The Locarno Dance Hall was opened by the band leader Billy Cotton on 1 October 1929.
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.
