News

Plans have been unveiled to demolish a Cheshire nightspot which kick-started an iconic late night music show.

Mr Smith’s nightclub on Wilson Patten St in Warrington town centre was once one of the North West’s largest and most popular nightclubs and was immortalised on the first episode of ITV’s The Hit Man and Her show. The programme presented by music legend Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan ran from 1988 – 1992 and featured late-night clubbers, celebrity appearances and party games. Acts including The Prodigy and Rick Astley also played at the 1,700 capacity club in the 1990s.

However, the club – which was rebranded a number a times – was unable to attract the same crowds in the following years and was eventually purchased by the Pervaiz Naviede Family Trust. Extensive marketing of the property produced limited results given the unique nature of the building and other leisure facilities in the area.

Given the lack of demand the decision was made to clear the site while options are considered for possible reuse. A demolition date has now been set for 11 August by LPC Living, the developer owned by the Pervaiz Naviede Family Trust.

Simon Ashdown, director of LPC Living, said “We’ve heard dozens of stories about how the club holds happy memories from those who visited it in the past three decades and are equally sad to see the end of an era for the iconic nightspot. However, once the building has been taken down we’ll be looking at a number of options for the site which may better meet the needs of the local area in the years to come”.