For a generation of Tyneside fun-seekers, the Tuxedo Princess floating nightclub moored on the River Tyne under the arch of the Tyne Bridge was one of the prime symbols of the region's 'party city' image.
The brainchild of businessman Michael Quadrini, the Princess, a converted former car ferry, had arrived on the Tyne in 1983. It first lowered its gang plank at Gateshead Quayside on December 19 that year, with hundreds of revellers on board, and with the staff dressed in sailors’ uniforms.
For the next two and a half decades, it was one of 'the' places to go - but by 2007, the tide was turning and owners Absolute Leisure decided time was up for the Tuxedo Princess, and it would soon set sail into the sunset.
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On December 7 that year, more than 300 guests were invited to a special VIP party aboard the glitzy floating nightspot to give it a final send-off, with men on stilts, fire eaters and burlesque dancers turning out to mark the occasion.
“Scores of people have met, fallen in love, married, worked and partied on board during its two stints moored on the Tyne," reported the Chronicle 15 years ago. “Jean Goldsmith worked as a cleaner on the boat. She recalls happy memories of her 12 months on board 10 years ago, saying: ‘It was a great place to work. I had lovely times here and it’ll be sad to lose her."
One Newcastle couple recalled meeting there in 1998: "We hit it off immediately and before the evening ended we had a go on the revolving dancefloor and came spinning off twice." They married soon afterwards. Another couple from Cramlington had their wedding reception on the boat in 1987, recalling: "We planned a cold buffet for the hot weather in July, but it rained all day. Despite the rain we had a wonderful day.” One woman from Gateshead who met her future husband on the boat said: “We’re really sad the boat is leaving the Tyne as this is where I met the love of my life.”
In its day, the Tuxedo Princess - nicknamed ‘The Boat’ - was one of Tyneside's most popular venues for a night out. Shoulder-to-shoulder with punters sporting big hair and padded shoulders, you could sip cocktails on the deck, or listen to music in the piano bar. Or you could enjoy a meal, or just boogie on the infamous revolving dance floor to the sounds of the disco.
Famous revellers included Kevin Keegan, Paul Gascoigne and a succession of Newcastle United players, as well as the cast of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Our Friends In The North . The likes of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Rick Astley, Nik Kershaw, Noel Edmonds, Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall, Freddie Starr, Ian Botham, Kevin Costner, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, to name a few, all partied there.
During the 1990s, the boat moved to Glasgow for a few years, and its place under the Tyne Bridge, was taken by the Tuxedo Royale. When the Princess returned, the Royale moved to Teesside in 2000. The Tuxedo Princess would finally be towed from its mooring on the Tyne in July, 2008, when it was sailed to Greece and the breakers’ yard. The party was finally over.
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