DJ Maggie Stanley, now Maggie O’Kane, has nothing but fond memories of her time at the Palais.
Mrs O’Kane, who still lives in Barkingside, said: “The people were so nice there, everyone worked so hard. You felt protected and looked after.
“There was a lot of jealously from other girls, but I dealt with that. It was a great time for me – I was young, single and drove an MG sports car.
“I never saw any drugs – people were different then. There were problems, but today things are worse. When I was at the Palais, there were one or two fights, but within minutes the bouncers would step in and it was over. Otherwise I would not have worked there.
“I can’t say why it went downhill, but it was too big and times and tastes had changed. I’m not being nasty, but I think people were looking for somewhere more upmarket.
“You carry on with your life and you forget about it. It was a great time, but it was also very lonely. I was the first woman DJ and all the guys wanted to go out with me and all the girls were very jealous.”