt particularly uncomfortable in there.

For me the scariest pub in Leeds is, or was, the Wilson Arms on the Seacroft Estate. You didn't make eye contact in there. The Royal Park, Little Park and newlands weren't great 25 years ago either.

The fatal shooting of David Nelson was the last straw for that place thankfully. Sad that it took something like that to make licencing committees sit up and take notice mind.

See also The Trotters on York Road (what is now Paws for Thought opposite the Irish Centre) which never recovered from being the centre of a gangland attack.

My Aunty & Uncle used to have the Wilsons in the early 90s IIRC. Never realised it was so bad

I don’t get this whole rough pub area thing and I've been in some right dives!

It was a typical estate pub (if you have enough time, ask McLaren Field to tell you about estate pubs in the North East) - fine if everyone knew you, but not a place you wanted to go as a stranger. It tended to police itself.

Martin Flay and Martin Richardson?

No offence Damo lad but I hardly think the first thoughts of people when you walk into a pub would be " oh look hes a gangster/drug dealer lets shoot him" !!

I would have thought it would be more along the lines of " ID him"

You might speculate that, I wouldn't wish to either confirm or deny.

If I recall it was one set of not particularly charming individuals looking for another set of equally charmless ones and a lot of innocent people getting caught in the middle.

I had the Boylans involved there somewhere, but I might be mixing it up with the attack on The Manston they ended up going down for.

This is correct

Did the Whinmoor too?

You could probably name dozens more

I still think they might have been the intended target of the attack on The Trotters?

Mentioning Martin Flay, isn't he inside for assaulting his sister?

is that your old man

I actually couldn't.

Mi Ma & Pa were in that night. I'm sure they could thouh

Carlos the Jackal! Think I used to see him in Cosmos/Phoenix.

My Sister and her boyfriend at the time were in the Manston when that incident occured!

I was in close proximity of an attack in a City Centre Pub by the Lulu`s Gang or more specifically the father of one of the Lulu`s gangs for thos who go as far back as me

First time we went in the barman jumped over the bar with a pool cue and chased a load of Asian kids out. He came back and said the strippers on upstairs lads,we wondered what we had let ourselves in for.Very dodgy upstairs with some girls who it was best not to make eye contact with.Never had any trouble though and always had a good laugh with the blue comic who was always on.Happy days

WORKED IN TROTTERS , fortunately left b4 the attacks but used to travel past up york road the nites after when extra bodies were brought in.

allegedly started over an argument with landlord & told years later was a fatality in irwin arms

Landlord of Trotters then was Andy Sykes ex- Leeds Prop.

I actually used to get dragged around a lot of unsavoury pubs in the early 80s by my copper mate who had recently volunteered for undercover work, the Hayfield in Chapeltown and the pub in the middle of the Uni/Poly campus (Faversham ?) were prime locations for spotting open drug dealing - I got to be quite an expert



And while I could easily pass for a scruffy unmade bed sort of student in my RAF greatcoat, my mate insisted on keeping his police short back and sides, John Holmes stylee moustache and a black leather jacket - all the things that pronounced "I am a copper" to the pubs inhabitants, he may as well have carried a siren and a flashing blue light - you can imagine that we had some uncomfortable evenings