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Kathryn Magson 7 posts
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None of those listed would put their hands in their pockets for something other than profit i think.
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Heartbroken, Drove from Notts for over 7 years every Friday night it was on, Sat at the front table 3rd from the left looking at the stage from the Bar, Henry selling his records in the bottom corne
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This unfortunately is a bulldozer that has been waiting to move in for some years. I am not sure if there is a will to keep this building and I believe Brighouse Civic Society and/or some private ind
Yesterday a friend and I took up the invitation to have a last look around the iconic Ritz in Brighouse - sadly, only a small handful of us were there.
We had no idea just what to expect - we thought the place would be something of a building site - but even then, we were both shocked & saddened by the sight that greeted us. From the outside, at first glance The Ritz doesn't really appear much different - a bit unloved & unkempt, run-down & in need of a bit of tlc - but otherwise no great change. However, on entering the foyer we were in for a huge shock, with dirt, litter & rubble strewn everywhere & an overpowering smell of damp. mould & decay. Once inside the room there was no lighting, so we found ourselves in total darkness & were shown around by flashlight.
The current owner told us that they'd had very little interest from potential buyers, as both the business rates & insurance were so high that buyers were immediately put off. There have also been numerous burglaries, with lighting; sound system & copper piping all stripped out,. The most recent burglars had clearly spent quite some time there - helped themselves to drinks from the bar & left a few personal items - shoes etc - even a pair of nail clippers, so bizarrely someone must have found time for a bit of a pedicure!
Even now, in a corner of the room there stands a boiler & more copper piping awaiting collection by the burglars (apparently the most recent burglary has resulted in 4 men in police custody - I'd already seen in the local paper a few days ago that they'd been arrested, all armed with machetes).
It was so sad to see this once great venue reduced to this sorry state - I think many of us have fond memories of those storming nights at The Ritz & would love to see the place rise from the ashes, but any such hopes were thoroughly crushed as soon as we entered the building.
I thought some of you might be interested to see a few photos that were taken yesterday.
Edited by Kathryn Magson