I read with interest your report (22 November) on the unveiling of a plaque in remembrance of the 37 people who died in the fire at 18 Denmark Place, London, which housed two unlicensed bars, the Spanish Rooms and El Dandy.
I remember hearing news of the fire on the radio on 16 August 1980, while breakfasting. My flatmate, the well-known London DJ Tallulah, would on rare occasions pop into the Spanish Rooms for a quick drink before returning home if he’d been DJing at a nearby club. I say “pop in” – in truth, it was quite a procedure to enter the premises. You’d ring a doorbell, an upper-floor window would slide open, a head would poke out to see who rang the bell, and if you passed their scrutiny, they’d toss a key down attached to a block of wood to unlock the front door.
