The Ace Cafe London is a transport cafe in Stonebridge

Stonebridge, London

-See also:* Harlesden* Harlesden station* The nearby Dudding Hill Line in Craven Park...

, north west London, England. It is a notable venue in motorcycle culture which originally operated from 1938 until 1969, then re-opened on the original site in 1997.

History

It opened in 1938 to accommodate traffic on the new North Circular Road

A406 road

The A406 or the North Circular Road is a road which crosses North London, UK, linking West and East London. It, together with the South Circular Road, forms a ring road through the inner part of Outer London...

. Because the cafe was open 24 hours a day, it started to attract motorcyclists

Motorcycling

Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. A variety of subcultures and lifestyles have been built up around motorcycling.-Benefits:Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a paean celebrating motorcycling...

. It became popular with the Ton Up Boys (and girls) in the 1950s and the Rockers

Rocker (subculture)

Rockers, leather boys or ton-up boys are a biker subculture that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centered around British cafe racer motorcycles and rock and roll music....

 in the 1960s.

The cafe was rebuilt in 1949 after being destroyed in a World War II air raid

The Blitz

The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...

. The building is close to the Willesden

Willesden

Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...

 railway marshalling yard, target of the raid.

Events in the post-war environment made the Ace a success: the emergence of the teenager; increase in traffic; and the British motorcycle industry at its peak. Many young people started to meet at the cafe with their motorcycles and listen to rock'n'roll. Many bands and motorcycle enthusiast groups formed there.

The cafe closed in 1969 and the building became a tyre sales and fitting shop.

Rocker Reunions and refurbishment

Following the success of the Rocker Reunion movement, started by an original 59 Club member Len Paterson the first Ace Cafe Reunion,organised by Mark Wilsmore and held in 1994 attracted as many as 12,000 revivalists, the cafe was reopened in 1997, and completely refurbished in 2001. Rockers and motorcyclists from all over the world go to the Ace to share stories, fix bikes and see the legend. No longer open 24-hours, the cafe now has an extensive calendar of meets for both bikes and cars to cater for everyone. It also puts on live music and DJ's, and is approved for weddings and civil partnerships.

Film and media

The Ace Cafe was immortalised as a location of the 1964 film The Leather Boys

The Leather Boys

The Leather Boys is a 1964 British drama film about the rocker subculture in London featuring a gay motorcyclist. This film is notable as an early example of a film that violated the Hollywood production code, yet was still shown in the United States, as well as an important film in the genre of...

, Sidney J. Furie

Sidney J. Furie

Sidney J. Furie is a Canadian film director. Furie is perhaps best known for directing American Soldiers, The IPCRESS File, The Entity, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Lady Sings the Blues, The Boys, Gable and Lombard, Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York and the Iron Eagle films.Also...

's notable British "kitchen sink

Kitchen sink realism

Kitchen sink realism is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose 'heroes' usually could be described as angry young men...

" drama.

In the past it has been used for the Channel 5 TV programme Fifth Gear

Fifth Gear

Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins...

in the seasons 10 to 13 (September 2006 until March 2008), and for ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 programme Used Car Roadshow

Used Car Roadshow

Used Car Roadshow is a car programme that was originally aired on the Men & Motors channel, but now it is also shown on ITV4. The show is presented by Penny Mallory and Jason Dawe...

. It has also featured in the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 television series By Any Means

By Any Means

By Any Means, also known as Ireland to Sydney by Any Means, is a television series following Long Way Round and Long Way Down star Charley Boorman...

with Charley Boorman

Charley Boorman

Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...

; mentioned as a favorite for Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor

Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...

 by his wife in the documentary, Long Way Down

Long Way Down

"Long Way Down" is a single by the Goo Goo Dolls from their breakthrough album, 1995's A Boy Named Goo. This song is often overshadowed by the low-key ballad "Name", which launched the band to household names...

; and the 2008 film Freebird

Freebird (film)

Freebird is a 2008 British comedy film directed by Jon Ivay and starring Gary Stretch, Geoff Bell, Phil Daniels and Peter Bowles.-Plot:Three friends, Fred , Tyg and Grouch , set out on a motorcycle trip to Wales in order to bring back a haul of cannabis for Fred's friend The Chairman...

.

In Episode 6 of Top Gear (series 3)

Top Gear (series 3)

The third series of Top Gear began on October 26, 2003, and concluded on December 28, 2003. The series featured 9 episodes. The series was subsequently followed by one "Best Of Top Gear" special, charting the best moments from the series. The series was the first series of Top Gear to get more than...

 Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...

 interviewed clients about their love of customising the Citroën Saxo

Citroën Saxo

The Citroën Saxo is a supermini produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1996 to 2003. It was also sold in Japan as the Citroën Chanson. It shares many engine and body parts with the Peugeot 106 , the major difference being interiors and body panels...

.

External links

• Wild Ones - The Ace Cafe and Youth Culture: 1955-65 (images from 2007 Brent Museum exhibition)
• Coming of Age at the Ace Cafe - Exhibition at the Coventry Transport Museum, from 3rd June - 2nd October 2011. www.transport-museum.com