I'm from the superior side of the northern hills (the dry side -- God's country), so wasn't exposed to too many Lancs clubs back in my youth. Of course, I attended the Wheel niters and if we arrived in Manc too late (after midnight), another Manc niter venue (can't recall it's name). Mates who dropped off the niter scene after me used to go to Va-Va's (Bolton) but not too many of 'our crowd' lasted till the Wigan Casino opened. So we were never aware of the various 'Casino Clubs' dotted around Lancashire. As these all operated in the 50's and through the 1960's, many were frequented by the local mod / soul crowds ... BUT just why was there such a trend of calling clubs THE CASINO in Lancs ? 

I know of no Casino Ballrooms, Casino Dancehalls or Casino Clubs in Yorkshire (apart from betting establishments, most of which came much later).

But in Lancs there was the Bolton Casino, Wigan Casino (in the same ownership in the 60's), the Burnley Casino, the Leigh Casino, the Casino Club in Westhoughton (which had been the Empire Theatre & after it's days as the Casino became the Gaiety Club). The Bolton Casino had also started out as a cinema, not sure what the Burnley & Leigh versions had started life as.

I've checked on tintanet and it seems there was a Casino Ballroom on Canvey Island, a Casino Dance Hall in Mumbles (Swansea) and also a Casino Ballroom on Corporation St, Birmingham (it became the Mecca there). Back in the Manc area, there was a Casino Cinema on Wilmslow Rd but that burnt down in 1960 (before TV took over from films as the main family entertainment and many old cinemas were converted to dance halls).

With our crowd attending clubs mainly across Yorkshire & Lincs (Donny, Wakefield, Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, Brid, Scarboro, Tadcaster, Lincoln, Cleggy, etc) before we were forced to head further afield (a couple of trips down to London, to Nottingham, Leicester & finally the Wheel), we were unaware that the likes of Geno Washington & RJB + Ike & Tina Turner played 'Casino' venues in Lancs. We had top venues closer to home & so had no need to venture to those far flung (to us) venues.

BACK TO MY QUESTION FINALLY ... Anyone here know why THE CASINO was such a popular name for dance venues in Lancs but hardly anywhere else across the UK ?   

Missed out a mention for yet another Lancs CASINO ....

that's cos I couldn't find out anything more about it than this solitary mention ... 

JUNE 1962; opening of Casino Pigalle Club in New Brown Street, Manchester ... (not that far from the Wheel's location).

Edited March 11Mar 11 by Roburt

Can’t answer your question but can add to your list.

Blackpool Casino.

I remember it as quite a big venue with a deejay on a stage playing what became known as Northern Soul. 

Outside was a helter-skelter which is still there. Unless memory has slipped.

I still have the membership card if anyone wants to see it.

Edited March 11Mar 11 by David Meikle
spelling corrected.

1 hour ago, David Meikle said:

Can’t answer your question but can add to your list.

Blackpool Casino.

I remember it as quite a big venue with a deejay on a stage playing what became known as Northern Soul. 

Outside was a helter-skelter which is still there. Unless memory has slipped.

I still have the membership card if anyone wants to see it.

Was that the one down by The Pleasure Beach? Remember seeing one lad dancing all the time down there.

That’s the one, right next to the pleasure beach.

42 minutes ago, Kenb said:

Thanks Ken. Can’t find my card, but it’s somewhere. Thought it was before 1975 when I was there but memory is gone.

Edited March 11Mar 11 by David Meikle

27 minutes ago, David Meikle said:

That’s the one, right next to the pleasure beach.

Pete Haigh also used to dj , I'm sure it was a Friday session,  was a popular venue at the time .

Is this the place in Blackpool ... 

1 hour ago, David Meikle said:

Thanks Ken. Can’t find my card, but it’s somewhere. Thought it was before 1975 when I was there but memory is gone.

You could get the train to squires gate rail station ( from Manchester), and stay at pontins with mates bunking up.

7 hours ago, Roburt said:

I'm from the superior side of the northern hills (the dry side -- God's country), so wasn't exposed to too many Lancs clubs back in my youth. Of course, I attended the Wheel niters and if we arrived in Manc too late (after midnight), another Manc niter venue (can't recall it's name). Mates who dropped off the niter scene after me used to go to Va-Va's (Bolton) but not too many of 'our crowd' lasted till the Wigan Casino opened. So we were never aware of the various 'Casino Clubs' dotted around Lancashire. As these all operated in the 50's and through the 1960's, many were frequented by the local mod / soul crowds ... BUT just why was there such a trend of calling clubs THE CASINO in Lancs ? 

I know of no Casino Ballrooms, Casino Dancehalls or Casino Clubs in Yorkshire (apart from betting establishments, most of which came much later).

But in Lancs there was the Bolton Casino, Wigan Casino (in the same ownership in the 60's), the Burnley Casino, the Leigh Casino, the Casino Club in Westhoughton (which had been the Empire Theatre & after it's days as the Casino became the Gaiety Club). The Bolton Casino had also started out as a cinema, not sure what the Burnley & Leigh versions had started life as.

I've checked on tintanet and it seems there was a Casino Ballroom on Canvey Island, a Casino Dance Hall in Mumbles (Swansea) and also a Casino Ballroom on Corporation St, Birmingham (it became the Mecca there). Back in the Manc area, there was a Casino Cinema on Wilmslow Rd but that burnt down in 1960 (before TV took over from films as the main family entertainment and many old cinemas were converted to dance halls).

With our crowd attending clubs mainly across Yorkshire & Lincs (Donny, Wakefield, Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, Brid, Scarboro, Tadcaster, Lincoln, Cleggy, etc) before we were forced to head further afield (a couple of trips down to London, to Nottingham, Leicester & finally the Wheel), we were unaware that the likes of Geno Washington & RJB + Ike & Tina Turner played 'Casino' venues in Lancs. We had top venues closer to home & so had no need to venture to those far flung (to us) venues.

BACK TO MY QUESTION FINALLY ... Anyone here know why THE CASINO was such a popular name for dance venues in Lancs but hardly anywhere else across the UK ?   

 

Hi Roburt 

Wigan Casino  club formally the Empress Ballroom was renamed the Casino in the 1960,s because what was named the Palais at the rear upstairs behind the Empress Ballroom , a club inside of a club later to become Mr M,s was besides being a cabaret club , a fully fledged gambling club , Roulette , Poker all card games etc etc, playing to the early hours mid 1960,s to early 1970,s, I worked there 1971 till 73 and there was still gambling there in 72 up till Mr M,s opening , the same applied to Bolton and Leigh casino and Blackpool Casino and in other North west towns, the venues then after the gambling craze petered out lent themselves to be music venues, some to Cabaret some to a mixed bag of pop , beat, etc and some to Soul etc. 

Mick L

Hooker1951, was the, King Of Clubs in Wigan an actual casino ie a gambling club?

Hi Catsprint

Yes the king of Clubs was a Casino and a gambling club, it was also a cabaret club , with a Chinese restaurant downstairs, after 2am when the bars shut you could still gamble and get something to eat, The King was open 7 days a week including Christmas Day and Good Friday 9 pm till 2am for well over 20 years till it changed ownership in 1986, Like a few more clubs in Wigan at that time you didn’t walk in you weighed in you could get Plasma on draft, I had plenty of experience with that, you didn’t have to look for it, It looked for you LoL,

kind Regards

Mick L

Until reading these posts and comments this is all I knew of Blackpool Casino as I collect soul club patches . I didn't get into Northern Soul until 1979 aged 13 so missed out on a lot of earlier history etc. Finding out now though!  Cheers AG