A demolished Liverpool nightclub that lived many lives before its final days was a place that generations of clubbers were "never out of."
The Liverpool ECHO recently took a look back at Snobs nightclub in Wolstenholme Square that in its time was one of the areas "in places" for clubbers. Back in 1969, Norman Baker opened Russell's on the site, 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. Later that year, Norman reopened the club, alongside his wife Maureen, after an extensive refurbishment and it was renamed Snobs.
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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. And from there, the club became Harvey's, Academy Annexe and then Nation – where super club Cream was homed.
Liverpool ECHO readers have since been sharing their fond memories of Snobs nightclub and the clubs that called the site home. On our Facebook page, Kathleen Sloan posted: "Loved snobs never out of there."
Stephy Derbyshire posted: "Went there when it was Snobs …also and when it was Nation and Cream …..boss memories." Sara King wrote: "Snobs for me. great memories."
Sue Jones commented: "The night clubs were our freedom dance all night get hammered kebab on way home."Jayne Greenacre said: "I worked in the cloakroom there .Fab memories."
Julie Murphy commented: "Oh a DJ from Radio Merseywaves played at SNOBS."Susan Percy posted: "Loved it."
Debbie Caplin, who remembers the club in its later days, said: "Cream/Nation had great nights there seen many a good DJ." And Niall Cull wrote: "It will always be Cream and Nation to me. So many memories there."
Do you remember Snobs in Liverpool? Let us know in the comments section below.
A year into the business as Snobs, the club 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.
By the summer of 1986, the city centre club reopened after a £500,000 facelift, now known as Snobs Take 2. 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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