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The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, England. Operating between 1973 and 1981,^[1] it became known as a primary venue for Northern soul music. It carried forward the legacy created by clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, the Chateau Impney (Droitwich), the Catacombs (Wolverhampton) and the Golden Torch (Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent). It remains one of the most famous clubs in Northern England.^[2] In 1978, the American music magazine Billboard voted Wigan Casino 'The Best Disco in the World', ahead of New York's Studio 54.^[3]

This England, a TV documentary about the Wigan Casino, was filmed in 1977. Russ Winstanley and Dave Nowell wrote a history of the club, Soul Survivors, The Wigan Casino Story, which was published in 1996. A stage play by Mick Martin about the Wigan Casino years, Once upon a time in Wigan, debuted in February 2003 at the Contact Theatre in Manchester and has since toured nationally.

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2. Vintage Music Art - Wigan Casino 45 1973-1981 0847 Authentic Quality Reproductions Photo-satin 190gm heavy paper combine effortlessly with archival quality pigment inks to produce your poster print. Put your prints behind glass, and they will last you a lifetime.

History[edit]

Wigan Casino was the name of the last incarnation of a Wigan ballroom called the Empress. Local DJ Russ Winstanley and Wigan Casino manager Mike Walker approached lease owner Gerry Marshall to run all-nighters. Walker brought Winstanley, who had a DJ set at the local rugby club, to the Casino Club. At 2 am on Sunday 23 September 1973, Wigan Casino started its first-ever Northern soul all-nighter, with Winstanley as the DJ. After Winstanley and his helper Ian Fishwick, Kev Roberts was the third DJ at Casino all-nighters, who was quickly joined by Richard Searling^[4] Soul performers that performed there include Jackie Wilson, Edwin Starr and Junior Walker.

Young people from all over the UK regularly attended Wigan Casino to hear the latest northern soul artists and to dance. There were long queues to get in. The second dance floor, Mr M's, stayed open until 6 am and played oldies songs from a variety of DJs including Dave Evison and Steve Whittle. All-nighters generally ended with three songs that became known as the '3 before 8': 'Time Will Pass You By' by Tobi Legend, 'Long After Tonight Is All Over' by Jimmy Radcliffe, and 'I'm on My Way' by Dean Parrish.^[5] Parrish is still active on the Northern soul circuit.

Wigan Casino's 500th all-nighter was held on Saturday 16 May 1981, from midnight to 8 am. Over the eight years it was open, it had over four million people through its doors.^[6]

Wigan Council owned the building and wanted to extend the nearby Civic Centre, but short of funding, it never went ahead.^[6] The club closed on 6 December 1981; that final night of Wigan Casino in its Northern soul state was DJ'd by Winstanley, and the '3 before 8' were played three times consecutively at the end of the night. The crowd refused to leave; according to Winstanley, to 'break this spell of hysteria', he picked a 7' at random from his box and played that. This final Wigan Casino song became one of the most famous Northern soul songs of all time, Frank Wilson's 'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)'.^{[citation needed]} Annual reunions are held in Wigan hosted by the original DJs.^{[citation needed]}

The Casino is commemorated with a Blue plaque, which was installed in 2014, marking the place where the doors to the club once stood.^[7]

The site is now occupied by the Grand Arcade shopping centre, which pays homage to the club with its Casino Café.^[5]

Wigan Casino Canvas Login

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. ^'BBC Manchester - Clubbing - Wigan Casino'. BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
3. ^'Wigan Casino voted greatest disco in the world'. The Guardian. 15 June 2011.
4. ^'Chris Hunt Wigan Casino'. Chrishunt.biz. 23 September 1973. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
5. ^ ^ab'Casino'. www.grand-arcade.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
6. ^ ^ab'Another spin for the Casino'. BBC Local. 9 August 2007.
7. ^'What Does A Blue Plaque For Wigan Casino Mean, Anyway?'. Clash. 9 September 2014.

Further reading[edit]

• Shaw, Dave. Casino. Bee Cool Publishing, ISBN0-9536626-2-4.

External links[edit]

• For Dancers Only The story of Wigan Casino by Chris Hunt, published in Mojo Collections magazine, Spring 2002

Coordinates: 53°32′47.24″N2°37′44.48″W / 53.5464556°N 2.6290222°W

Imagine a ballroom hall packed with young men and women and pulsating with the deep bass emanating from the speakers. The bodies grooving to the beat as a unified organism. Sweat stains mark the floor, and the many feet never stop moving. Some are dancing the night away, some are throwing up in a corner, and some are so high that they can feel their feet moving faster than the rest of their body. But the music unites them all, and the DJ is their master.

Welcome to Wigan Casino.

A Dance Culture

Wigan was always known as a quiet, hardworking town. All that changed when the Northern Soul music and dance culture took roots in the industrial and mining town. And the Wigan Casino was the epicentre. Originally a ballroom hall, it took the vision of two men to turn it into one of the most happening discos in the world.

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Local DJ, Russ Winstanley, and Wigan Casino manager, Mike Walker, thought it would be a good idea to use the big, wide hall for Northern Soul all-nighters. On September 23^rd973, a horde of young people flocked to the venue at the early hours of 2 am to experience the music. Soul performers such as Jackie Wilson and Junior Walker lit up the stage and enthralled the crowd. This set the tone for what would become a significant counterculture in the 70s.

Wigan Casino went from strength to strength after opening night. It became a bastion of youth culture. From all over the United Kingdom, young men and women trekked to Wigan. The popularity of the joint meant that long queues formed, sometimes all the way to the next street. Just getting in was considered an achievement.

This was long before the birth of internet and online casinos. The was no free spins and sites lite free-spins.org hadn’t been invented yet. So we guess that dancing was the way to go, back in the 70s in Wigan.

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The dance hall reached its peak in the late 70s when Billboard magazine named it the best disco in the world. And to think the most happening place on the entire globe existed in good ol’ Wigan.

Rebirth

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As the Northern Soul movement faded, so did Wigan Casino, ultimately shutting down in 1981. It has now been reborn as Casino Café in the Grand Arcade, where people can catch a glimpse of its famous past.