Tuxedo Princess
The Tuxedo Princess was a former car ferry that was later used as a floating nightclub, berthed on the River Tyne in Gateshead, England, until July 2008.
The vessel started life in 1961 as a 6,000 ton car ferry as the TSS Caledonian Princess, built for the Caledonian Steam Packet Company, operating on the Stranraer to Larne route.[1] It was absorbed into the Sealink division of British Rail in 1969.[1]. With only one set of doors for cars to enter and exit through there was a turntable on board to turn the vehicles around so they were facing the right way to disembark. This became a famous feature of the nightclub later, as a revolving dancefloor[citation needed].
By 1981 the ferry was surplus to requirements following the transition to roll-on/roll-off ships. It was acquired for use as an entertainment venue, fitting out with several ballrooms, opening in 1984.
It was moored on the Quayside in Gateshead, on the south bank of the Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne. First seen as a luxurious venue frequented by celebrities and the place to be, it evolved in the nightclub era to a dance music nightspot, a popular part of the nightlife of Newcastle and the Quayside.
It stayed in Newcastle for the next 25 years, bar a short period when it went to Glasgow and was temporarily replaced by the Tuxedo Royale, another former ferry.[1]
Post millennium, the Tuxedo Princess started to become dated and gained a reputation as a trouble spot,[citation needed] although it remained financially viable.[citation needed] Following the redevelopment of the Newcastle side of the Quayside with modern bars and waterfront housing, the owners of the vessel, Absolute Leisure, decided to remove the Tuxedo Princess in order to redevelop the adjoining Quayside on the south side of the river.[citation needed]
In its last weeks of use, it hosted a special guest night with many of the couples who originally used the boat and some of whom who met on the Tuxedo Princess. On 27 July 2008 the boat was towed away from its mooring to a new usage in Greece.[2][3]
On 6 October 2008, the Newcastle Evening Chronicle reported that the vessel was berthed in Piraeus, Greece and was likely to be scrapped[1]. This was a change from earlier reports which envisaged its conversion to a casino. In Early 2009, Ships Monthly magazine ran a photo essay showing the Tuxedo Princess being scrapped in Turkey, fittingly in the same yard as former Royal Navy destroyer HMS Newcastle.
External links
- Images of the Tuxedo Princess
- Official nightclub site - no longer live, last known to be active on 3 August 2008
- Videos and images of the Tuxedo Princess on BBC Tyne
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Tuxedo Princess - the floating nightclub". Inside Out. bbc.co.uk. 2008-04-25. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2008/04/21/north_east_tuxedo_s13_w8_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ↑ "Tuxedo Princess leaves the Tyne". BBC Tyne. bbc.co.uk. 2008-07-28. http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2008/07/28/tuxedo_princess_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ↑ Craig, Alastair (2008-07-28). "Tuxedo Princess starts final voyage to Greece". Evening Chronicle (Trinity Mirror). http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/tm_headline=tuxedo-princess-starts-final-voyage-to-greece&method=full&objectid=21417932&siteid=72703-name_page.html. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
