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Do you remember these old Norwich nightclubs?
Ritzys, Norwich. Photo: Archant Library - Credit: Archant Library
We can only dream of strutting our stuff on a packed dance floor at the moment, but if coronavirus has plugged the plug on the DJ for now, we can still hanker back to years gone by.
These photos show some of the nightclubs that made up Norwich’s clubland in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
The Orford cellar, the heartbeat of the city in the swinging 60s, saw the likes of Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Cream and Fleetwood Mac perform, but generations of locals also strutted their stuff.
The former Samson and Hercules nightclub in Tombland has a long history of providing nighttime fun, dating back to when the building was turned into a ballroom in 1939.
Over the years, as the venue went on to become nightclub Ritzy’s and Fifth Avenue, hosting celebrity visits including Jason Donovan at the height of his Neighbours fame in 1989.
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It was later called Central Park and pictures here include DJ Phil Simmons spinning his ‘Time Out Wheel’ in 1991 - win a pint for Carlsberg or Malibu and a mixer for 70p!
Hy’s Nightclub in Tombland was a Norwich nightlife institution for 30 years, run by businessman Hy Kurzner, who owned Boswells bar and the Pizza One, Pancakes Too.
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Rick’s Place in Anglia Square, was also known as Scamps, Destiny and Deja Vu down the years before it closed in 2003.
Legs also off Anglia Square had the Lotus room - a private bar area for the people from Lotus cars, which occasionally attracted celebrities. Then there was also Le Valbon.
More recent images include Concept on Prince Of Wales Road and Time which when it opened as part of the Riverside development was Norwich’s biggest nightclub.
Problems with the building meant the club and its sister venue Lava/Ignite were forced to close later reopening as The Project and then Wonderland.