For years, Liverpool nightspot the Wooky Hollow club was a household name in the city, attracting a host clubbers and big names.
Beginning its life as The Belmont Road Picture House in 1914, the club, on Belmont Road, Anfield, originally seated nearly 800 people and boasted a façade with a Tudor-style feature. Later leased to to the Associated British Cinemas (ABC) chain, the site was then taken over by an independent operator before reopening as the Lido Cinema from 1938 until the late 1950s.
In the sixties, a new façade was added and it re-opened the Wookey Hollow, a theatre and cabaret club which saw a number of live acts perform to members. It was one of several clubs, along with Falcon's Crest in Formby and Pickwicks on Fraser Street near London Road, owned by the late body-building champion and former Knowsley councillor Terry Phillips and partner Frank Sharrock.
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In 1968, a Liverpool ECHO advertisement described the new Wooky Hollow club as "the finest cabaret on Merseyside." It also said that members could enjoy "wining, dining and dancing nightly in Liverpool's most luxurious theatre club."
In its heyday, the Wookey Hollow featured such top names as Max Bygraves, Neil Sedaka and Freddie Starr. One image, courtesy of our archives, Mirrorpix, offers a glimpse into the club back in 1977.
Taken on February 23 that year, you can see an act performing centre stage as customers sit and enjoy a drink on the ground floor. You can also see guests looking over a balcony on the second level and heading up the stairs in smart attire.
Do you remember the Wooky Hollow? Let us know in the comments section below.
Many will have fond memories of visiting the venue, from seeing the numerous acts perform in their heyday to going there for a Christmas party, night out or other celebrations. Similar to other nightclubs in the city of the era, the Wooky Hollow also served food, such as chicken in a basket.
But by the 1980s, the club as customers had come to know it was no more. In June 1981, partners Terry Phillips and Frank Sharrock decided to sell up as they felt the salary demands made by topline artists were making it unprofitable.
On October 21, 1981, the ECHO reported how a multi-thousand pound fire brought what was then thought to be "the final curtain down" on the Liverpool night spot. Neighbours, including former Wooky Hollow manageress Dolly Blackburn, were evacuated from their homes, as more than 70 firemen fought to bring the blaze under control.
Mr. Sharrock, who designed the club's interior, said at the scene: "This is a very sad day. When I look round inside, I can see every bit of stuff I put into it
"I can remember every nail we knocked in. I designed the club myself and worked until 3 a.m. every day with the lads getting it ready to open. In its day, it was probably the best club in Liverpool.
"We had good artists and a good clientele and never a spot of trouble. Nearly all the big names played here."
Repairs were later carried out and the site reopened as a club again in 1985, becoming known and loved to a new generation in the city. Known as Bedrock for some time, in February 1990, the ECHO reported how the Liverpool's newest nightclub, The Wookey, was to open its doors, with Barney's Rubble disco bar, which also operated supervised nights for younger people, being located on the ground floor.
Accommodating more than 400 people, the club also had a function suite for for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and Christmas parties. The bar had an American theme with a reproduction of the Statue of Liberty, dating back to its more recent spell when it was known as Bedrock.
The year prior, the club was completely stripped down inside and rebuilt, now boasting plush carpets and beautiful parquet floors. In September 1995, firemen battled through thick smoke to fight a blaze at the site once more.
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The club had been closed for some years and hit by vandal attacks. In later life, the building was altered to sell kitchen appliances, but the Wooky Hollow name lives on in the memories of all those who went there.
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