Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.
Moray

Jailhouse Elgin: I visited the former nightclub site (and yes, THAT electric chair is still there)

The Press and Journal gained exclusive access to the nightclub which only open for 18 months before a blaze engulfed the building and forced it to close.
Sean McAngus
The run down former site of the jailhouse nightclub in elgin
Inside Jailhouse. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

The entrance to a former iconic Elgin nightclub is one you might have walked past countless times in the town centre.

But you may have wondered what the Jailhouse site looks like now, after years of being open to the elements.

We gain exclusive access to the site which used to be home to the go-to nightspot for locals during the 1990s.

The disused entrance to the old Elgin Jailhouse nightclub
The door pictured on the right where we entered the Jailhouse nightclub. Image: Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson

Journey back in time inside Elgin’s Jailhouse

What remains of the Jailhouse and the Newmarket Ba
What remains of the Jailhouse and the Newmarket Bar. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

In July 1998, a blaze engulfed the Jailhouse nightclub forcing it to close.

The venue designed with the theme of an American prison opened for only 18 months, but it certainly made an impression.

It was only three months later, I was born, so I never got the chance to set foot in the nightclub which was renowned for its cage.

The disused grounds of the former Jailhouse in Elgin
<br />Inside the Jailhouse.  Image:Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

After hearing about people’s memories over the years, I walked down the same corridor which used to be packed with clubbers lining up on Friday and Saturday nights in its heyday.

Most people recalled how at midnight, somewhat bizarrely, a dummy would be placed in a fake electric chair and fried.

The most striking thing in my visit, was it still remains there.

A headless dummy sitting on a chair in a courtyard
The dummy. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Meanwhile, the stunning murals painted on the walls remain well preserved.

Despite the site being open to terrible winters over the years.

During my visit, it was interesting to see how clearly you could see it use to be a nightclub.

Painted murals from the old nightclub
Some of the painted murals. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson
Painted murals
Inside the Jailhouse which could be demolished. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson
An old menu showing the cost of some drinks
The menu showing the cost of some drinks. Image:  Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Watch my video from my visit:

What is the future of the Jailhouse site?

Drone shot of the former Jailhouse nightclub in Elgin
Drone shot of the former Jailhouse nightclub in Elgin taken last year. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

The former nightclub could be one of the buildings getting demolished as part of the South Street redevelopment in the Elgin town centre.

In December, Moray Council, development partners Robertson Property Limited (RPL) and UHI Moray revealed the plans which included the redevelopment of the former Junners toy shop, the Newmarket Bar and the Jailhouse nightclub.

The Moray Growth Deal is supporting elements of the project, while £18.3m Levelling Up Fund cash will also contribute to the redevelopments.

A newspaper cutting with the headline 'Revamp of Elgin street could begin next year'
Our coverage previously on the plans.

Homes, a business enterprise hub for new and growing businesses and additional units for shops were included as part of the vision.

We later exclusively revealed more details about the plans.

Last month, architects Oberlanders lodged the proposals on behalf of RPL to planning officials which will include a business hub, three retail units, 38 flats across five blocks and a courtyard.

A digital rendering of an aerial view of the South Street development plans
Aerial view of South Street development plans revealed.

Conversation