Kingsway, Southport
Encyclopedia
Kingsway was a nightclub
and casino
built in 1931 at the south end of the Promenade in the seaside resort of Southport
, Merseyside
, England
. In the 1960s it hosted many well-known celebrities, such as The Beatles
, Tom Jones
, and Engelbert Humperdinck
. It was also very popular during the 1980s punk
era and the 1990s dance era.
The nightclub and bar closed in 2004 and reopened for a short time during 2006 before closing its doors for the last time in 2007. In 2008 plans were put forward to demolish the site and build a luxury hotel, apartments and retail complex, none of which came to fruition. On 6 September 2010, a major fire destroyed the derelict building. The building was demolished two days later.
style with large portrait windows and hexagonal turrets with hexagonal windows. It was constructed over three floors, the basement being a bar, the ground floor being a nightclub, and the top floor being a casino.
On 22 January 1962 the Beatles had their first gig at Kingsway, which was then known as the Kingsway Club. On 5 February 1962, Ringo Starr
made his debut with the Beatles at Kingsway when he replaced then-drummer Pete Best
, who was ill at the time. The Beatles are known to have made seven appearances at the Kingsway in 1962 before moving onto bigger projects and fame.
The Kingsway also hosted performances by Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck
, Norman Wisdom
(while filming What's Good for the Goose
film at the Birkdale Palace Hotel
in 1969), Larry Grayson
, Tom O'Connor
, and Cilla Black
.
Golfer Lee Trevino
visited the casino of the Kingsway during the Open Golf in the 1960s.
In the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s, the Kingsway was Southport's major nightclub, attracting very large crowds of partygoers every weekend.Cabaret acts were booked for the week, and audiences were thin on the ground Monday to Thursday; and for a comedian it was a hard club to work on those nights. In the late 1990s it was renamed "Bliss". It also added a bingo hall.
The Kingsway was closed in 2003 and reopened in November 2006. The nightclub reopened as "Kingsway" and the bar re-opened as "Berlin's Bar". This new start was short-lived; the nightclub closed the following year.
For the next three years, the building stood empty and fell into disrepair. In 2008, a £
9 million plan was announced to demolish the site and build a 100-room hotel, 54 apartments, and 4000 square feet (371.6 m²) of retail space. However, none of the designs that were put forward came to a practical stage. Structural work in 2009 was carried out to support part of the building, as it had become unsafe.
The damage was so severe that demolition commenced on 8 September 2010. The roads around the building were closed due to the building's dangerous state and the risk of further collapse. A day after the demolition, a spokesperson for the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Department said that the blaze was caused by arson
.
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
and casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
built in 1931 at the south end of the Promenade in the seaside resort of Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In the 1960s it hosted many well-known celebrities, such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, and Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck was a German composer, best known for his opera, Hänsel und Gretel. Humperdinck was born at Siegburg in the Rhine Province; at the age of 67 he died in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.-Life:After receiving piano lessons, Humperdinck produced his first composition...
. It was also very popular during the 1980s punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
era and the 1990s dance era.
The nightclub and bar closed in 2004 and reopened for a short time during 2006 before closing its doors for the last time in 2007. In 2008 plans were put forward to demolish the site and build a luxury hotel, apartments and retail complex, none of which came to fruition. On 6 September 2010, a major fire destroyed the derelict building. The building was demolished two days later.
History
The Kingsway was built in the 1931 in an art decoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style with large portrait windows and hexagonal turrets with hexagonal windows. It was constructed over three floors, the basement being a bar, the ground floor being a nightclub, and the top floor being a casino.
On 22 January 1962 the Beatles had their first gig at Kingsway, which was then known as the Kingsway Club. On 5 February 1962, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
made his debut with the Beatles at Kingsway when he replaced then-drummer Pete Best
Pete Best
Pete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...
, who was ill at the time. The Beatles are known to have made seven appearances at the Kingsway in 1962 before moving onto bigger projects and fame.
The Kingsway also hosted performances by Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck was a German composer, best known for his opera, Hänsel und Gretel. Humperdinck was born at Siegburg in the Rhine Province; at the age of 67 he died in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.-Life:After receiving piano lessons, Humperdinck produced his first composition...
, Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
(while filming What's Good for the Goose
What's Good for the Goose
What's Good For The Goose is a 1969 British comedy film, and was Norman Wisdom's last starring role in a film. It was written and directed by Menahem Golan. In the movie he leaves his wife and kids to go off on a business trip and he has an affair with a young woman played by Sally Geeson...
film at the Birkdale Palace Hotel
Birkdale Palace Hotel
The Birkdale Palace Hotel was a luxury hotel located in the coastal resort of Birkdale, Southport, on the north-west coast of England. It was opened in 1866 and demolished in 1969. During the Second World War it was a rehabilitation centre for US airmen, and in the last two years of its existence...
in 1969), Larry Grayson
Larry Grayson
Larry Grayson , born William Sulley White, was an English stand-up comedian and television presenter of the 1970s and early 80s...
, Tom O'Connor
Tom O'Connor
Tom O'Connor is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for presenting game shows such as Crosswits, The Zodiac Game, Name That Tune, I've Got A Secret and Gambit.- Early life :...
, and Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
.
Golfer Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino
Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...
visited the casino of the Kingsway during the Open Golf in the 1960s.
In the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s, the Kingsway was Southport's major nightclub, attracting very large crowds of partygoers every weekend.Cabaret acts were booked for the week, and audiences were thin on the ground Monday to Thursday; and for a comedian it was a hard club to work on those nights. In the late 1990s it was renamed "Bliss". It also added a bingo hall.
The Kingsway was closed in 2003 and reopened in November 2006. The nightclub reopened as "Kingsway" and the bar re-opened as "Berlin's Bar". This new start was short-lived; the nightclub closed the following year.
For the next three years, the building stood empty and fell into disrepair. In 2008, a £
Pound sign
The pound sign is the symbol for the pound sterling—the currency of the United Kingdom . The same symbol is used for similarly named currencies in some other countries and territories, such as the Irish pound, Gibraltar pound, Australian pound and the Italian lira...
9 million plan was announced to demolish the site and build a 100-room hotel, 54 apartments, and 4000 square feet (371.6 m²) of retail space. However, none of the designs that were put forward came to a practical stage. Structural work in 2009 was carried out to support part of the building, as it had become unsafe.
Fire
On 6 September 2010, a major fire destroyed the derelict building, attracting much attention from national media. The fire, with flames reaching 80 feet (24.4 m) high, was attended to by 50 firefighters and took 12 hours to extinguish. The southwest facade of the building collapsed onto the Kingsway road after the roof caved in during the fire.The damage was so severe that demolition commenced on 8 September 2010. The roads around the building were closed due to the building's dangerous state and the risk of further collapse. A day after the demolition, a spokesperson for the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Department said that the blaze was caused by arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
.