The 90s Sheffield nightclub that was 'like something out of a Terminator movie'

If there'd been no Republic you wonder how the fortunes of the city's nightlife would have fared. It’s hard to imagine – twenty-five years on – the buzz there was about after dark Sheffield.

Nightclubs seemed to be opening everywhere. But it was the transformation of the former Roper and Wreaks steelworks that lit the blue touchpaper.

The £1.4 million scheme to get the place up and running as a state-of-the-art nightclub lasted nearly three years, with a long-running battle to try and get a drinks licence being played out in the press.

The green light was finally given at Sheffield Crown Court by Judge Tom Cracknell, who overturned a previous ruling. The Republic was the city's first new nightclub in over 12 years.

Five young entrepreneurs were behind the project: Anwar Akhtar, Neil Midgley, Jerome Curran, Tony Fitzgerald and Fran Hilbert. The venue offered daytime cafe, gallery and exhibition space, office accommodation and more.

Its initial door policy was: "dress up, dress down, dress middle, dress round, we want you for your heart and not for your Armani shirt".

It opened its doors in late 1995 to huge anticipation. The interior was truly staggering and blended the heavy industry of the Steel City with 20th century clubbing chic.

The Republic incorporated many original design features from the building’s heavy industrial past, including the giant industrial crane that teetered above the dance floor.

Sally Jordan was one of the first through the door. She said: "The Republic was breathtaking. It was like something out of a Terminator movie. We couldn't quite believe we'd got something that amazing in sunny Sheffield."

House and garage were the mainstay of the weekend with 'superstar' DJs like Jeremy Healy and Roger Sanchez performing.

But it took its sale to Gatecrasher to turn the Republic into one of the most successful venues of the era as the Birmingham brand developed its quest for after dark domination.

The Republic name was eventually resigned to history as it was revamped and renamed Gatecrasher One.

Every name DJ worth his or her salt spun the decks at the venue together with a worthy local resident, one Matt Hardwick.

Although the building will be best remembered as the permanent home of Gatecrasher (it burnt down a few years later) – many will always remember it as the groundbreaking Republic.

• A brand new, limited edition Republic T-shirt is now available from www.dirtystopouts.com – a special ‘Republic Edition’ of the Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1990s Sheffield’ is currently in production.

*Content supplied by Neil Anderson.