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.

The Jailhouse: Memories and pictures of famous Elgin nightclub which burned down 25 years ago

The Jailhouse nightclub in Elgin was only open for 18 months, but locals have plenty of memories about it.

The dummy in an electric chair.
The memorable dummy in an electric chair. Image: Mark Russell

During the 1990s,the Jailhouse nightclub in Elgin was known as the go-to spot for locals.

It was renowned for its cage where dancers could get the spotlight on Friday and Saturday nights for a bit.

And at midnight, somewhat bizarrely, a dummy would be placed in a fake electric chair and fried.

The nightclub was designed with the theme of an American prison.

It was open for 18 months before a blaze engulfed the building and forced it to close.

Former Elgin nightclub The Jailhouse.
Former Elgin nightclub The Jailhouse.

Earlier this year, we exclusively revealed why previous plans to redevelop the former Jailhouse site never worked out and its future.

Now Robertson Property Limited will have overall responsibility of a South Street mixed-use development which will include the Jailhouse site.

What are your Jailhouse memories?

Sometimes, it is nice to reminisce.

On social media, we asked you for pictures and memories from the Jailhouse nightclub in its heyday.

Despite being open for just a short time, it has certainly left a lasting impression.

The memorable dummy in an electric chair inside the jailhouse
The memorable dummy in an electric chair inside the nightclub.  Image: Mark Russell

Locals certainly recall it well.

Claire Rowlands said: “I still remember my first visit, we were all awe-struck at the theme, and the electric chair on display.

“It sent shivers down my spine and it was a spectacular venue.”

Cathy Cadenhead added: “Fascinating, as I still find it hard to think that all that was tucked away. It was almost like a secret wee world.”

Claire Rowlands with two colleagues during a work night out in the Jailhouse
Claire Rowlands (right) with two colleagues on the Moray Council’s Roads Department work night out in the Jailhouse. Image: Claire Rowlands

Before clubbers left the Jailhouse nightclub to go home, they would often have chips and cheese from the kitchen.

Deborah Ingram Bunnell joked: “Thankfully no-one had mobile phones with camera in those days … what happened in the Jailhouse stayed in the Jailhouse.”

The booths inside the Jailhouse
The booths inside the Jailhouse. Image: Mark Russell

Not to makes excuses, but that makes pictures inside the Jailhouse difficult to track down.

However, Mark Russell provided us with a few photos which give us a glimpse into the venue.

He said: “All the staff were great and got on so well.

“I really miss the place and Phil, Louisa, Netta and Reuben did an amazing job.

“They were way ahead with the style, ideas and equipment.”

He says his favourite memory at the nightclub was when DJs Scott Bond and Tom Bouthier performed at the venue.

The cage inside Jailhouse. 
The cage inside Jailhouse.  Image: Mark Russell

Artwork at the Jailhouse

Another thing that stood out at the nightclub was the artwork of prisoners on the walls which can still be seen today.

On social media, Kieron Douglas revealed his mum painted all the prisoners in the cells in the arches.

Some of the artwork in the former Jailhouse in Elgin in 2015.
Some of the artwork in the former Jailhouse in Elgin in 2015.
Our drone pictures show you can still see the artwork inside the former Jailhouse nightclub. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

It is fair to say the Jailhouse will never be forgotten with so many having treasured memories.

The former nightclub site brings people back to their younger days.

For more Elgin news and updates, join our local Facebook group.

Conversation