A bid to mark one of Cornwall’s great lost music venues – which is now the site of a Morrisons supermarket – is being seriously considered by a parish council. 

A music fan has asked the council to contemplate getting the ball rolling on a possible blue plaque, or even a sculpture, to mark where the mighty Flamingo Ballroom once stood.

The club and live music venue ran from 1958 to 1979 in Pool and the site was previously part of the Wheal Agar section of East Pool and Agar Mines.

It was started by Charlie Simpson and later taken on by his no-nonsense daughter Joy Hone, one of the few women working in the music industry at the time. 

The Flamingo was believed to be the largest venue of its kind in the west of England, with capacity for 1,300 people and parking for 1,000 cars.

Former pop star Peter Noone was one of those who played the venue as singer with Herman’s Hermits in 1965. He recalled: “I remember the Flamingo because we had to return from an American tour and a Hollywood movie set and Redruth was exactly what our over-inflated egos needed. Those were the days.”

The list of legendary names who played the Flamingo is almost endless – Gene Vincent, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Canned Heat, Deep Purple, Hawkwind, Judas Priest, Mott The Hoople, Pink Floyd, Slade, Small Faces, Smile (pre-Queen Brian May and Roger Taylor), Sparks and Status Quo, who performed three times between 1968 and 1973.

Others who took to the ballroom stage included The Sweet, The Kinks (three times in 1966 and 67), The Move, The Pretty Things, The Troggs, The Who, The Yardbirds (featuring three legendary guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page), Thin Lizzy, Tom Jones and Wishbone Ash.

David Bowie attended a gig there on New Year’s Eve 1968 by the Empty Vessels, who later became Wishbone Ash, after he played two shows in Falmouth on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

Music fan John Penna, whose parents still live just yards from the former Flamingo, has contacted Carn Brea Parish Council in a bid for this Mecca for Cornish music fans of a certain age to be marked and remembered.

He said: “Unfortunately, the venue no longer exists, but its legacy endures. Redruth, despite being an area faced with challenges, was once a beacon of cultural significance, hosting performances by some of the world’s most renowned musicians.

“The absence of a memorial to commemorate the club and these historic performances is a missed opportunity to celebrate our rich cultural heritage and inspire current and future generations. 

“An idea would be a blue plaque or even a sculpture by some local artists. People would go to see it and could even spend money in the supermarket.

“Locals are probably not even aware that the most famous musicians on the planet were in Redruth.”

Andrew Moyle-Browning, clerk of the parish council, has said that Mr Penna’s request will be passed to the amenities and projects committee this month and the council would be supportive of an approach to Morrisons with a view to publicising the full history of the site, including its mining heritage.