Ritz Ballroom: Whitworth Street West, Manchester

The building opened in December 1928 but was without a licence for evening dances until October of the following year. The front elevation was clad in white faience, as were several of Cruickshank & Seward's early buildings.

DANCE HALL - Early next month a new dance hall, to be known as the Ritz Palais de Danse, is to be opened in Whitworth Street, Manchester. The building is stated to have embodied in it several new structural features of unusual interest, while the band is well known to dancers, being Spinelly and his Society Players from the Venice Lido Club. [Manchester Guardian 15 November 1928 page 13]

A NIGHT DANCE CLUB, THE MANCHESTER EXPERIMENT - The idea of a dancing and night club has proved attractive in Manchester to judge by the numbers who made ineffectual efforts to secure entry at the inauguration of the Ritz as a dancing club last night. It must be borne in mind that it requires 48 hours' notice to become one of the thousand active members at present enrolled. Early in the evening a dinner could be obtained at 5s., and 3s. suppers were served immediately before and after the first cabaret entertainment. which is repeated at 10 30 and 12 30. In this entertainment the two individual and spirited dancers Maggie Dickenson and Syd Culver took the floor, and were followed by a well-appreciated turn of the Rodney Hudson Girls. This feature will be strengthened as the club progresses. The orchestra, under Mr. Jan Ralfini. who is taking the part of a vagabond violinist in an English talkie film also comes from London. The club is open seven nights in the week.  [Manchester Guardian 2 October 1929 page 4]

Terra cotta      Shaw’s Glazed Brick Company, Darwen
Ironwork         George Wragge, Salford

Reference        Builder 7 September 1928 page 409
Reference        Manchester Guardian 15 November 1928 page 13 - opening
Reference        Manchester Guardian 2 October 1929 page 4 – opening as night club
Reference        Manchester Guardian 25 October 1929 page 12 – licensing
Reference        Manchester Guardian 18 October 1933 page 11 MSA Exhibition
Reference        Builder 25 October 1935 page 740