Saturday 9 January 2010

CALL ME MADAME

A few days ago I went to visit 13 Mount Road, shown above. In days of yore that was where you would find the Lewis School of Dancing. The extension on the left was a dance room and beyond it there was a wooden-framed extension providing more dancing space.

Now residing at the house is Mrs. Doreen Jones, maiden name Lawley, who got involved with the school in 1930s when it was in Bodfor Street above Grosvenor Motors - the premises that recently had a video rental shop downstairs (to your left of Knowles). Doreen remained involved after the move to Mount Road.

The school provided private tuition. Madame Lewis taught dancing and her daughter Miss Lewis taught piano and singing. They organised shows at Rhyl Pavilion and dances at Queens Ballroom for May Day (which was run by a committee) and Rose Day (an August event run by the publicity office of Rhyl Urban District Council).

The Lewises ran four Morris Dancing troupes and, what with one thing and another, they must have been busy and successful operators but in 1950 they moved from Rhyl to Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, to assist in a private school run by a family member.

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