North London Food & Culture

Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s

Former DJ Magazine Deputy Editor Tom Kihl investigates what happened to the clubs that once dominated London's nightlife

This week, Boris Johnson has been considering a decision that will affect the future of London’s most famous nightclub. If the Mayor grants planning permission for a huge development of flats opposite Ministry of Sound, club bosses know their days at the Elephant & Castle bus depot cum internationally renowned temple of DJ culture will be numbered. A single noise complaint from posh new residents would threaten their licence and spell the end of one of the last remaining superclubs from the 1990s dance music explosion.

Luckily they are putting up a great fight, so Ministry won’t find itself demolished just yet. But many of the places that clubbers flocked to every weekend in their thousands in the post-Criminal Justice Act heyday are being erased from today’s landscape.

A ‘perfect storm’ of London property economics, redevelopment zones and major transport improvements (rather than any lack of interest from music fans) has seen off an unprecedented number of key venues in the last few years.


Can you identify these 5 former clubs as they look today? Read on…
Lost 5 clubs together
When I was at DJ Magazine, Paul Oakenfold once said to me that important former nightclubs should, at very least, have a blue plaque on the wall. He’s right. These might have often been dank, crumbling, smelly old places, but they are where countless people enjoyed some of the most intense and vital moments of their lives. They are where modern electronic music was crafted, where couples met then got married, where career paths changed and a whole generation learned about the highs and the lows of unbridled hedonism.


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Because of the sleazy, druggy, mischievous late night vibe (exactly what makes such haunts so exciting), we tend to reduce their cultural significance. And while there’s nothing worse than the club bore going on about how the music and the parties were so much better ‘back in the day,’ we should give these classic institutions more reverence. Even if we can’t – and possibly shouldn’t – prevent their almost inevitably fleeting existence.

We’ve picked our Top 5 such venues, all of which were in stumble-home-from distance for Kentishtowners (that’s why there’s no Club UK for example, if you’re wondering).

The pictures are quite shocking, but their club history often deliciously more so. Over the next few pages, we show you what’s become of these former nightlife hotspots, and pay tribute to the glorious madness they once hosted…

#5 Where could you find warehouse raving complete with funfair rides right in the heart of the capital?

Bagley’s / Canvas

Brief history? This vast warehouse space was always living on borrowed time as a nightclub. As part of the crumbling goods yard behind Kings Cross station, redevelopment was always on the horizon, but until that day the place was going to party hard. And so it did, hosting huge weekly club nights and loads of special one-offs, including the time Prince performed live, or when Madonna shot a video here. In 2003, after some dodgy incidents including a dancefloor shooting, management of the venue was handed to Billy Reilly, who had made such a success of neighbouring club The Cross. He renamed Bagley’s Canvas, and opened a smaller venue in a side door, The Key, complete with a flashing dancefloor. The various clubs on offer created a nightlife epicentre…until the inevitable day came.

Long-running Bagley's night Freedom
Long-running Bagley’s night Freedom

Famous For? Holding the biggest capacity nights in London. Phillip Salon’s Mud Club dominated Saturdays bringing flamboyant clientele and ironic production of a vast scale, including such oddities as washing lines full of clothes above the dancefloor with housewife characters vacuuming up on podiums. Its replacement, Freedom, lasted even longer, complete with epic 10-hour sets from DJ Ariel. Classic hardcore events ruled Fridays, with rave nights like Double Dipped or pirate radio sponsored jungle soundclashes the norm. Midweek the site operated as a huge Roller Disco, while on Sunday afternoons, Antipodean drinking and wet t-shirt fest The Church resided for a decade, before a move up the road to wreak havoc at Kentish Town Forum.

What was it like?
With up to six sizeable rooms all operating at once, it was the closest thing to a festival from which you could catch a night bus home. In fact the TDK Cross Central Festival added tents and outdoor stages once a year to just that effect. Wandering through room upon room packed with bouncing clubbers, its size was mind boggling. And the view of sunrise across the huge rusting gas holders and BT tower never failed to excite feelings of being at the biggest party, in the best city, in the whole world.

Why did it close? For being slap in the middle of Europe’s largest urban regeneration project. Luckily the preservation of the industrial buildings and the amazing public spaces being created here are so fantastic they almost make up for the sacrifice of such a major club.

What’s happening there today? The warehouse is still in the early stages of its transformation into part of The Coal Drops, a ‘unique shopping destination’ right next door to the stunning new Granary Square and Central St Martins College. The marketing pitch promises music venues among the many new businesses, so parties may yet return to the Victorian buildings, even if they won’t touch the scale of those in the 90s.

Forthcoming site of The Coal Drops, ex-Bagley's to the left
Forthcoming site of The Coal Drops, ex-Bagley’s to the left

#4 Which club regularly hosted global stadium superstars in a tiny subterranean space?

4. Velvet Rooms

Brief history? In 1993 Nicky Holloway, one of the original Ibiza summer of love DJ/promoters, opened new venture Velvet Underground when the lease ran out on his infamous Milk Bar round the corner. The idea was always to replicate the intimate basement vibe, and to fill it with global DJ line-ups. The club was a key central London option throughout the rest of the 90s, changing its name to Velvet Rooms along the way and winning over legions of fans at its weekly rotation of specialist nights.

Famous For? Fabio’s seminal proto-drum & bass night Swerve on Wednesdays, big US house music visitors on Saturdays and Carl Cox’s long-running techno Thursday night Ultimate B.A.S.E, all of which were ‘one-in-one-out’ by 11pm in an era when presale tickets were unheard of, you just had to get there early. In the case of Carl Cox’s parties, that often meant departing early from the techno warm-up run by the Eukatech and Tag record shops, across Soho in the basement of the Sun & 13 Cantons pub. Big midweek nights, ruined Fridays.

What was it like? The velvet theme and cosy dancefloor provided a welcome change from the vast spaces elsewhere in London. You wouldn’t call it luxurious (especially the toilets), but it felt swanky anyway, providing a rare mix of proper West End clubbing with guaranteed credible music, any night of the week. FWD>>, the night credited as the birthplace of Dubstep, started out here in 2001. Can’t really argue with that.

Why did it close? As with so many central London sites, developers eventually got their hands on the whole building, of which the club was in one basement. The whole block was completely flattened and rebuilt, with a generic Superdrug now occupying the street-level space.

What’s happening there today? Not only have the Velvet Rooms been replaced with a bland chemist, but many more of the area’s music venues have been flattened by the recent Crossrail development. From the slightly dodgy space over the road that changed name many times before ultimately becoming a table dancing joint, to the Astoria (and LA2 sister venue), which although more famous for rock gigs, were also the scene of some important events in rave history, including Nicky Holloway’s infamous Trip and Sin nights, which saw bug-eyed clubbers stopping traffic by dancing in the road and fountains outside Centrepoint.

Bulldozed site of the Astoria, Charing Cross Road, as it makes way for Crossrail
Bulldozed site of the Astoria, Charing Cross Road, as it makes way for Crossrail

#3 Where did abandoned Victorian railway arches host the UK’s most glamorous nightlife?

3. The Cross

Brief history? Lore has it that Billy Reilly, owner of a haulage firm operating from a garage in the deserted Goods Way wastelands, had an idea when Bagley’s warehouse opposite started being used regularly for parties. He’d open a wine bar to serve pre-club drinks. But Camden council granted him a full dance licence and suddenly his arches were offering full-on club events of their very own. The club developed a well-dressed following and soon expanded into other arches plus opened a much-loved garden terrace, where on a summer’s night, if you squinted your eyes enough, it was possible to feel like you’d been transported to Ibiza. Honest.

Famous For? A string of long running promoter residencies, from the glammed up Glitterati and Italian fave Vertigo, to mega-Prog-House brand Renaissance and welcoming gay night Fiction.

What was it like? Simply a great night out. With an easy switch from sweaty main floor to comfortable sofa, all your nightlife needs were catered to without many of the usual hassles. The famously beautiful crowd was an easy-on-the-eye bonus and the slightly exclusive feel made each event feel special. The Cross produced a gorgeous coffee-table book to celebrate their 10th anniversary, crammed with images and quotes that demonstrate quite what wild times were had, tucked beneath these small arches.

Why did it close? As with Bagley’s, the whole area was always slated to be transformed. And on January 1st 2008, the workmen moved in as the New Year’s Eve feather boas and furry boots departed for the last time.

What’s happening there today? The arches have been completely cleared and currently stand empty, ahead of development into boutiques. You can spot them from the new Granary Square. Although it’s hard to believe what once took place there now, the site remains much loved by those that know. When I snapped a pic of the empty arches for the Kentishtowner last year, the post was one of our biggest hits of the year.

#2 Which was the country’s first ever legal 24-hour venue, home to the original all night bender?

2. Turnmills

Brief history? Former policeman John Newman opened a wine bar in Clerkenwell in 1985. His business grew steadily to encompass salsa classes and parties downstairs, during the time as house music was taking hold as the last great youth subculture. John scored the UK’s first 24-hour licence in 1990 and was able to offer the kind of all-night-long dance experience that the illegal outdoor raves had previously provided. First to take advantage of this was gay scene promoter Lawrence Malice, who brought his already infamous after-hours gathering Trade to the club, with a 4am Sunday start. This set the tone for close to two decades of glorious debauchery.

Famous For? Trade was the venue’s most influential club, changing the lives of many who attended via its futuristic pounding electronica and the shear insanity of what was going on all round. Many hardened club goers found it a challenge to descend the winding staircase into wall of pumping male flesh known as ‘Muscle Alley’ and past people having full sex on the dancefloor, but once settled inside, the vibe was that of family. Albeit it seriously dysfunctional one. DJ Tony De Vit rose to global fame from here, before his untimely HIV related death in 1998. On other nights, the Chemical Brothers were residents, Tiesto played in the days before he went stadium-sized, there were US House nights, trance at long running Friday The Gallery and Sunday into Monday events FF and Melt that were often even more full-on than Trade.

What was it like? With bizarre sci-fi metalwork turning the bars into alien apparitions and colourful Gaudi-inspired tiles, this was a visual assault. The tunnel-like main room featured an industrial-strength laser that was installed with scant regard for health and safety, but boy did it provide killer lightshow. The venue was a warren of underground rooms – with a recording studio and even health club to be found deep inside. With orderly queues known to form in front of the best drug dealers, this place was affectionately known by those in the know as ‘Gurnmills’ for good reason. Legendary door host Tom has diaries documenting some of the truly incredible antics that took place, often involving celebrities, but he says ever making them public would be far too libellous. Which is a shame!

Why did it close? The building’s lease came up for renewal and as suspected, the owner wanted to push for a lucrative office redevelopment. The global economy derailed the process for a number of years and the place sat heartbreakingly empty, while London promoters found it difficult to find good mid-sized venues. Meanwhile The Gallery and the promotions team around it went on to huge success in their new home at Ministry of Sound, still dominating Friday nights in London after nearly 20 non-stop years, and also now run successful one-off DJ events plus festivals like SW4.

What’s happening there today? Despite original plans for the redevelopment saving the historic Victorian building, (which was original stables and later a gin distillery before becoming a dance mecca), later planning permission was granted for total destruction via wrecking ball. When taking the photos for this feature, I witnessed sections of the frontage being bulldozed in what can only be seen as brutal vandalism of the area’s history, from the industrial to the rave. No blue plaque is likely here. Tragic.

#1 Where did the DJ play in the middle of the crowd, deep inside the vaults of an ex-postal sorting office?

1. The End & AKA

Brief history?A DJ named Layo was throwing parties around town in his student days and, with input from his architect dad, set about transforming an old post office sorting depot into a permanent venue. With creative advice from the irrepressible Mr C of The Shamen, they launched The End in 1995 and it quickly became the most cutting edge nightclub in the country. Spiritual home of the nascent tech house scene via Mr C’s own night Subterrain, it was also a big champion drum & bass, techno and all forms of innovative new music. Later they opened the large self-contained AKA bar at street level, which could also be incorporated into the club for bigger events. Defined by queues round the block, both venues were roadblocked right through until the final party. And despite financial troubles in the early years, the club ultimately proved it was possible to run a successful business without ever succumbing to artistic compromise.

Famous For? With line-ups like these, where do you begin? How about Laurent Garnier’s residency, where he always played all night long, veering from thundering techno to country & western effortlessly. Or Erol Alkan’s scene-defining Trash on Mondays. Friday was all about Drum & Bass heroes like Andy C or DJ Markey laying waste to the main floor in a whirlwind of reloads. We enjoyed the guilty pleasure of Riot on Sunday afternoons just as much as a cool night of Underground Resistance or the throbbing sound of DTPM, before it defected to the then newcomer Fabric. AKA was famous for nights in its own right, including Thursday’s industry mash-up Misdemeanours, run by Caroline Prothero who is now behind the global phenomenon that is David Guetta.

Main Room The End

What was it like? Trailblazing. From dramatic ideas such as placing the DJ booth in the middle of the dancefloor at crowd level, to little touches such as the famous drinking fountain, every element of The End was meticulously thought out by people who understood what needed improving about the bog-standard clubbing experience. A monster soundsystem and the intense atmosphere created by the arches meant that when the place erupted to a big track, it was a beautiful kind of extra-sensory mayhem indeed.

Why did it close? The team, many of whom had been with the club since day one, decided that they’d like to move on to fresh challenges, and leave on a high rather than let things get stale. The club was such a personal project that they didn’t want it to continue under different management, plus a property developer placed an offer on the table that made the decision difficult to refuse.

What’s happening there today? The arse fell out of the global economy shortly after the sale of the building, so redevelopment plans were swiftly put on hold. It reopened as a nightlife space under new management, (exactly what The End team didn’t want), cheekily retitled The Den and Centro. But despite aping the name, the new clubs inevitably failed to emulate what had gone before. The venue was soon forced to rely on some fairly grim commercial parties and was eventually closed down for quite serious breaches of licence. Last month the place was repossessed by bailiffs and currently lies boarded up.


Words & Pics: Tom Kihl


78 thoughts on “Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s”

    1. I Did the lighting and laser systems at turnmills for many different promoters. I was there at the closing parties on the last two nights without leaving! The place has many special memories for many people. All the new ‘secret location’ parties `I work in these days are usually stuck in cold,dirty and faceless arches. Fabric is the Only venue to stick to its principles avoiding putting in any old rubbish that draws a crowd. We need a new visionary……

    2. I used to go to Whoop it Up every Friday during 1998-2002; it was a fantastic place to go. The music was smooth and progressive, which moved into a feeling of just less than trance. I had some of the best days of my life there!

  1. Great article Tom. It makes me feel quite sad how our communities are being transformed into bland faceless environments in some cases. I’ve had experiences at all of these nightclub venues and brought back many memories reading your article. We do have to move on though and surely there are opportunities for a new generation of people who want to create new nightclub venues, with fresh ideas. Reading this article has caused me new inspiration – watch out London.

  2. Wow. That’s brought back some memories. Never crossed my mind that even the buildings would be gone. Happy days. Now, is that the same Tom Kihl I employed in the heady days of Covent Garden based vegetarian restaurants? We’re you a Crank?

    1. Hi Martyn! It most certainly is me. Those Cranks days were the era that I fully embraced the concept of the 3-night sleepless weekender and other wonderous, if slightly unprofessional, ways to fill the hours between shifts. Fantastic times. I’ll email you!

      1. It’s a hardback coffee table monster, full of lovely photos and quotes. Remaining stock was given away free at the apocalyptically hedonistic farewell party so they do crop up online occasionally. Keeping mine though 🙂

  3. Great article and very sad reading. Had some amazing times in those clubs, never to repeated in TBA East London warehouses. It’s also a shame to lose 93 Feet East recently too.

    1. I’m good thanks Pete. Hope you are too. Sad to see the old clubs flattened, but everyone clearly took so much from their experiences there that I hope the post is also a real celebration. Turnmills building being totally destroyed is the ultimate, inexcusable vandalism though. Maybe we can campaign to put a blue plaque up on the inevitable bland glass front of its replacement… I wonder what on earth it would say?!

  4. nostalgic clubber

    thanks for the article, spent many crazy nights/days in all of these places, Velvet Underground aside. My walk to work takes me past what used to to be the entrance to Turnmills every morning – it never fails to bring a smile to my face when I think of the good times I had there. RIP Turnmills, I’m glad I was there to experience it.

  5. Great memories for me too…but pickling clubs in aspic is a sign of ld age, new generations inven their own ‘vibes’ in new venues.Some of those big clubs that are eulogised here were seen at the time by older clubbersd as too corporate and bland. And its not true that they are being lost despite fans interest…fans lost interest, or they would all still be milking it!

  6. The Cross, bouncers nicking you gear *unts. Bagley’s moody security also trying to half in your gak. Velvet Rooms on Monday’s was one of the only places to continue getting even more spangled… Wicked. Turnmills – chutney – still so much messy fun. The best til last- no one did it like The End. Shelves in the loos. One for you beer and one for the other…That place was magic.

  7. Fascinating to read about the origins and teams behind such monumental moments in London’s clubbing history. Unfortunately, I can’t say I experienced all of them. However, I do hold dear the fact I took advantage of the last ever NYE at The End..needless to say Laurent Garnier did not disappoint:)

    Great article Tom. New venues although arguably more suitable in some considerations like “Matter” just don’t possess the necessary special ingredient like the late great Turnmills anymore. However, a thumping set and fab laser show by the master PVD at the re-invented Fridge aka Electric Brixton a while ago demonstrated, with the right amount of desire, opportunity and application it can still be done. As you pointed out Fabric is the benchmark for a well organised, respected, profitable club in the modern era but you only have to look at the demise of Pacha to see what a dangerous game financially it is nowadays.

    I completely agree would be a fitting tribute to see them all immortalised appropriately in some way. After all they shaped today’s society in one way or another. I will be following developments closely.

    Joel

    1. thanks Joel… glad you like Electric and the Van Dyk show smashed it. I think great venues have heritage. Electric benefits from the amazing history of the Fridge. best dominic madden

    1. Glad you like it Phil. And good to see you the other night (I was in the ridiculous blue jacket). The End & AKA were a true second home. Even more so for you, of course!

    1. Thanks Julian. Seems quite a few people would like to get their hands on The Cross book – don’t suppose you’ve got a lockup full of a last, forgotten batch? Or did that go the way of the marbles…?!

        1. Same here. Pretty sure the very last ones got dished out at the end of that rather special final bash, Xmas ’07. Must be sat looking pretty on a fair few coffee tables to this day…

  8. I used to be the membership ‘girl’ at Freedom. Hilarious times. I would work a ten hour shift at a newspaper then drive to Bagleys to spend 5/6 hours talking to ravers, taking photos of people, checking they weren’t eating their tongues and giving out free condoms (Durex sponsors had given us hundreds of boxes of the things). I found some of the pictures a couple of weeks ago including some rather x-rated ones. My favourite break-time activity was to go up to the rafters and watch everybody raving. Nights spent on the VIP/guestlist gate were also quite entertaining as was the office at 5am in the morning when I went to pick up my wage before driving home to my university campus in Watford. Lots of good memories but it was living on borrowed time even back then in the early 00s.

  9. Fantastic article – how about expanding the idea to the rest of the country. The demise of seminal clubs like Shelley’s In Stoke, Quadrant Park in Liverpool and Coventry’s Eclipse should also be documented…

  10. Great memories of perhaps the greatest clubbing/club music period history has known! Magic was created on those dancefloors and longstanding relationships and friends. So blessed to have lived through that experience and a special mention to my ex Alan and DJ Chris McKoy.

  11. Great article. The demise of so many iconic spaces, ‘proper’ clubs, remains a tragedy for a city that still considers itself a capital of European partying. Kids going out today won’t realise it’s a tragedy, but it is.

    Today, bar the indefatigable fabric, it’s ‘secret warehouse parties’ all the way – invariably cold, austere and over crowded, with awful sound and non existent facilities (one toilet between 500, anyone?) It’s really not surprising nobody has any sense of ownership or love for these places, because both promoters and punters are using them on such an ad hoc basis.

    Worse than that, advanced ticketing is now the only option promoters are now willing to risk, destroying that brilliant spontaneous thing of being in the pub and deciding who you wanted to see and where (knowing you had a good choice of reliable venues that you knew inside out.) These days? Sold out, obviously, although there might be a ticket on the door for £30.

    After searching for ages I’ve just stumbled across an archaic website that still has photos and even videos of all three Kings Cross clubs – Canvas, The Cross and The Key.

    http://www.moviemakersguide.com/data/c/cross0630/cross0630a.htm

    Oh, the memories.

  12. Fantastic and long-needed article, thanks for bringing back the memories. Now can you expand on one for the rest of London please, would love to see Club UK brought back to life if only in words!

    1. club uk was awesome, so was the complex, leisure lounge, the cross, turnmills, home in leciester square, camden palace, ku club in leicester square.. All gone… I was there though so the memories stay !

  13. Ah…. I remember them all so well!! Well, sort of in fairness as all venues involved being pretty blitzed. I do remember my first time in Trade and deemed it like the descent into Soddom and Gomorrah ….. and there were many happy times there after!! Heads of whistling into the sunset….

  14. Great article. I’m surprised The Gardening Club wasn’t there. Isn’t that, now, the Apple shop? Me and my brother went there, 2 days before we flew out to Zante in 1994. Crazy night. LuvDup were djing (one of them fell over on the stage), Princess Julia was stood by the decks dancing. A real eye opener, that night.

    I remember me and my brother went up to Soundshaft one night (I was about 22), with, erm, a couple of associates.. The plan was to go up there, see someone and come back. Anyway, as the corridor joined Soundshaft to Heaven (and Heaven being pretty legendry), I decided to go to the loo.

    I walked into the toilet and my brother was stood at the urinal. I stood at one and there was one in between us, “unmanned”. I was just chatting away, when I heard this rhythmic, squeaking sound, along with heavy, thundering footsteps. It became louder and louder.

    The smell of leather was unmistakeable! As I looked up from the urinal, there was this dude, about 6foot 6, clad in all leather, not too dissimilar to that of the guys in the Blue Oyster bar in the Police Academy films, peaked cap, studded peak, leather trousers, jacket…. The works. Oh, the most impressive “handlebar” tash I have ever seen on a Man. He looked down at me, then to my brother, we both leant forward in unison, looked at each other, as if to say “Have you seen this, dude?” and then back up at him.

    He then says, whilst his tash does this little dance/shuffle thing, in the deepest booming, bass-like voice “Awighht, Lads, you havin yerselves a good night, then?” Me and my brother just cracked up. He was a sound guy actually. He was about 50 years old and massive. We then went our seperate ways. It was the image I had in my head before we got there of what Heaven might be like and then this guy walked in.

    It is quite sad seeing a place that holds so many memories for whatever reasons e.g. musical boundaries being broken, relationships being formed, inspiration etc, is then taken and truned into something else. But it’s about the memories though, for me. The music, the mixing, the vibe. Hearing those tunes led to me pestering the record shops for a record I didn;t kow the name of, who it was by but it went something like this… Mmmm, mmm,mm uh-uh dah-dah! I’m rambling anyway.

    Great article, thanks for posting

  15. I love this article! I frequented all of these bar Velvet and had many a great night in all. I DJed at the Cross’ 13th birthday and was given a copy of the book on my way out. I also have a book given out on The End’s 10th birthday which is a coffee table book but still good. They also gave these out at the closing party in a goodie bag with a poster and a sleeping mask!

  16. Davey Ravey Wavey

    OMG London clubbing in the 90s, was there ever a time in history that was better? I don’t think so. So many wonderful memories, so many great pills. Have to confess my favorites were Frantic at the Academy, and The Fridge.

    Reliving my 20s again still with a younger GF (cliche’ alert) and the new wave of EDM. Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas this year was truly magical and a top ‘clubbing’ moment, but some periods of your life can never truly be repeated. Glad to have been part of that London dance scene. I will never forget it. I will never stop thinking it was incredible. THANKS

  17. This made me rather emotional. Went to all of them, I think Turnmills shades it for me for atmosphere, but I probably had my best nights out at the End. No Bar Rumba though? Gilles Petterson on Monday, Kenny Hawkes and Luke Solomon on Wednesday, Bryan Gee on Thursday, Garage City on Saturday. Plus I think Friction was there for a bit to. Big small club!

  18. Turnmills was the first and best, never surpassed and so fondly remembered, well as much as my pitted brain will allow. I was there solidly for several years and partook in all you have mentioned above (and more). The very social cafe upstairs, the dense dry-ice on the main floor with the mesmerising lasers, hottest guys, new bizarre sounds, the knowledge that the rest of England was sleeping and had no idea that such hedonism was taking place on a Sunday morning and night (you missed out Warriors) all fuelled after an initial polite and orderly wait in line to see ‘Nick’ (is he out yet?) or one of his ‘friends’ in the first arch of muscle-alley. All this created the friendliest and most fun crowd on the clubbing scene. Real friendships were made, some that lasted a few hours and some, decades.

    There were a couple of years I was there 8 nights out of the Christmas/ New Year season. I couldn’t do it now, but I so glad I did it all then.

    1. Nick, the big bald black guy who always had a smile on his face, pretty much the master of ceremonies at Turnmills. Surely he must be out by now. have always wondered where he is now and what he’s up to. lol

  19. Memories that pop into my head:

    The tranny on stilts
    The arcade room downstairs
    Trying to find your mates
    Getting lost
    Cans of beer
    The Whirlitzer seating in The Cross Garden
    Pre-club beers in the Backpacker

    I was never really that keen on Turmills as I felt the space was a little awkward

    Other clubs that deserve a mention:

    Salmon and Compass in Angel. Ok, it’s technically a pub and I’m not sure if we were going there in 90s. Saw Joey Negro play there a few times.

    Home. The small room was great. Then Dane Bowers went and ruined it all

    Electroworks (I think this was the name?). It was around the corner from Angel station. A former Goth club with 2/3 rooms over 2 floors.

    Bar Rumba.

    Velvet Rooms

    Ministry of Sound. A great club pre-2001.

    Plastic People

    Bagleys started to go downhill for me after the drugs raid. I remember having to take my shoes off for them to be searched. It always felt like it was on borrowed time after that.

    We went to the opening night of Fabric. I remember one of their selling points was “drinks at pub prices”. It was £2 for a beer which was great value at the time. It didn’t last long though.

    I think the last great night I had in a bigger club was Shelter at Egg in 2005.

    The Soul City nights in Covent Garden were also really good.

    I wouldn’t even know where to go nowadays for a night out.

    1. Electrowerkz was the name!!!
      Have some great memories from that place when the people from Hooj used to celebrate their parties there. Remember one night trying to adjust the needles for them not to jump on the vinyls. It was almost impossible due to vibration from the soundsystem… Later feeling sick in the stomach because of the same reason. Or many others, would not stop writing and remembering about them.
      For me it was just a little bit over a year that I lived in London. It was around 2000 and I remember those times as probably the best of my life.
      Will come back around and write more.
      So goooood memories!!!!

  20. Great article. I lived in London back in the late 90’s early 00’s and went to all of these clubs. The End, The Cross, Turnmills and Bagleys were all favourites.

    I half remember a night at Bagleys sitting in an ice cream fridge next to the dancefloor. A perfectly acceptable thing to do at the time.

    It’s really sad that the times have a’changed and in a reflection of this, all these fantastic places are being bulldozed. Those that were there will never forget and those that weren’t would wish they were if they knew.

  21. A most excellent post Tom..
    Enjoyed the trip into nostalgia very much.. I (just about) have wonderful memories of all 5 of those venues. Standouts would have to be Logical Progression and Gallery at Turnmills, Buzzin’ Fly, Ram and Underwater @ The End and Type and the mighty Peace Division @ The Cross… happy, happy times.
    I would also like to add The Blue Note to this list of sadly missed. Stealth on a Thursday night, marvellous… http://wharferj.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/stealth-the-blue-note/
    Many thanks
    Joe Blogs

  22. Great article. Reminded me of my mis-spent but highly pleasurable youth on the dance floors of a London.

    I discovered house music whilst on holiday in Ibiza in 1990 and after that London was the only place on my “to move to” list. So move I did, all the way from Helsinki.

    Bagleys was always my favourite. Dirty, worn, in your face, street cred with banging, hard but funky beats.

    At the Astoria I met a bloke who ended up being my significant other for a decade. At Camden a Palace, I met my best friend, who is now the godmother of my 7 year old son.

    I am now all grown up at 42 with a respectable job and look like I am, a middle aged mum. But I will never forget the fabulous nights and camaraderie that I shared with friends and total strangers whilst waving my hands in the air like I just didn’t care x

  23. I met my husband at The Cross in 2004, now happily married with kids. Would have kept going there for anniversary, shame it’s closed but glad we’ve done it all at the best times…

  24. how about PLEASED on a wednesday at the Velvet underground !!! migrated from the Milk Bar around the corner, Danny Rampling ruled wednesday night, and Jon Pleased took over the tradition….Shoom, Pure, Glam, Pleased… the weekends fun used to begin on a wednesday,,,,OMG !! so much fun should be illegal…. it probably was ha !
    Pete..

  25. I was a fresh of the boat straight laced Kiwi lad who was let loose in London in the mid nineties , I was lucky to become a promoter of Fevah and Fahrenhite ,I was blessed with bring able to run events in most of the iconic venues , experience the glamour and the seedy side of all , to me the cream was either the sound shaft or the London Astoria , but have so many sensational memories and adventures from most .
    A great article , and so sad that many of these truly iconic places may be but a memory in the minds of millions .

  26. I’m amazed u didn’t mention that John Newman was the father of both Danny and Paul Newman.
    I’ve loved reading ur write up about the old clubs and the memories came flooding back with the pics!!

  27. Great article, and I’ll second and third and fourth what has been said here. Memorable days and nights.

    I took a diversion myself up York Way a while back and took similar snaps of Bagleys and The Cross. Turning around and seeing floor fountains and Mail on Sunday readers sipping lattes and eating Danish pastries made my heart sink. Losing those places feels like losing a family member – never to return.

    What I would say is be glad we are the ages we are. Fact is we WERE around when these incredible bastions of modern culture were in their pomp… negotiating a route through the tunnel room at Turnmills, walking up that incredibly long slope towards the cab rank at 5am after The Cross and getting hopelessly lost in those pokey rooms at the bottom of Bagleys.

    Then of course there was The Fridge, Studio 33, and some fantastic railway arch clubs buried away around London (Imperial Rooms in Camberwell New Road a particular memory).

    We WERE there, we DID live it, and now we’re sentimental old bastards. Amen.

  28. Thanks for the article, brought back awesome memories! It’s sad though, as these were truly iconic clubs… I am not from UK, but had a chance to party in Turnmills and The Fridge at their best times… I felt ‘everyone is equal’ kind of things there. Best crowd ever!

  29. I was the promoter of Double Dipped at Bagleys on Friday nights around 91 – 93
    We also ran revesceen magazeen
    At that time the venue was owned by Terry (cant rememember his surname) and he’d made his money from jiffy condoms and then for some reason he got involved with starting up bagleys as a venue
    We had amazing nights, including joint parties with labrynth and raindance. We put a swimming pool onthe terrace one night, fairground rides another. but it went wrong after the terrible stabbing on a bank holiday sunday night.
    A great venue
    Much better than the cross! Didnt boy george have a residency there? And some ex-boxer DJ?

Leave a Comment

78 thoughts on “Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s”

    1. I Did the lighting and laser systems at turnmills for many different promoters. I was there at the closing parties on the last two nights without leaving! The place has many special memories for many people. All the new ‘secret location’ parties `I work in these days are usually stuck in cold,dirty and faceless arches. Fabric is the Only venue to stick to its principles avoiding putting in any old rubbish that draws a crowd. We need a new visionary……

    2. I used to go to Whoop it Up every Friday during 1998-2002; it was a fantastic place to go. The music was smooth and progressive, which moved into a feeling of just less than trance. I had some of the best days of my life there!

  1. Great article Tom. It makes me feel quite sad how our communities are being transformed into bland faceless environments in some cases. I’ve had experiences at all of these nightclub venues and brought back many memories reading your article. We do have to move on though and surely there are opportunities for a new generation of people who want to create new nightclub venues, with fresh ideas. Reading this article has caused me new inspiration – watch out London.

  2. Wow. That’s brought back some memories. Never crossed my mind that even the buildings would be gone. Happy days. Now, is that the same Tom Kihl I employed in the heady days of Covent Garden based vegetarian restaurants? We’re you a Crank?

    1. Hi Martyn! It most certainly is me. Those Cranks days were the era that I fully embraced the concept of the 3-night sleepless weekender and other wonderous, if slightly unprofessional, ways to fill the hours between shifts. Fantastic times. I’ll email you!

      1. It’s a hardback coffee table monster, full of lovely photos and quotes. Remaining stock was given away free at the apocalyptically hedonistic farewell party so they do crop up online occasionally. Keeping mine though 🙂

  3. Great article and very sad reading. Had some amazing times in those clubs, never to repeated in TBA East London warehouses. It’s also a shame to lose 93 Feet East recently too.

    1. I’m good thanks Pete. Hope you are too. Sad to see the old clubs flattened, but everyone clearly took so much from their experiences there that I hope the post is also a real celebration. Turnmills building being totally destroyed is the ultimate, inexcusable vandalism though. Maybe we can campaign to put a blue plaque up on the inevitable bland glass front of its replacement… I wonder what on earth it would say?!

  4. nostalgic clubber

    thanks for the article, spent many crazy nights/days in all of these places, Velvet Underground aside. My walk to work takes me past what used to to be the entrance to Turnmills every morning – it never fails to bring a smile to my face when I think of the good times I had there. RIP Turnmills, I’m glad I was there to experience it.

  5. Great memories for me too…but pickling clubs in aspic is a sign of ld age, new generations inven their own ‘vibes’ in new venues.Some of those big clubs that are eulogised here were seen at the time by older clubbersd as too corporate and bland. And its not true that they are being lost despite fans interest…fans lost interest, or they would all still be milking it!

  6. The Cross, bouncers nicking you gear *unts. Bagley’s moody security also trying to half in your gak. Velvet Rooms on Monday’s was one of the only places to continue getting even more spangled… Wicked. Turnmills – chutney – still so much messy fun. The best til last- no one did it like The End. Shelves in the loos. One for you beer and one for the other…That place was magic.

  7. Fascinating to read about the origins and teams behind such monumental moments in London’s clubbing history. Unfortunately, I can’t say I experienced all of them. However, I do hold dear the fact I took advantage of the last ever NYE at The End..needless to say Laurent Garnier did not disappoint:)

    Great article Tom. New venues although arguably more suitable in some considerations like “Matter” just don’t possess the necessary special ingredient like the late great Turnmills anymore. However, a thumping set and fab laser show by the master PVD at the re-invented Fridge aka Electric Brixton a while ago demonstrated, with the right amount of desire, opportunity and application it can still be done. As you pointed out Fabric is the benchmark for a well organised, respected, profitable club in the modern era but you only have to look at the demise of Pacha to see what a dangerous game financially it is nowadays.

    I completely agree would be a fitting tribute to see them all immortalised appropriately in some way. After all they shaped today’s society in one way or another. I will be following developments closely.

    Joel

    1. thanks Joel… glad you like Electric and the Van Dyk show smashed it. I think great venues have heritage. Electric benefits from the amazing history of the Fridge. best dominic madden

    1. Glad you like it Phil. And good to see you the other night (I was in the ridiculous blue jacket). The End & AKA were a true second home. Even more so for you, of course!

    1. Thanks Julian. Seems quite a few people would like to get their hands on The Cross book – don’t suppose you’ve got a lockup full of a last, forgotten batch? Or did that go the way of the marbles…?!

        1. Same here. Pretty sure the very last ones got dished out at the end of that rather special final bash, Xmas ’07. Must be sat looking pretty on a fair few coffee tables to this day…

  8. I used to be the membership ‘girl’ at Freedom. Hilarious times. I would work a ten hour shift at a newspaper then drive to Bagleys to spend 5/6 hours talking to ravers, taking photos of people, checking they weren’t eating their tongues and giving out free condoms (Durex sponsors had given us hundreds of boxes of the things). I found some of the pictures a couple of weeks ago including some rather x-rated ones. My favourite break-time activity was to go up to the rafters and watch everybody raving. Nights spent on the VIP/guestlist gate were also quite entertaining as was the office at 5am in the morning when I went to pick up my wage before driving home to my university campus in Watford. Lots of good memories but it was living on borrowed time even back then in the early 00s.

  9. Fantastic article – how about expanding the idea to the rest of the country. The demise of seminal clubs like Shelley’s In Stoke, Quadrant Park in Liverpool and Coventry’s Eclipse should also be documented…

  10. Great memories of perhaps the greatest clubbing/club music period history has known! Magic was created on those dancefloors and longstanding relationships and friends. So blessed to have lived through that experience and a special mention to my ex Alan and DJ Chris McKoy.

  11. Great article. The demise of so many iconic spaces, ‘proper’ clubs, remains a tragedy for a city that still considers itself a capital of European partying. Kids going out today won’t realise it’s a tragedy, but it is.

    Today, bar the indefatigable fabric, it’s ‘secret warehouse parties’ all the way – invariably cold, austere and over crowded, with awful sound and non existent facilities (one toilet between 500, anyone?) It’s really not surprising nobody has any sense of ownership or love for these places, because both promoters and punters are using them on such an ad hoc basis.

    Worse than that, advanced ticketing is now the only option promoters are now willing to risk, destroying that brilliant spontaneous thing of being in the pub and deciding who you wanted to see and where (knowing you had a good choice of reliable venues that you knew inside out.) These days? Sold out, obviously, although there might be a ticket on the door for £30.

    After searching for ages I’ve just stumbled across an archaic website that still has photos and even videos of all three Kings Cross clubs – Canvas, The Cross and The Key.

    http://www.moviemakersguide.com/data/c/cross0630/cross0630a.htm

    Oh, the memories.

  12. Fantastic and long-needed article, thanks for bringing back the memories. Now can you expand on one for the rest of London please, would love to see Club UK brought back to life if only in words!

    1. club uk was awesome, so was the complex, leisure lounge, the cross, turnmills, home in leciester square, camden palace, ku club in leicester square.. All gone… I was there though so the memories stay !

  13. Ah…. I remember them all so well!! Well, sort of in fairness as all venues involved being pretty blitzed. I do remember my first time in Trade and deemed it like the descent into Soddom and Gomorrah ….. and there were many happy times there after!! Heads of whistling into the sunset….

  14. Great article. I’m surprised The Gardening Club wasn’t there. Isn’t that, now, the Apple shop? Me and my brother went there, 2 days before we flew out to Zante in 1994. Crazy night. LuvDup were djing (one of them fell over on the stage), Princess Julia was stood by the decks dancing. A real eye opener, that night.

    I remember me and my brother went up to Soundshaft one night (I was about 22), with, erm, a couple of associates.. The plan was to go up there, see someone and come back. Anyway, as the corridor joined Soundshaft to Heaven (and Heaven being pretty legendry), I decided to go to the loo.

    I walked into the toilet and my brother was stood at the urinal. I stood at one and there was one in between us, “unmanned”. I was just chatting away, when I heard this rhythmic, squeaking sound, along with heavy, thundering footsteps. It became louder and louder.

    The smell of leather was unmistakeable! As I looked up from the urinal, there was this dude, about 6foot 6, clad in all leather, not too dissimilar to that of the guys in the Blue Oyster bar in the Police Academy films, peaked cap, studded peak, leather trousers, jacket…. The works. Oh, the most impressive “handlebar” tash I have ever seen on a Man. He looked down at me, then to my brother, we both leant forward in unison, looked at each other, as if to say “Have you seen this, dude?” and then back up at him.

    He then says, whilst his tash does this little dance/shuffle thing, in the deepest booming, bass-like voice “Awighht, Lads, you havin yerselves a good night, then?” Me and my brother just cracked up. He was a sound guy actually. He was about 50 years old and massive. We then went our seperate ways. It was the image I had in my head before we got there of what Heaven might be like and then this guy walked in.

    It is quite sad seeing a place that holds so many memories for whatever reasons e.g. musical boundaries being broken, relationships being formed, inspiration etc, is then taken and truned into something else. But it’s about the memories though, for me. The music, the mixing, the vibe. Hearing those tunes led to me pestering the record shops for a record I didn;t kow the name of, who it was by but it went something like this… Mmmm, mmm,mm uh-uh dah-dah! I’m rambling anyway.

    Great article, thanks for posting

  15. I love this article! I frequented all of these bar Velvet and had many a great night in all. I DJed at the Cross’ 13th birthday and was given a copy of the book on my way out. I also have a book given out on The End’s 10th birthday which is a coffee table book but still good. They also gave these out at the closing party in a goodie bag with a poster and a sleeping mask!

  16. Davey Ravey Wavey

    OMG London clubbing in the 90s, was there ever a time in history that was better? I don’t think so. So many wonderful memories, so many great pills. Have to confess my favorites were Frantic at the Academy, and The Fridge.

    Reliving my 20s again still with a younger GF (cliche’ alert) and the new wave of EDM. Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas this year was truly magical and a top ‘clubbing’ moment, but some periods of your life can never truly be repeated. Glad to have been part of that London dance scene. I will never forget it. I will never stop thinking it was incredible. THANKS

  17. This made me rather emotional. Went to all of them, I think Turnmills shades it for me for atmosphere, but I probably had my best nights out at the End. No Bar Rumba though? Gilles Petterson on Monday, Kenny Hawkes and Luke Solomon on Wednesday, Bryan Gee on Thursday, Garage City on Saturday. Plus I think Friction was there for a bit to. Big small club!

  18. Turnmills was the first and best, never surpassed and so fondly remembered, well as much as my pitted brain will allow. I was there solidly for several years and partook in all you have mentioned above (and more). The very social cafe upstairs, the dense dry-ice on the main floor with the mesmerising lasers, hottest guys, new bizarre sounds, the knowledge that the rest of England was sleeping and had no idea that such hedonism was taking place on a Sunday morning and night (you missed out Warriors) all fuelled after an initial polite and orderly wait in line to see ‘Nick’ (is he out yet?) or one of his ‘friends’ in the first arch of muscle-alley. All this created the friendliest and most fun crowd on the clubbing scene. Real friendships were made, some that lasted a few hours and some, decades.

    There were a couple of years I was there 8 nights out of the Christmas/ New Year season. I couldn’t do it now, but I so glad I did it all then.

    1. Nick, the big bald black guy who always had a smile on his face, pretty much the master of ceremonies at Turnmills. Surely he must be out by now. have always wondered where he is now and what he’s up to. lol

  19. Memories that pop into my head:

    The tranny on stilts
    The arcade room downstairs
    Trying to find your mates
    Getting lost
    Cans of beer
    The Whirlitzer seating in The Cross Garden
    Pre-club beers in the Backpacker

    I was never really that keen on Turmills as I felt the space was a little awkward

    Other clubs that deserve a mention:

    Salmon and Compass in Angel. Ok, it’s technically a pub and I’m not sure if we were going there in 90s. Saw Joey Negro play there a few times.

    Home. The small room was great. Then Dane Bowers went and ruined it all

    Electroworks (I think this was the name?). It was around the corner from Angel station. A former Goth club with 2/3 rooms over 2 floors.

    Bar Rumba.

    Velvet Rooms

    Ministry of Sound. A great club pre-2001.

    Plastic People

    Bagleys started to go downhill for me after the drugs raid. I remember having to take my shoes off for them to be searched. It always felt like it was on borrowed time after that.

    We went to the opening night of Fabric. I remember one of their selling points was “drinks at pub prices”. It was £2 for a beer which was great value at the time. It didn’t last long though.

    I think the last great night I had in a bigger club was Shelter at Egg in 2005.

    The Soul City nights in Covent Garden were also really good.

    I wouldn’t even know where to go nowadays for a night out.

    1. Electrowerkz was the name!!!
      Have some great memories from that place when the people from Hooj used to celebrate their parties there. Remember one night trying to adjust the needles for them not to jump on the vinyls. It was almost impossible due to vibration from the soundsystem… Later feeling sick in the stomach because of the same reason. Or many others, would not stop writing and remembering about them.
      For me it was just a little bit over a year that I lived in London. It was around 2000 and I remember those times as probably the best of my life.
      Will come back around and write more.
      So goooood memories!!!!

  20. Great article. I lived in London back in the late 90’s early 00’s and went to all of these clubs. The End, The Cross, Turnmills and Bagleys were all favourites.

    I half remember a night at Bagleys sitting in an ice cream fridge next to the dancefloor. A perfectly acceptable thing to do at the time.

    It’s really sad that the times have a’changed and in a reflection of this, all these fantastic places are being bulldozed. Those that were there will never forget and those that weren’t would wish they were if they knew.

  21. A most excellent post Tom..
    Enjoyed the trip into nostalgia very much.. I (just about) have wonderful memories of all 5 of those venues. Standouts would have to be Logical Progression and Gallery at Turnmills, Buzzin’ Fly, Ram and Underwater @ The End and Type and the mighty Peace Division @ The Cross… happy, happy times.
    I would also like to add The Blue Note to this list of sadly missed. Stealth on a Thursday night, marvellous… http://wharferj.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/stealth-the-blue-note/
    Many thanks
    Joe Blogs

  22. Great article. Reminded me of my mis-spent but highly pleasurable youth on the dance floors of a London.

    I discovered house music whilst on holiday in Ibiza in 1990 and after that London was the only place on my “to move to” list. So move I did, all the way from Helsinki.

    Bagleys was always my favourite. Dirty, worn, in your face, street cred with banging, hard but funky beats.

    At the Astoria I met a bloke who ended up being my significant other for a decade. At Camden a Palace, I met my best friend, who is now the godmother of my 7 year old son.

    I am now all grown up at 42 with a respectable job and look like I am, a middle aged mum. But I will never forget the fabulous nights and camaraderie that I shared with friends and total strangers whilst waving my hands in the air like I just didn’t care x

  23. I met my husband at The Cross in 2004, now happily married with kids. Would have kept going there for anniversary, shame it’s closed but glad we’ve done it all at the best times…

  24. how about PLEASED on a wednesday at the Velvet underground !!! migrated from the Milk Bar around the corner, Danny Rampling ruled wednesday night, and Jon Pleased took over the tradition….Shoom, Pure, Glam, Pleased… the weekends fun used to begin on a wednesday,,,,OMG !! so much fun should be illegal…. it probably was ha !
    Pete..

  25. I was a fresh of the boat straight laced Kiwi lad who was let loose in London in the mid nineties , I was lucky to become a promoter of Fevah and Fahrenhite ,I was blessed with bring able to run events in most of the iconic venues , experience the glamour and the seedy side of all , to me the cream was either the sound shaft or the London Astoria , but have so many sensational memories and adventures from most .
    A great article , and so sad that many of these truly iconic places may be but a memory in the minds of millions .

  26. I’m amazed u didn’t mention that John Newman was the father of both Danny and Paul Newman.
    I’ve loved reading ur write up about the old clubs and the memories came flooding back with the pics!!

  27. Great article, and I’ll second and third and fourth what has been said here. Memorable days and nights.

    I took a diversion myself up York Way a while back and took similar snaps of Bagleys and The Cross. Turning around and seeing floor fountains and Mail on Sunday readers sipping lattes and eating Danish pastries made my heart sink. Losing those places feels like losing a family member – never to return.

    What I would say is be glad we are the ages we are. Fact is we WERE around when these incredible bastions of modern culture were in their pomp… negotiating a route through the tunnel room at Turnmills, walking up that incredibly long slope towards the cab rank at 5am after The Cross and getting hopelessly lost in those pokey rooms at the bottom of Bagleys.

    Then of course there was The Fridge, Studio 33, and some fantastic railway arch clubs buried away around London (Imperial Rooms in Camberwell New Road a particular memory).

    We WERE there, we DID live it, and now we’re sentimental old bastards. Amen.

  28. Thanks for the article, brought back awesome memories! It’s sad though, as these were truly iconic clubs… I am not from UK, but had a chance to party in Turnmills and The Fridge at their best times… I felt ‘everyone is equal’ kind of things there. Best crowd ever!

  29. I was the promoter of Double Dipped at Bagleys on Friday nights around 91 – 93
    We also ran revesceen magazeen
    At that time the venue was owned by Terry (cant rememember his surname) and he’d made his money from jiffy condoms and then for some reason he got involved with starting up bagleys as a venue
    We had amazing nights, including joint parties with labrynth and raindance. We put a swimming pool onthe terrace one night, fairground rides another. but it went wrong after the terrible stabbing on a bank holiday sunday night.
    A great venue
    Much better than the cross! Didnt boy george have a residency there? And some ex-boxer DJ?

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