Rise and fall of the legendary Stockport nightclub 'well ahead of its time'
03.02.2022 - 09:54
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Opened in a former golf club in 1978, iconic Stockport variety club Quaffers welcomed huge names over two decades, from Shirley Bassey and the Drifters to Take That and George Best.
With a capacity of 2,600, the Hollingworth Road club boasted a lavish interior, as well as a rising stage, serving hot beef barms from its downstairs kitchen that many punters still remember today.
It's over 20 years since it closed. But we've taken a look back at the iconic venue, so you can share your memories of a nightspot like no other.
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Owned by multi-millionaire hotelier Douglas 'Dougie' Flood, Quaffers was a firm favourite among Stockport’s smart set in the 70s and 80s.
But the final curtain came down on the club in December 1998, with the site bulldozed in 2004 to make way for a Homebase superstore.
The site had previously been a golf driving range called the Warren Country Club before it was gutted and rebuilt to create Quaffers.
Dougie Flood bought the venue in 1978. By then he was known for running some of the region’s most popular nightclubs, as well as Bredbury Hall hotel, which he managed until his death in 2001.
On November 2, 1978, The Stage reported: "The doors have also opened on the Quaffers country club, Bredbury, Stockport and the first phase of a magnificent million pound project of Douglas Flood's First House.
"After about three years of closure, the club has been completely refurbished with extensive interior and exterior alterations. A major transformation has taken place with a palatial ballroom and a lighting system that manager Graham Warner describes as 'superb.'
"It is open for dancing, dining, conferences, weddings, star