Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Pop Culture»Fads
    Fads 4 Mins Read

    Wigan Casino

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For eight years, if you were into Northern Soul, there was only one place you wanted to go: Wigan Casino.

    At 2.00 am on Sunday 23 September 1973, the doors of the Wigan Casino opened to the Northern Soul all-nighter crowd for the first time.

    The scene had been bereft of a spiritual home since the closure of the Golden Torch in Stoke six months earlier. The Highland Rooms of the Blackpool Mecca had developed a passionate following under DJs Ian Levine and Tony Jebb, but as the Mecca existed during normal club hours, the scene was still in search of a favoured all-nighter venue following in the tradition of Manchester’s Twisted Wheel of the late 60s.

    wigancasinoAs a building, the Casino was well past its heyday, but with the best-kept dancefloor that the circuit had ever seen – and with superb acoustics to match – it could have been tailor-made for Northern Soul.

    Its huge ballroom easily held 1200 people, the dancefloor flanked on three sides by ornate balconies where the acrobatic dancers, illuminated by just two fluorescent lights suspended from the domed ceiling, could be watched from on high.

    An ante-room – known originally as the Palais and later Mr M’s – was a scaled-down version of the main hall, giving the Casino another substantial dance area that was soon utilised as a regular ‘oldies’ room, increasing the total capacity of the venue to well over 2000.

    As midnight approached every Saturday, hundreds of young music fans – who had travelled in cars, coaches and trains from across the country – converged on a street in the middle of Wigan.

    Wigan’s dancers were demanding, and the music had to be just right, or they would walk. There could be few experiences worse for a DJ standing behind the turntables on the stage of the main ballroom when the mighty, heaving Wigan dancefloor cleared in a show of spontaneous musical disapproval, revealing that vast expanse of sprung wooden flooring to the watchers on the balcony.

    Unlike the small, concrete-floored Twisted Wheel, the dancefloor at Wigan was ideal for the backflipping daring of its dancers. Similarly, the rigours of eight-hour-long dance marathons on a floor that dwarfed that of the Blackpool Mecca and the Golden Torch led to an amphetamine culture that required the sounds of Wigan to be fast and frenetic and the beat to be stomping.

    The driving force at Wigan was local DJ Russ Winstanley, who – together with Casino manager and soul enthusiast Mike Walker – persuaded the venue’s owner, Gerry Marshall, to take a gamble on the nights.

    Winstanley set about building a roster of talented but untried young DJs who would help develop a unique sound and style for Wigan.

    Watching the dancers at WIgan – in 32-inch wide Spencers and vests adorned with badges emblazoned with slogans such as “keep the faith” and “night owl” – was awe-inspiring.

    At the height of its popularity, the Wigan Casino had over 100,000 members. Indeed, by April 1975, Mike Walker temporarily suspended the membership because of complaints about overcrowding. The Saturday soul nights grew, and eventually, the club also featured regular evening soul sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

    After several rumours of licences not being renewed, battles with the police and the drugs squad and many other problems, it was ultimately none of these that caused the Casino’s demise – It was simply that the local council wanted to redevelop the site to extend the Civic Centre.

    It was first recognised in 1978 that the lease on the land that the Casino stood on would soon be up for renewal, but in 1981, the council refused to extend the lease. And so, on 19 September 1981, the “last” all-nighter was held.

    However, the council then informed Gerry Marshall that they did not need the site immediately, so two more “last” all-nighters were held – on 2 October and 6 December of the same year. On the final night – after Russ Winstanley played Frank Wilson’s Do I Love You (Indeed I Do), the crowd of dancers just sat down on the floor and cried their eyes out.

    Demolition began in 1982, during which time a fire broke out and major damage was caused. It was not until February 1983 that the Casino was finally no more.

    The Civic Centre was never built. The Casino is commemorated with a Blue plaque, which was installed in 2014, marking the place where the doors to the club once stood. The site is now occupied by the Grand Arcade shopping centre.

    Video

    Related Posts

    • New Musical Express (NME)
      New Musical Express (NME)
      From humble beginnings in 1952 when publisher Maurice Kinn bought the title The Musical Express & Accordion Weekly for £1000 and re-branded…
    • Cool Britannia
      Cool Britannia
      Cool Britannia (a play on the title of the popular British patriotic song Rule, Britannia) was a period of increased pride…
    • Carnaby Street
      Carnaby Street
      By 1965, London had become the fashion capital of the world as far as young people were concerned. At its…
    • Britpop
      Britpop
      The mid-90s was a golden era for British music, with several fine bands all coming good at the same time.…
    • Ant Farm
      Ant Farm
      In the mid-1950's, Milton Levine was enjoying Fourth of July festivities in Southern California's San Fernando Valley, when the ant…
    • Hippies
      Hippies
      Like no other time before, the ’60s exploded into personal freedom and self-expression, seen through bands of teenagers with unique…
    • Haight-Ashbury
      Haight-Ashbury
      While Swinging London vibrated to the Mod sound of The Who and The Small Faces, an entirely different youth scene had developed half a world…
    • Drive-In Cinemas
      Drive-In Cinemas
      On 7 June 1933, the world's first drive-in movie theatre was opened in Camden, New Jersey, USA, by Richard Hollingshead…

    Northern Soul
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleWho Shot JR?
    Next Article Y2K Bug

    Comments are closed.

    NC Radio Player
    Search the site
    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with running costs and to keep the site running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small.
    Thank you so much. Enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    You may also like

    • Northern Soul
      Northern Soul
      A musical movement born in the industrial North of England, the Northern Soul phenomenon grew out of club-goers passion for…
    • Barbara McNair
      Barbara McNair
      Brenda Holloway had one genuine rival in the Motown glamour stakes. The delectable Barbara McNair from Racine, Wisconsin, even went…
    • Hula Hoop
      Hula Hoop
      The Hula Hoop is the standard by which all fads are measured. Somewhere inside that plastic ring lay the key…
    • Britpop
      Britpop
      The mid-90s was a golden era for British music, with several fine bands all coming good at the same time.…


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.