Heaven & Hell, Sackville Street. (c) Alan Lawson [1].
Heaven & Hell was a 1960s club in an old office building on Sackville Street, with Heaven on the ground floor and Hell in the basement [2]. As with many of the clubs and coffee bars of this period, the club wasn't licensed, but that didn't stop revellers indulging in alternative substances. Heaven & Hell opened in 1963 and played host to many famous bands of the era - The Hollies, Herman's Hermits - though it was described as a dive of a place. Downstairs seats were pulled out of buses, punters were often sprawled on the floor, wasted, and it went through a stage of being a hangout of homeless dossers. The club owner, known as Greek George, stood outside in tears thanking everyone when he was forced to close the club down [2]. The old location of Heaven & Hell is the car park opposite the Thompsons Arms.
Former location of Heaven & Hell, Sackville Street. (c) Google 2013. View Larger Map.
1. It Happened in Manchester: True Story of Manchester's Music 1958-1963, Alan Lawson.
In the 60's me and some of my mates used to hitch hike accross the pennines from York and go to the heaven & hell club, we loved it we used to sleep downstairs in hell the hitch hike home sunday. great days! Billy
ReplyDeleteEvery Saturday Afternoon early sixties saw me sticking my thumb out at the start of the East Lancs Road Liverpool. Headed for the club. 😎
ReplyDeleteUsed to go here with my older cousin wow what a place good job my mam didn't know
ReplyDeleteHave never forgotten the great times we all had in the Heaven and Hell in the early 60s.
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