RAF Hospital Nocton Hall, Lincoln
RAF Hospital Nocton Hall was a 740-bed hospital in Nocton, Lincolnshire, serving the predominantly RAF personnel based at the large number of RAF Stations in the area. The facility opened for medical use in June 1947 and was used by forces personnel, their families and local civilians until it closed as an RAF facility on 31 March 1983. In 1984 it was leased to the United States Air Force (USAF) for use as a wartime contingency hospital. The USAF handed back RAF Nocton Hall to the UK Government on 30 September 1995.
Tony's Empress Ballroom, Blackburn
In the 1920's Tony Billington took the lease for the first floor from owner Johnny Weall, who owned the auctioneer’s shop below, and took out the town's first licence for music and dancing. Tony's was renovated in the 1930's with an extra storey for offices and fully-sprung dance floor for the customers added. After the war came rock and roll and Tony's became a centre for ‘jiving'. Following the closure of Wigan Casino in 1981, fans of the Northern Soul scene were looking for somewhere to go for their 'All-Nighters'. From then and throughout the 1990's Tony’s became known as the cornerstone of the Northern Soul scene.
The Exchange, Blackburn
The Exchange dates back to 1865 when it opened as one of four cotton exchange halls in the country. By the 1880s, the cotton industry in Blackburn was suffering a decline, largely due to the Cotton Famine, and competition from the Manchester Cotton Exchange which established itself as the primary trading venue. The reduced activity led to the Cotton Exchange being repurposed and the building was refurbished and became host to various musical, theatrical and other performances. The building was converted into a cinema in 1918 and named the Exchange Picture Hall, and later used by the Apollo 5 cinema from 1992 to 2005. In 2002 a rival cinema opened on the edge of Blackburn town centre. This led to a reduction in trade at the Apollo 5 and its final closure in 2005.