'Brilliant York night out for the food and disco - but the toilets were awful!'
Here are the key facts, memories and photos in our look back at The Willow in York
NEWS that one of York's most popular ever nightspots is to 'return' for one night only sent us delving into our archive, if not quite dusting down our dancing shoes.
The Willow – the legendary York Chinese restaurant-turned disco in Coney Street, which closed ten years ago – is set to return to York for one night this month.
The Willow Experience is part of the York Festival of Ideas and will allow those attending to 're-experience the Willow'.
The event, on June 14, from 6pm to 7pm, involves the Willow Archives Stories, a series of six short archive films that share memories from the challenges and joys experienced by the family-run business, as well as why residents loved it and the venue's special last night.
1999: The Willow Restaurant, Coney Street.
The screenings will mark the 10th anniversary of the Willow's closure and the launch of the Willow Community Digital Archive, a StreetLife project focusing on the communities of Coney Street.
Admission is free but booking is required. Find out more here.
To mark the resurrection of the Willow – albeit – for one night only, we have put together this gallery of images from the iconic night spot.
Readers have also been commenting on the 'come-back' and sharing memories of their nights at The Willow; here is a selection: below, followed by The Willow in York essential fact file:
Members of our nostalgia Facebook group, Why We Love York - Memories had some fine recollections to share about nights at York's most unusual disco
Rosie Brannan wrote: "Absolutely loved The Willow; Chinese at it's best. Was so sorry to lose it."
Julian Schofield posted: "Loved that place and Tommy - great nights spent there with the staff of Elliot's - would love for us all to meet up there on that night."
2015: Tommy and Sue Fong of The Willow in Coney Street, pictured ahead of its closing weekend. Picture- Frank Dwyer
Richard Gatecliffe said: "Always had a great night there."
Rebecca Kelly said: "Brilliant night out, food and disco etc, but the toilets were awful!"
Sally Rowlinson recalled: "Your feet stuck to the floor."
Legendary restaurant set to return to York for one night 'experience'
First look: Pop-up bar and food stall from top TV chef opens in York
'It was the perfect storm' - real reasons behind sudden closure of York shop
Meet the artist who draws York's best-loved pubs, shops and restaurants
1. The Willow in Coney Street has been part of York's social scene for decades; it dates back almost 90 years to 1936 when it was a cafe, of the same name.
2. In 1973, Tommy Fong took it over and it became one of York's more unusual - but super-popular - late-night spots. Part Chinese restaurant, part late-night disco, generations had enjoyed a late night bop at The Willow alongside a bowl of chow mein or a dish of prawn crackers.
3. Accessed through a set of steep steps, a night at The Willow was a must-do for locals and visitors alike.
Inside The Willow Chinese Disco which closed its doors forever on Sunday 26 July 2015
4. When news broke that the much-loved venue was to close, more than 400 people signed a petition in protest.
5. A spoof video, titled Hitler Reacts to the News That Willow is Closing, also attracted almost 12,000 hits on YouTube.
6. Speaking to The Press back in 2015, owner Tommy Fong revealed why it had to close. He said his lease for the premises from its owner Aviva had expired in 2012, since when he had operated under a 'tenancy at will' lease, allowing the landlord to terminate it at any time, and he had been given four weeks to vacate the building.
7. It was an end of an era when The Willow staged its last dance on Sunday July 26, 2015. For die hard fans, York's night life was never the same again.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
King and Duchess of Edinburgh visit Royal Windsor Flower Show
The King has visited the Royal Windsor Flower Show, which this year is inspired by an idea from his book. Charles, who has a passion for gardening, stopped to smell the flowers during his visit to the show which is billed as 'a joyful one-day celebration of gardening, nature, food and traditional crafts'. Gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who is the honorary president of the Royal Windsor Rose & Horticultural Society, helped to welcome the royal party including the Duchess of Edinburgh who officially opened the event. The theme for this year's show, held at the York Club in Windsor Great Park, is Patterns in Nature' inspired by Charles's 2010 book called Harmony: A New Way Of Looking At Our World. The King's Foundation explains Charles's philosophy of harmony is aimed at understanding 'the balance, order and relationships between ourselves and the natural world' to 'create a more sustainable future'. It adds: 'The Harmony philosophy sees everything in nature as interconnected, including ourselves. 'This means taking a holistic approach to the challenges facing our planet, and looking to solve these challenges by working with nature, rather than against her.' Apart from looking at the displays Charles smiled and shook hands with members of the public and Sophie chatted with Chelsea pensioners. There were also expert talks, demonstrations and hands-on workshops on offer for those who attended. Saturday was the 118th edition of the show, which has Charles as its patron.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
King Charles Sends an Unmistakable Message About Taylor Swift
King Charles Sends an Unmistakable Message About Taylor Swift originally appeared on Parade. recently sent an unmistakable message about in a new video shared on social media. On June 5, the British royal family's official Instagram account posted a video featuring the monarch, 78. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 In the clip, King Charles met with royal fans at SXSW London, a three-day festival in Shoreditch, East London, and toured the event. "Originating in Austin, Texas, the festival aims to serve as a platform to showcase the future of the creative industries, supporting emerging artists and innovative projects," the update explained. It concluded, "Before departing, His Majesty popped into Old Spitalfields Market to meet locals and speak to stallholders working the market's 'Antiques Thursday.'" However, royal fans immediately honed in on one detail of King Charles' video: the song choice. Swift's 2019 track "London Boy" played in the background alongside a montage of clips from the monarch's visit. Related: In the comments, many Instagram followers couldn't help but point out the King seemingly confirming that he is a Swiftie. One wrote, "His grandkids love Taylor Swift, I guess so does his Majesty." Someone else declared, "This song!!!! 🫶💕🫶💕🫶💕🫶💕." Another fan shared, "Love the fact they used a Taylor Swift song 😍 princess Charlotte approved 😊." A different Instagram user admitted, "This song choice is giving me life coming from an official royal account 🔥👑." Meanwhile, yet another follower commented, "I don't know what I love more. The fact that he's standing in puddles outside in the rain to talk to people. Or that this is more evident that His Majesty is a Swiftie 😍." It's no secret that other members of the British royal family are Swift fans. In June 2024, went viral for his energetic dance moves during "Shake It Off" at an Eras Tour concert in London. Swift also posted an Instagram selfie alongside Prince William, his two older kids, and , and the singer's boyfriend, . There was also that time in 2013 when Prince William and Swift joined Jon Bon Jovi on stage to sing "Livin' on a Prayer." Long live the King and his family's love for Taylor Swift! Next: King Charles Sends an Unmistakable Message About Taylor Swift first appeared on Parade on Jun 6, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sheen says late dad inspired desire to help others
Actor Michael Sheen said his late father inspired his philanthropic nature, as he paid tribute to him following his death. Meyrick Sheen, who was well known in his home town of Port Talbot for working as a Jack Nicholson impersonator and for his contributions to the community, died last month at the age of 85. Speaking about him for the first time since his death, his son described him as "an extraordinary character" and said he and his family had received "an outpouring of love and messages". Sheen said his father's coffin was carried into church for his funeral earlier this week by six people, each from an organisation his dad was involved with and passionate about. In Port Talbot, there is a mural of Michael Sheen and, the day after his dad died, his sister saw someone painting his dad's face on the wall too, next to his. He said that for his 83-year-old mum Irene, who met his dad when she was 14, it was an "extraordinarily emotional moment", adding it was now somewhere he would take his children. "It's quite difficult to talk about and process for young children, the passing of someone, the death of a grandparent," he said. "But to be able to take them to see this picture of their grandfather on the wall, it's very moving." Sheen hopes to get children talking about homelessness Sheen: I broke down hearing kids' care stories Sheen 'put all on the line' for Homeless World Cup Sheen has recently co-written his first book for children, called A Home for Spark the Dragon. He said he jumped at the chance to create something his children would be able to read, and that could also be about issues he is passionate about. In the story, Spark, who Sheen said "had to be a red dragon", has his nest destroyed in a storm. The book treads the line of raising the difficult issue of homelessness - an issue extensively campaigned for by Sheen - while offering an entertaining, engaging tale. "I thought this was a really great opportunity to be able to address issues around what a home is and homelessness in a way that creates, maybe a context for children to start having those conversations with the adults in their life," he said, "Maybe start to understand it, and have a frame of reference to talk about it, and ultimately, to do something about it." Sheen has a 26-year-old daughter Lily and two younger children - Lyra, five, and Mabli, aged three. He has seen his children's shocked reaction to seeing homeless people living on the street and said we should all still feel that way. "When my own children have seen someone who's in a tent or on the street, in a doorway or whatever, there's a kind of a sense of disbelief that they have. "We as adults, have become numb to it. The appropriate response is to go, how on earth can that be possible? "And so there's something about a child's reaction to it that I think we can actually learn from." He recalled reading his girls the book for first time and said he gave it his all to win their favour, admitting it was "probably the performance of my life". Michael Sheen writes off £1m of debt for 900 people Sheen to fund new national theatre for Wales Sheen aims to make Welsh stories 'big and popular'