Five Hereford city nightclubs that have come and gone

However, for anyone wishing to make it a late one, they have a limited choice of nightclubs to go to. 

Only The Venue (which the Jailhouse and DV8 used to be) in Gaol Street, Trilogy (formerly Play/Bushwackers) in Blueschool Street, and Saxtys uin Widemarsh Street remain in the city.

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There are of course other late-night bars and venues, such as Gordon Bennetts and Rubix. 

However, in bygone years, there were more of your traditional nightclubs.

Below are just some that have come and gone in recent years.

Marilyns

Herefordshire Full Monty hopefuls strike a post at Club Eros in Commercial Road in 1998. From left: Jason as a soldier, Andy as a fireman, Stephen Hughes, Jono as Karate Guy, and Paul as a gangster

Marilyns opened in the former Lovejoy's site in Commercial Road opened in January 1992.

The new club hit the headlines a couple of times through the early 1990s, on one occasion for turning away a group with learning difficulties in 1994.

By 1998, big changes were on the way, with the nightclub overhauled and decked out with psychedelic relics as it was rebranded as Club Eros.

The club would later become Dusk and Time, before its final rebrand as Fusion.

It closed for good in January 2015, with Steve Harrison, who owned the Fusion business as well as a number of other pubs in Hereford, saying a cultural change was behind the closure.

The Freedom Church later moved into the site and the former cinema next door.

The Crystal Rooms

People queuing outside the Crystal Rooms

Anyone who grew up in the county in the 1990s were lucky to have had one of the UK's biggest club nights on their doorstep.

While the decade is mainly remembered in music circles for BritPop, in Hereford the beat was a quicker one and defined by a counter culture.

The Crystal Rooms in Bridge Street was home to dance music, primarily hard house, but techno, drum 'n' bass, hardcore and acid house could also be heard and were the reasons for the huge queues skirting around Bridge Street King Street.

Manhattans

Andy Catley decided to close Manhattans in 2011

For 18 years, Manhattans was regarded as the place to go for anyone who liked to listen to a bit of rock or heavy metal.

However, the alternative venue would play its final record in October 2011 after its owner, Andy Catley decided to turn the disco into an indoor market and café.

Not long after being set up, Manhattans attracted a rock and biker following, with its upstairs Libertys nightclub attracting a more commerical crowd with many bands also performing at the venue.

The site in St Peter's Street is now home to Monkhouse Schoolwear Specialists.

Mamma Jammas

Mamma Jammas was situated in West Street

After the closure of Manhattans, fans of rock music went to Mamma Jammas in West Street. 

However, the club closed its doors in February 2019 after being open for eight-and-a-half years.

At the time, a representative said: "Through many ups, and the odd down, we've all persevered, however everything must eventually give way to time and the changing of tastes."

The Jailhouse

Promoters Lee Symonds and Anthony Murphy at the Jailhouse

Hereford's premier alternative music night, known affectionally as 'the Jaily' had its final night in December 2014 when its managers made the decision to leave.

Owner Steve Harrison previously said trading levels and a failure to renegotiate the building's leases meant it was no longer sustainable.

Promoters Anthony Murphy and Lee Symonds, who now co-own the the Beefy Boys, also ran the Lock Up, which also had the name 'Scream'.

In 2005, they said the club played host to Friday nights of hip-hop, drum and bass and breaks with Saturday still being host to Spunky - the old school techno and hardcore night.