Unique venue's last turn
THE seeds of Turner's Musical Merry-Go-Round were sown in a Northamptonshire living room at the turn of the 1980s.
Scribbling ideas on a few scraps of paper, Nigel Turner, who had become a collector of fairground artefacts entirely by accident, began piecing together plans for what would become one of the county's most famous, if unusual, attractions.
"I used to collect pieces of old farm machinery," Nigel told the Chronicle & Echo, as the venue prepared to open its doors for the first time.
"But once, on a trip to Norfolk, I ended up buying an organ. When I saw it, I thought 'that's nice' and it all started from there."
As the collection began to grow, Nigel, who ran a family nursery business in Wootton, was forced to store the machines in barns, but as he began the restoration process he soon realised he needed a venue where others could hear the music.
Despite not being able to play a note, he was convinced there was a market for an indoor musical fairground and after using his own family as guinea pigs, the scribbles he had made some years before looked destined not to remain on the drawing board.
However, turning dreams into reality need money and Nigel had to invest 300,000 into what had started out as an accidental hobby.
"I really wanted to capture the magic of the fairground, but somewhere we could also provide dancing and eating facilities.
"We held practice dances in the barns and they seemed to go down really well – that was when we knew we were on the right track.
"Having tested the idea we found we knew there would be enough interest to hold one every weekend. We always said we wanted to share these fairground memories with other people. I think it has the right recipe to become the top organ centre in the country."
Three years later the designs were complete and when Northampton Borough Council gave the go-ahead in 1981, the real work began.
Centred on a full-size 19th century merry-go-round and the largest privately-owned Wurlitzer, Nigel's dream soon became reality and gave Northamptonshire a new attraction, the likes of which the county had never seen before.
Even before it opened, Turner's had established a reputation for itself, managing to attract Nichols Martin, the 18-year-old resident organist at Blackpool Tower, down south to take up a permanent position in the county.
"It's fantastic news that we have got him – he's one of the best there is," said Nigel. "It's very exciting, but it's going to mean a lot of hard work. I shall virtually live down there."
Turner's was very much a family affair, with Nigel's wife, despite no artistic training, teaching herself to decorate the ornate organs and carousels, restoring them to their original Victorian splendour.
However, when the venue celebrated its 10th anniversary, the hard work seemed to have paid off.
While Nigel still owned the venue, the day-to-day running of Turner's was managed by his cousin Stuart and his wife Sue, and the family-run entertainment business looked set to continue.
"We've had lots and lots of fun," said Stuart at the anniversary party. "A lot of people have been to visit us – we have had more than one million in 10 years.
"Over the years the family have designed and organised all the shows. It's very much been total involvement, but we have loved every minute of it."
The venue adapted to calls for different types of music, with an emphasis on tribute bands and 70s and 80s nights and coach-loads of people still travel from all over the country to the nightspot.
While times and tastes have changed since Turner's first opened its doors, the venue has continued to prove popular, but with Nigel preparing for retirement the end is nigh.
Business will continue as usual until July, but developers Geroge Wimpey have now applied for planning permission to flatten the complex and build 93 new homes.
"It's a shame," Nigel told the Chronicle & Echo. "But I will be 61 next year and have been in business for 40 years. It's time to have some time to ourselves.
"We have really enjoyed the years we have been there and want to go out on a successful note.
"It's the end of an era, but we want people to visit us again before we close for the final time in the summer."
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