Ringo’s Beatles debut venue burns down

A club where Ringo Starr performed one of his first concerts with The Beatles has burnt down.

A fire at the former Kingsway club in Southport, England broke out on Monday evening. At its peak the blaze required seven fire engines and two aerial units to bring under control.

The three-story venue partially collapsed at around 9.45pm, leaving another building under threat. Nobody was injured. The fire crew worked for several hours to bring the blaze under control.

The Kingsway had previously been earmarked for demolition as part of a redevelopment scheme. The former nightclub had been unoccupied for several years.

Ringo Starr stood in for Pete Best at the Kingsway on the evening of 5 February 1962, following a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club. He made his official debut as a member of The Beatles later that year, on 18 August 1962.