There was a new arrival on the River Tyne 40 years ago.
It was March 1983, and local entrepreneur and nightclub owner, Michael Quadrini, was standing on Newcastle Quayside next to his latest acquisition. A former car ferry might not, at first sight, have seemed the most glamorous of vessels, but the businessman had an ambitious plan - one that would eventually become reality, but would need to overcome a variety of hurdles first.
The Chronicle had broken the exciting story earlier in the year: 'Floating Luxury Nightspot for Tyne'. Mr Quadrini, who already owned the trendy Tuxedo Junction nightspot in Newcastle city centre, was ready to launch a luxurious floating nightclub on a ship berthed at Newcastle Quayside.
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The Geordie son of Italian parents, he had purchased the 1961-built SS Caledonian Princess, a former Irish Sea car ferry, for the job. It took £10,000 and three tugs to tow the ship from Newhaven to the Tyne before being fitted out as a nightspot. But there were initial problems to surmount.
Police in Newcastle said their resources would be over-stretched because it meant moving manpower from the city centre down to the Quayside, and that there were enough licensed premises in Newcastle already. When a move to the Gateshead side of the Tyne was mooted, there was more opposition.
One small-boat holder said: “We have tried for the last eight years to get some sort of interest in the river going, and things were coming together. Something the size of the Caledonian Princess changes the whole character of the river.”
In newspaper interviews, Mr Quadrini told reporters he might be forced to move the boat to the Thames, or sell it to a foreign shipping company - but, in the event, a solution was found. After battles with local planners and overtures from Gateshead Council, the boat was eventually berthed on the south bank of the river at Hillgate Quay under the Tyne Bridge, where it would stay - on and off - for the next two and a half decades, becoming part of modern Tyneside folklore.
The new floating fun palace was named the Tuxedo Princess, beginning its life on December 19, 1983, with more than 400 revellers on board, and with the staff dressed in sailors’ uniforms for the opening night. Attracting Champagne-swigging pop stars, partying TV personalities, and Newcastle United footballers letting their hair down, in its day 'the Tux' was the height of 1980s glamour.
The iconic image of the floodlit vessel under the Tyne Bridge helped build Newcastle’s reputation as a party city, with fun-seekers travelling from across the country for a night on ‘The Boat.’ People who went to the ship would get dressed up. It had the reputation as a sophisticated venue. You could sip cocktails on the deck, or listen to music in the piano bar. Or you could enjoy a meal, or boogie on the famous revolving dancefloor. It also traded places briefly with another floating nightclub, the Tuxedo Royale, which then moved to Teesside, and saw the Princess return to the Tyne.
Over time, however, the once-glamorous Tuxedo Princess developed a reputation as a binge-drinking den and was considered to be out of place with the regeneration of Gateshead. In December, 2007 a farewell party for 300 invited guests was held after owners Absolute Leisure decided the venue had reached the end of its nightclub voyage.
The ship was finally towed from its mooring on the Tyne in July 2008. It was sailed to Greece where it was set for the breakers. Now, a full 40 years on from its arrival on Tyneside, thousands who partied aboard the Tuxedo Princess in its heyday will retain special memories of a unique Tyneside nightspot.
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