Manchester's Hellfire horror nightclub brought terror to a generation of clubbers

It was tastefully adorned with inverted crucifixes and decorative severed heads. And the former Hellfire Club in north Manchester well and truly brought terror to a generation of clubbers.

Now the building, which had been abandoned for a number of years, could soon be given a new lease of life. The historic north Manchester venue was once the Hellfire Club, a horror-themed nightclub on Queens Road that opened in 2007.

The oddly shaped landmark building dates back to at least 1870. It was formerly the Junction Hotel – later Junction Inn – near the cemetery. It is on the border of Collyhurst, Harpurhey, Smedley, and Cheetham and is rumoured to be a hotspot for paranormal activity.

READ MORE:'It seems to follow him': The terrifying Greater Manchester streets where families have been forced to flee their homes

READ MORE: The Greater Manchester hairdresser who killed more than 200 men and women

The M.E.N. reviewed this horror-themed club-cum-restaurant shortly after it opened, noting the "masks, talking skulls and upside-down crucifixes" that decorated its walls. Customers were served cocktails like Dead Man Walking in blood-smeared goblets amidst decapitated heads and ghoulish figures hanging from the windows.

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and, Breaking News group by clicking this link

The venue, which claimed to have Manchester's deepest cellar, known as the 'dungeon,' was rumoured to have been a burial site in the past. A Yelp review in 2008 likened the club to a horror movie set: "Walking into The Hellfire Club is much like walking into Dracula's castle.

The reviewer added: "I honestly kept expecting to see the ghosts of Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price around each new corner. There are stone dungeon walls covered with bleeding monster heads, elaborately carved beams and cabinets, barred Victorian-style windows, randomly-placed coffin lids, glass jars filled with fingers and eyeballs, and lurking skeletons in every nook and cranny."

Join our Greater Manchester history, memories and people Facebook group here.

The horror theme extended beyond the décor, as the review continued: "The entire staff is decked out in enough corsets, old-fashioned British waistcoats, and undead accessories to make both Jack The Ripper and George Romero very proud. Overall, the ambience is akin to a well-planned Halloween party with more than a few fun cinematic scares thrown in for good measure."

It also advised patrons: "And in that vein, I would strongly suggest that you do at least a little goth or horror movie dressing up when you go. Jeans aren't forbidden, but most patrons really live it up at the dining graveyard, so don't be afraid to join in."

The venue's spooky atmosphere wasn't just down to a creative collection of horror props. The building itself is notoriously said to be haunted. In 2010, the club's owner, David Butler, told the M.E.N. that during the club's renovation, a cigarette packet dated 1886 was discovered under the floorboards.

He added: "We've had various paranormal teams here and they all come up with pretty much the same impression of a young girl and an older man that haunts the place."

Love Greater Manchester's past? Sign up to our new nostalgia newsletter and never miss a thing.

In a later interview in 2014, having spent more time in the building, the sceptical owner said he'd had his eyes opened by some of the things he'd witnessed there, adding: "One morning it was footsteps on the roof, and when I went to check there was nobody there.

"We had the sound of dripping taps, but no sign of water coming out of any of them anywhere."

A girl also claimed she saw a group of horses in the basement, not knowing that a stable was attached to the building centuries ago. The Hellfire Club shut its doors in 2014 when the owner decided he 'had his fun' with the venue.

It remained closed for two years until Cirque Manchester opened. It branded itself as the city's first dedicated Burlesque bar, targeting an alternative crowd over 30. The Halloween ghouls and Blackadder-esque décor were out, replaced by sleek black Chesterfields, cosy fires, craft beers, and champagne. The basement dungeon was transformed for fetish and kink nights.

However, the burlesque club's life was short, and the historic venue was soon vacant again. In 2019, a fire broke out in the abandoned building.

But now it seems the historic building could soon be given a new lease of life. In August, an application to turn the Victorian landmark into eight residential apartments, together with a four-storey side extension and single-storey roof extension, was approved.

Permission to convert the building to a radio station with a ground-floor café was granted in December 2019, but the plans were never completed.

The landmark building is situated in a predominantly residential area, and should the plans go ahead, people could soon live in this architecturally unusual building that's played a significant part in north Manchester's social heritage.

Does this story awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.