In a move that proves you can teach an old building new tricks (or at least some basic plumbing), Rochdale’s former Nile nightclub, once a haven for questionable dancing and forgotten coats, is set to be transformed into ten apartments as part of a bold plan to revitalise the town centre.
The building at 1 Drake Street has lived many lives: originally a plush Georgian townhouse for a wool merchant, then the Wellington Hotel in 1818, before eventually descending into nightlife history as The Nile, where the only thing louder than the music was the complaints about the toilets.
Now, after years of vacancy and faint echoes of 00s chart hits, Rochdale Council has approved plans to convert the upper floors into six one-bed flats and four additional apartments, including a studio, which is estate agent speak for “cosy enough to boil a kettle from bed.”
The ground floor, once home to Bombay Brew, now hosts Moody Blue, a bar that promises live sport, food, and probably fewer glow sticks. The upper floors, meanwhile, will soon be filled with actual tenants instead of leftover basslines and abandoned high heels.
Council conservation officer Catherine Fenghour gave her blessing, confirming the building retains “much of its original grandeur,” though presumably without the original disco ball. She noted its significance in Rochdale’s wool trade and political history, including gatherings after the 1832 Reform Act, meaning it’s gone from revolution to revellers to renters in under 200 years.
Planners agree that turning the decaying upper floors into flats is better than watching another bit of Rochdale’s past crumble into history, pigeons, and lost kebabs. The proposal is said to boost footfall, revive a Grade II listed building, and stop any more structural arguments between original cornices and rotting joists.
From down the M62, we salute the transformation, turning a once-thumping nightclub into a sustainable housing option, with only the faintest chance someone wakes up at 3am convinced they can still hear Cascada through the walls.
