For decades, one Liverpool city centre venue was home to numerous nightclubs, attracting clubbers across the generations.
Clubbers of the 90s and 00s will know it as Nation – but the nightclub spot in Wolstenholme Square lived many lives before its demolition. Back in 1969, Norman Baker opened Russell's, which quickly became known as one of the North West’s premium cabaret clubs.
In its ten year reign, famous faces were known to regularly frequent the club, from Bruce Forsyth and Lulu to Bob Monkhouse, Tony Christie and more. But rising overheads and spiralling artists’ fees led to its closure in 1979.
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Later that year, Norman reopened the club, alongside his wife Maureen, after an extensive refurbishment and it was renamed Snobs. In its time, it was one of the areas "in places" for clubbers, breaking new ground in providing one of the best and brightest discotheques in the city at the time.
A year into the business, Snobs was continuing to prove attractive to clubbers from across Merseyside. In June 1980, Norman Baker told the ECHO: "We really are proud of the place and we are sure the members are too. It’s that kind of place.
"We set out to fill a gap and within three to four months we had a roaring success on our hands in Snobs. And ever since then it has just grown, with applications for membership now arriving daily."
Open till 2am from Tuesday to Sunday, Snobs catered for over 26's and its members were "happy to be affectionately known as Snobs." Many will also remember dressing up and heading there for a night out on the town, being a member or the stand-out staff uniforms, with the likes of barmaids wearing leotards with bow ties.
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By the summer of 1986, the city centre club reopened after a £500,000 facelift, now known as Snobs Take 2. At the time, the ECHO reported how owner Norman Baker's aim was to completely redesign and refurbish the club to bring it into the 20th century.
No expense was spared with £100,000 alone going on the new lighting system. The grand opening was invitation only, with Snobs Take 2 opening to the general public later that week.
The new club boasted several bars and lounges, as well as a restaurant. Snobs Take 2 was also known for its light shows and the different DJs who passed through its doors.
The club had a completely new look, while still retaining the old high standards. Mr Baker previously said: "We are very excited at what we’ve created.
"A new era has arrived in Liverpool. It is a completely new concept in disco entertainment in the city centre."
Images, provided by our archives Mirrorpix, capture life inside Snobs and the later incarnation of Snobs Take 2. They offer a glimpse into what nights were like at the venue in the 80s and the clubbers who went there.
In June 1989, an £150,000 refurbishment saw the former Snobs’ Club in Wolstenholme Square become Harvey's. Harvey's was the first venue in Liverpool to be equipped with a CD digital musical mixer and also boasted a multi-screen video, which showed pop up videos and classic comedies.
The ECHO at the time reported how new seating and house lighting, as well as marble tables especially made for Harvey's, now decorated the site. The upstairs cocktails bar also got a new look, giving customers a birds eye view of the dancefloor.
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But by the 90s, the site had transformed again. It was the Academy Annexe before becoming known as Nation. Ravers of the decade will rememberLiverpool's super club Cream was homed there.
At the cutting edge of dance and electronic music in the 1990s and through to the early 2000s, superstar DJs travelled from around the world to get to play sold-out sets. The weekly house music night first launched in October 1992 and later went on to be known for offshoot events and festivals around the world.
Sadly, the iconic Nation club closed its doors in 2007, and the venue was demolished in 2016 as part of the regeneration of Wolstenholme Square. But many memories were made on the site with thousands of clubbers visiting the numerous clubs through the generations.
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