The Dungeon was a club open in Nottingham from 1964 to 1968. It was a place where the young could meet and listen and dance to exciting music both on record and live, an experience which would be with many of them for the rest of their lives.

Much of the music played was American music being covered by the many bands who sprung up throughout the 1960s in Great Britain. The original music could not be heard on the media at first, so at the Dungeon people heard for the first time soul, Motown, rhythm and blues, some blues and jazz.

In the mid-60s in Nottingham, if you were a Mod, life had to start at The Dungeon.

Here is the fact and fiction about the place: those who were there share their memories.

… Before …

Apparently the building housed W.H.Smith. The basement where the main area of the Dungeon was situated was used to pack the newspapers ready for delivery to  different parts of Nottingham.

… And Then …

For those who were too young or just did not go, after the Dungeon closed in 1968, the building was used to house many more clubs until it was eventually converted into office space for a large firm of solicitors.

To put the club into context, names found for clubs include:

  • Dungeon, opened Friday July 10th, 1964, closed Sunday February 18th, 1968
  • The Big Apple, opened Sunday March 2nd 1968
  • The Eight Till Late, opened Tuesday October 15th 1968
  • Marios, opened in 1972?
  • Shades
  • Whispers
  • Asylum, where filming for The Tube TV programme occurred in 1982/3
  • The Club
  • Venus, which opened in May 1990 and closed in 1994 and featured sets from DJ’s such as Sasha, Pete Tong, Brandon Block, Jeremy Healy and Fatboy Slim.
Note

All prices mentioned on this website are in LSD (pounds, shillings and pence) as the Dungeon Club was open before decimalisation in 1971. Therefore:

  • 6d means six pence;
  • 2/- means two shillings;
  • 3/6 means three shillings and six pence;
  • one bob is one shilling;
  • half a crown is 2/6 or two shillings and sixpence.