OF all the ‘lost’ buildings around East Lancashire which we feature in Looking Back, one which always attracts a great deal of interest is Accrington Conservative Club.

This photo is from 1990 and shows the magnificent building on Cannon Street in all its glory.

It was one of the largest Conservative Clubs in the country with its ballroom capable of hosting 1,000 people.

The Grade II listed building was opened in 1890 and a century later it became a nightclub. The building was destroyed in a blaze in 2016 and now just part of the frontage remains standing.

Hundreds of couples first met at the club at the many dances which were held there in the post war years and many leading politicians spoke there.