An urban explorer has uncovered a nostalgic glimpse into Barrow’s once-thriving nightlife after venturing inside the long-abandoned nightclubs Skint and Club M.
Skint, originally known as Scorpio, was one of several popular venues that made up the Rick Lucas nightlife empire alongside bars like the Imperial Hotel and Kavannas.
The explorer, known as The South Cumbrian Explorer, who is from Barrow himself, said the building remains largely untouched since its closure.
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"They were both very dark and a bit eerie when I went in," he said.
"Grim, really – in a lot of disrepair. In Skint, there are full bottles of beer still lying around, bottles of WKD from around 2014 or 2015. There’s natural decay everywhere – plaster coming off, ceilings collapsing.
"Upstairs in Club M looks like it was being turned into a nightclub but never finished. There’s a walkway above a dancefloor, lighting rigs, ’90s-style metal railings – it feels completely frozen in time."
Skint was reportedly once a church dating back to around 1865 before being converted into a nightclub. Locals will remember its various identities over the decades from Eclipse and Cee P's to the better-known Scorpio and finally Skint.
"I used to be a regular at both Skint and Club M," the explorer said. "So it was a nostalgia thing as well, These places made a lot of memories for people – it’s where some probably met their partners.
"There’s a big glass sign inside Skint that still says Scorpio, and there are ashtrays and bar stools just left where they were. There's nothing really of value in either.
"The amount of cobwebs that were in both places, there were old cigarettes and ash trays from when you could smoke inside, lots of old documents and pictures.”
"It’s sad, really – the whole street used to be buzzing. Now there’s only one hotel still open on that block. Everything else is just empty, it's really sad."
