For many people the distinctive Budgens on London Road, at the busy junction with Boston Road, will hold fond memories of its previous incarnations as various nightclubs, a popular ballroom and for older readers maybe even its origins as a cinema. Others will have passed by wondering why a small supermarket is housed behind such a unique and stylish frontage, with its elegant Chinese pagoda-inspired entrance.
We’ve delved into the archives to take you on a trip back in time through the building’s fascinating history, from how it started life in 1914 as a cinema to the numerous clubs which have hosted unforgettable nights out for thousands of revellers, right up to its modern use as a supermarket. Its many lives even include a short spell as a Marks & Spencer store.
Depending on your age and musical taste, you may know the building best as Lansdowne Picture Palace, Kingdom, the Locarno, Vickers, Tiffany's, Mecca, The Palais, The Music Factory or Bed. Or for those with a shorter memory and anyone who’s less of a clubber, you may think of it simply as the old Sainsbury’s. Whatever your recollections, you should find something to appreciate in these photos of the unique building and the fun times it hosted, taking you from the present day back to the early 20th century.

17. Tiffany's nightclub
Tiffany's nightclub, pictured here in 1977, replaced the Locarno ballroom, which closed in August 1968. Mecca gave the venue on London Road, Sheffield, an £80,000 facelift before it reopened in its new guise. Photo: Peter Tuffrey

18. Tiffany's
Tiffany's nightclub on London Road, Sheffield, in February 27, 1977, when it hosted a disco for young people aged 14 to 18 Photo: Peter Tuffrey

19. The Locarno ballroom
The Locarno ballroom was a Mecca dance hall, which ran from December 1954 to August 1968. Before that, the building on London Road, Sheffield, had briefly been a Marks & Spencer store Photo: Peter Tuffrey

20. Inside the Locarno
This photo shows the imprssive dance floor inside the Locarno ballroom on London Road, Sheffield, in 1955 Photo: Peter Tuffrey

