The Cla-Zel reopened in November 2008 with a re-designed interior and refurbished marquee. The sloped floor has been removed and the venue is now on two levels, with a bar and seating near the entrance and a smaller bar and large dancefloor on the lower level by the stage. The majority of the original architecture and fittings have been restored, with new additions very sympathetic to the original design.
It is currently open Wed-Sun and operates as Club Encore on Thursday’s, Friday’s and Saturday’s, and will begin hosting live music in January or February 2009.
There are some pictures on the Wigan World website that show the Court as it was in 2006. Quite a lot of old features from it’s cinema days are still in existence: View link
The Esquire was actually converted into a live music venue in the late 80’s called Club Bijou. Used to go there quite a bit from 2004 onwards and thought it was a great place, while pretty rundown it still had a nice atmosphere.
This site did not open in 2006. It was built in 1996 as a Virgin Cinema, becoming UGC, Cineworld and then Empire in 2006.
The Cla-Zel reopened in November 2008 with a re-designed interior and refurbished marquee. The sloped floor has been removed and the venue is now on two levels, with a bar and seating near the entrance and a smaller bar and large dancefloor on the lower level by the stage. The majority of the original architecture and fittings have been restored, with new additions very sympathetic to the original design.
It is currently open Wed-Sun and operates as Club Encore on Thursday’s, Friday’s and Saturday’s, and will begin hosting live music in January or February 2009.
Photo’s I took in 2004, the year before demolition:
View link
There are some pictures on the Wigan World website that show the Court as it was in 2006. Quite a lot of old features from it’s cinema days are still in existence: View link
The Esquire was actually converted into a live music venue in the late 80’s called Club Bijou. Used to go there quite a bit from 2004 onwards and thought it was a great place, while pretty rundown it still had a nice atmosphere.
Exterior in 1983: View link
Interior in 2007 here: View link
Another interior from 2006: View link
Sadly, it was demolished last year to make way for the Lucas County Arena Project. You can see a webcam of the site today here: http://www.lucascountyarena.com/webcam2.asp
The new Bijou is on Byrne Street and is the most barren, devoid-of-character place I’ve visted in a long time!