33-420: Kirklevington Country Club , commonly known as The Kirk , was a club in the village of Kirklevington , Yarm, North Yorkshire, which saw many of the bands of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s appearing on its small stage. Notable bands that appeared here included Eric Clapton ( Cream ), Jimi Hendrix , Joe Cocker , Rod Stewart , Moody Blues, Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Brian Auger &
66-620: A restaurateur , his grandfather, Nikolaus von (Miklos) Ronay, established the Grand Hotel at Piešťany , now Slovakia . The family moved to Budapest when he was two, and with the onset of World War II , he was commissioned in the Hungarian Army serving with the occupying forces after the First and Second Vienna Awards in southern Slovakia and northern Transylvania . The Ronay family business suffered during wartime , and
99-467: A former 17th century coaching-inn. The McCoy brothers eventually ceased their involvement with The Tontine as of May 2013. After his brothers vacated their restaurant from the club, John McCoy established a small 'bistro' dining area on the 1st floor which was primarily served by an open to view charcoal-grill facility, specialising in locally sourced steaks and salads, served with large bowls of US-style French fries. Another unique aspect McCoy introduced to
132-490: A huge new venture in Darlington, Perry's , around 1991 proved unsuccessful and eventually led to that venue and The Kirklevington Country Club, being sold in the mid-1990s. The new purchasers massively expanded the club on the site, which meant that it lost much of its previous 'intimate' atmosphere, along with many longtime, dedicated 'core' patrons, (being before this redevelopment, a total 375 capacity). They also ceased
165-515: A local doctor, took over from James Wharton . In 2019, Conservative Matt Vickers won the seat. Kirklevington is part of the Stockton-on-Tees Borough's Yarm ward, represented by three councillors. These councillors were elected as Conservatives on 6 May 2011, Mark Anthony Chatburn later defected to UKIP. The Kirklevington and Castle Leavington Parish Council has seven members. It was chaired by Kate Brown for 7 years, however
198-579: A small, almost 'bijou' 30-seater restaurant. After quickly establishing a very widespread reputation for fine food and winning the Egon Ronay Guide Award for being "Restaurant of the Year' in 1975, they then went onto open McCoys at The Tontine, which became a UK and internationally acclaimed gourmet dining venue, some five miles south, along the main A19 road, near Osmotherley, North Yorkshire in
231-715: Is located on Forest Lane and Pump Lane and can be viewed from the A67. It is an English Heritage Grade II* Listed Building that was re-built in 1882 but still has parts dated to the 12th and 13th century. The Church is mainly associated with St Mary Magdalene Yarm and All Saints Worsall however has connections to Crathorne , Hutton Rugby and Middleton . Service times are: 1st Sunday 08:00 - Holy Communion 2nd Sunday 11:00 - Holy Communion 4th Sunday 11:00 - Family Service (Coffee from 10:30) Morning Prayer takes place every Thursday at 08:00 Egon Ronay#Egon Ronay's Guide Egon Miklos Ronay (24 July 1915 – 12 June 2010)
264-725: Is now chaired by Jennie Beaumont who took her place in May 2017 Kirklevington falls within the Cleveland Police area. As of April 2014 the police have installed ANPR number plate recognition cameras on the A67 road through the village, recording all vehicular movements 24 hours a day. Kirklevington Primary School has about 120 pupils. The nearest secondary school is Conyers School, about 1.5 miles away in Yarm, with approximately 1,300 pupils of ages 11–18. St Martin and St Hilary Church
297-669: The Médaille de la Ville de Paris in 1983, he was appointed a Chevalier of the Order of Agricultural Merit in 1987 and was a Chevalier du Tastevin . In 1957, Ronay completed the first edition of the Egon Ronay's Guide to British Eateries , selling 30,000 copies. The guides gained in popularity and it became a mark of distinction to be mentioned in the books. His guides made a point of not accepting advertising or hospitality from hotels and restaurants to ensure impartiality. Ronay sold
330-582: The Rolling Stones for £65 ($ 90) and The Hollies at his previous club-venue The Outlook in Middlesbrough. On Saturday 13 July 1963 both The Hollies and The Rolling Stones appeared on the same bill at The Outlook , In fact this was the Rolling Stones first booking outside of Greater London, and this one-off gig was actually 'brokered' as a favour through John McCoys friend, blues-singer Long John Baldry. In Bill Wyman's book "Rolling with
363-626: The Stockton South Parliamentary Constituency , was represented in the House of Commons by James Wharton (Conservative), who was elected on 6 May 2010. James Wharton was re-elected with an increased majority on 7 May 2015. In August 2016 he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development. As a result of the elections on 8 June 2017 Labour's Paul Williams ,
SECTION 10
#1732798016844396-428: The menu , which was unusual for post-war Britain. After TV chef Fanny Cradock visited with her husband, Johnnie , Ronay built up contacts with the press , and later began to write a food column for The Daily Telegraph . In his later years, Ronay acted as food consultant for pub chain J D Wetherspoon . He also worked with motorway service station company Welcome Break to promote their products. Awarded
429-635: The rights to his books to The AA in 1985. However, after subsequent owner Leading Guides International went into bankruptcy in 1997, Ronay took legal action to reclaim the rights. In 2005, in conjunction with the Royal Automobile Club , Ronay brought out Egon Ronay's RAC Guide to the Top 200 Restaurants in the UK , basing the reviews on comments received by restaurant inspectors. Twice married, he divorced Edit (m. 1935) in 1967, when he married
462-465: The 'live' bands aspect of the McCoy years. The new Club premises, by now at 800 capacity, eventually failed after only three years, and the building was sold and demolished, for the erection of a group of 'faux' cottage style homes. Kirklevington Kirklevington (also known as Kirk Leavington ) is a village in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees , North Yorkshire , England. At the 2011 census,
495-478: The 1980s). During the 1950s a local dance band leader Tommy Reay converted the large 1st floor room, and built extensions to form an out-of-town ( Stockton / Middlesbrough ) dance hall, which often also catered as a pre-motorway service station for early car owners and was also, (long before the Govt breathalyser-test was made mandatory in 1967), a regular 'drinks' stop-off venue for race-goers driving home northwards up
528-462: The A19 to Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle, from the seasonal 'meetings' held at York, Wetherby and Doncaster. In 1965 the club was purchased by a young local musician and promoter John Benedict McCoy (whose 8-piece R&B band The Crawdaddies had been playing there since 1964) and his partner Ken Crawford. John McCoy had already proved himself well enough in promoting many accomplished young bands on 'the rise up' as early as 1963. Even booking
561-529: The Evening Gazette the previous night. At another small 200 capacity venue,John McCoy opened in late 1966, Mr McCoys in Bottomley St, Middlesbrough, he had also booked 'Little' Stevie Wonder and The Who . During the mid/late 1960s and long before widespread car ownership amongst the young, Kirklevington Country Club proved surprisingly popular, even though its North Yorkshire village location
594-633: The Ram Jam Band, Spooky Tooth, the Jeff Beck Group (feat. Rod "The Mod" Stewart and Ronnie Wood), Chris Rea , Paul Rodgers , David Coverdale, Dire Straits , Marc Almond / Soft Cell and the Patter Merchants, etc. The club premises were (pre World War II) a filling station/garage, situated on the old A19 York road leading north to Newcastle and Sunderland, (the club's owners maintained a tradition of forecourt petrol-sales until
627-655: The Stones" (a detailed journal of his time with the band) he is adamant that this booking was at a Middlesbrough club called the Alcove. However, there never was a Middlesbrough club of that name. John McCoy's explanation for this is that he wrote Alcove on the Rolling Stones contract (signed by McCoy and Brian Jones) to give the basement-club a separate identity from the 'Young Outlook' fashion store above it! An advertisement for this double booking at The Outlook appeared in
660-650: The Trinity, Zoot Money & his Big Roll Band, The Animals, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Graham Bond Organisation (featuring Ginger Baker & Jack Bruce), Alex Harvey, Alexis Korner, Thin Lizzy, George Melly, PP Arnold and The Nice (Emerson on Hammond), Terry Reid, Simple Minds , Yes , Mott the Hoople , Buddy Guy , Paul Young, The Alan Bown Set , Goldie & The Gingerbreads, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, Geno Washington and
693-538: The centre of a large Anglo-Saxon estate, are on display at Preston Hall Museum in Stockton-on-Tees . Later it was a planned two row green village. Traces of four fields of ridge and furrow marking the possible site of a deserted medieval village are to be found at Red Hall Farm. The local names of "Castle Hill" and "Castle Levington" refer to a "castle" on the banks of the River Tees 1.25 miles ENE of
SECTION 20
#1732798016844726-582: The club in the 1970s, was 'imported' (and then hard to find in the UK) Australian 'Fosters' lager, which was served from ice-filled troughs, 'in the can' for patrons to activate the ring-pull themselves. This procedure was so unusual at that time, that an illustration of a 'foaming' can of lager bearing the club's logo quickly became part of its publicity material. During the late 1970s, John B. McCoy became personal manager of two Middlesbrough-born singer/songwriters Claire Hamill and later Chris Rea . By
759-465: The early 1980s, after extensive touring and the release of two albums with Rea, McCoy handed over his management role to Jim Beach ( manager of Queen ) and returned to Kirklevington to further develop his club premises. This was to include a unique New England influenced, 60-cover restaurant Martha's Vineyard Bar & Grill (1983) spread over two levels. It proved so popular that it very soon required at least 14-day advance table reservations. However,
792-476: The punitive taxation created by UK Gambling Acts of 1966 and 1968 soon made this facility unviable, accompanied with an immediate loss of revenue. Another difficulty to the club's operation was dealt by the creation of the County Borough of Teesside in 1968, the new boundaries of which extended into parts of the old North Riding of Yorkshire, including Kirklevington village. The immediate impact to patrons
825-494: The time of writing this (March 2023), it has closed down and is in the process of being sold. On the southern edge of the built up area of Yarm, and about 1.5 miles north of the village, is HMP Kirklevington Grange , a men's resettlement prison for inmates intending to settle (on release) in the North East of England. The village was once home to the famous Kirklevington Country Club, 'The Kirk'. Kirklevington, as part of
858-479: The village but still in the parish of Kirklevington. The unusually dispersed village is relatively modern. It includes a church, village hall, a small public park, a primary school, a riding centre at Town End Farm, Vidgen's engineering garage, and a pub, the Crown Hotel. The population is around 800. In July 2017 Stockton Borough Council said that it "is minded " to approve a proposal to build 145 new houses in
891-545: The village had a population of 809. The civil parish had a population of 1,361. The village shares it with Castle Levington and is situated south of Yarm , it hosts the town's station. A settlement is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Levetona", meaning "farmstead on the River Leven " (where "Leven" is of Celtic origin, possibly meaning "smooth"). The appellation "kirk" ( old Norse for "church")
924-776: The village, which would increase the population by about one third. Kirklevington Hall is about 0.75 miles north of the village. From 1881 the Hall was a family home of the Richardsons of Hartlepool. During the Second World War it was a secret command centre for the North-East. In the 1970s and 1980s it was home to judges on the Northeastern Circuit. It was the location of "Judges Country House Hotel", an AA 3 Red Star Country House with 3 Rosettes. At
957-566: Was a Hungarian -born food critic who wrote and published a series of guides to British and Irish restaurants and hotels in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. His guidebooks are credited with raising the quality of British cooking offered in public eating places. He also championed foreign cuisine to British diners. Born in 1915 in Bratislava , Austria-Hungary , the only child of former Royal Hungarian Army captain Miklos Ronay,
990-730: Was adopted later. As an ancient parish , it included the townships of Castlelevington , Picton and Low Worsall , which became established as separate parishes in 1866. It formed part of the Stokesley Rural District from 1894 to 1974, when it became part of the borough of Stockton. The village was once home to the Kirklevington Country Club. Pieces from the Viking crosses, dating from 10th century, found in Kirklevington, which may have been
1023-406: Was quite remote from local towns. Weekend nights at the "Kirk" were particularly well attended, as these were the nights the live-bands appeared. Many clubgoers would board the latest early-evening bus service there, and then rely on hitch-hiking home in groups along the roadside in the early hours. The club also operated a small 'casino' at this time featuring Blackjack & Roulette tables. However,
Kirklevington Country Club - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-731: Was taken over by the Communists once Hungary fell under Soviet control after the defeat of the Nazis . Ronay emigrated to London , England alone on 10 October 1946. His father's contacts arranged for him to manage Princes restaurant in Piccadilly , and then the Carousel Club in St James's . He then borrowed £4,000 and took over The Marquee , a 39-seat former tea room , near Harrods , putting classic French dishes on
1089-468: Was that the very popular Sunday night, which had previously been licensed for alcohol sales until 12:00 midnight by the N. Riding licensing authority, was now reduced to 10:30pm by the new Teesside Licensing Dept. After this time, only 'soft-drinks' could be purchased until the club closed at midnight. By the early 1970s John McCoy gave over part of the building (a former vehicle workshop) to his brothers Peter, Tom & Eugene McCoy, in order for them to open
#843156