What a con!

For the umpteenth time, arsonists set fire to the old Accrington Conservative Club on Wednesday. This time they did a proper job, meaning that the once majestic, grade II listed building, is having to be partially demolished.

The CC opened in 1891 and was the largest in the country. It was famed for it's ballroom, with sprung dancefloor, and regularly hosted parties for over 1000 people.

The building was converted into a nightclub (Churchill's) in the early 1990's, but wasn't somewhere I ever visited as it had a reputation for being a bit rough; there were always fights there. In fact, its closure in 2003 was due to someone being killed outside.

Since then, its been left to decay , in between various arson attempts; the last significant one being 4 years ago on the day the Queen visited the town; what must she have thought?!

Access to the front of the building (which is the most beautiful part of the building) is restricted by barriers and I couldn't really get a photo to do the architecture justice , so this is from the back of the building.
Many of the roads around the area are still cordoned off while the demolishing takes place.

Up to press, they are trying to save the facade of the building, but the council and structural engineers are now deciding the fate of what's left.

I've tried to add links to various other photo's but they've not worked :-(