Visited with 3 explorers off another forum. After visiting another site which was good but a bit bare was really excited to get into this place. The only downside is there was no lighting whatsoever so was relying on my flash & pikeying the other 3 guys' light. We had heard a report of some abusive chavs or junkies drinking from bottles left behind the bar that still had the optics on, but luckily (for them lol) they were long gone when we went.
History,
The venue has been a landmark in the town centre for decades. The building opened in August 1937 as a 1,928 seat cinema. Before it was renamed Mr Smiths for the second time in its history, it was known as Halo nightclub. This used to be the ABC cinema, or the Ritz. The club was previously known as Synergy, and before that Mr Smiths for the first time. Unfortunately the building is not listed & is set to be demolished. I thought it was supposed to be demolished last month but just seen this from the local newspaper,
"CAMPAIGNERS have been offered a possible lifeline in the battle to save the building after they were given the chance to suggest alternatives to demolition.
LPC Living, the property developers handling the site, met with campaigners last week. Following the meeting it said a 'short window' was available to discuss a 'commercially viable future', although the intention is still to knock it down. A spokesman for LPC Living said: “We discussed how the Pervaiz Naviede Family Trust had acquired the building around four years ago and despite extensive marketing there had been difficulties in securing a letting.
“Prospective tenants shown around the building had reservations about the large size of the property, access issues, ongoing maintenance and the cost to convert to other uses. “We explained that ultimately the decision to clear the site was a reluctant one and was not taken lightly. While it is still the intention to proceed with demolition, the earliest this can take place is August 11. “However, it is likely to take a couple of months of investigations and preparatory work before the building could come down. Therefore this provided the group with a short window to explore options as to whether a community-led project could provide a commercially viable future for the building.†LPC added a further meeting could take place to discuss options."
view from the roof (felt like a vampire coming back into the light took my eyes a good few minutes to adjust to it again)
History,
The venue has been a landmark in the town centre for decades. The building opened in August 1937 as a 1,928 seat cinema. Before it was renamed Mr Smiths for the second time in its history, it was known as Halo nightclub. This used to be the ABC cinema, or the Ritz. The club was previously known as Synergy, and before that Mr Smiths for the first time. Unfortunately the building is not listed & is set to be demolished. I thought it was supposed to be demolished last month but just seen this from the local newspaper,
"CAMPAIGNERS have been offered a possible lifeline in the battle to save the building after they were given the chance to suggest alternatives to demolition.
LPC Living, the property developers handling the site, met with campaigners last week. Following the meeting it said a 'short window' was available to discuss a 'commercially viable future', although the intention is still to knock it down. A spokesman for LPC Living said: “We discussed how the Pervaiz Naviede Family Trust had acquired the building around four years ago and despite extensive marketing there had been difficulties in securing a letting.
“Prospective tenants shown around the building had reservations about the large size of the property, access issues, ongoing maintenance and the cost to convert to other uses. “We explained that ultimately the decision to clear the site was a reluctant one and was not taken lightly. While it is still the intention to proceed with demolition, the earliest this can take place is August 11. “However, it is likely to take a couple of months of investigations and preparatory work before the building could come down. Therefore this provided the group with a short window to explore options as to whether a community-led project could provide a commercially viable future for the building.†LPC added a further meeting could take place to discuss options."
view from the roof (felt like a vampire coming back into the light took my eyes a good few minutes to adjust to it again)
