On This Day 1 October 1929 The Locarno Dance Hall was opened by the band leader, Billy Cotton.
The Locarno quickly established itself as one of the premier dance venues in London with many of the country's top bands performing there. The building underwent a £100,000 refurbishment in 1970 and reopened as the Cats Whiskers. A further £500,000 was spent on improvements in 1984 when it was re-launched as the Studio Nightclub.
The building was subsequently acquired by Rank who opened it as the Ritzy in 1990 after a £1m face-lift. However, this venture was short lived and the hall was taken over by a private consortium in 1995 and after yet another refurbishment reopened as Ceasers Nightclub adopting a Roman theme.
Today the site is part of the London Square Development of flats and retail outlets
The Locarno quickly established itself as one of the premier dance venues in London with many of the country's top bands performing there. The building underwent a £100,000 refurbishment in 1970 and reopened as the Cats Whiskers. A further £500,000 was spent on improvements in 1984 when it was re-launched as the Studio Nightclub.
The building was subsequently acquired by Rank who opened it as the Ritzy in 1990 after a £1m face-lift. However, this venture was short lived and the hall was taken over by a private consortium in 1995 and after yet another refurbishment reopened as Ceasers Nightclub adopting a Roman theme.
Today the site is part of the London Square Development of flats and retail outlets
