A WORKING men’s club made famous by Oscar-nominated movie The Full Monty has been gutted after a huge fire, leaving locals devastated.
The dangerous blaze broke out at Shiregreen Working Men’s Club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters attempt to knock out blaze at the long-empty Shiregreen Working Mens’ Club Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
The club was a famous location for the filming of 1997 UK classic comedy ‘The Full Monty’ Credit: Fox – Check Copyright Holder
Firefighters bravely battled the flames but despite their best efforts the club has now been left a charred shell.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said at 5.30pm that eight fire engines had been deployed to the scene of the blaze on Shiregreen Lane.
Videos circulating on social media show smoke billowing from the landmark building before flames took hold with the club left a smouldering wreck.
Cops and emergency services confirmed today that the fire was “believed to have been started deliberately”.
The finale of the film was shot at the long-empty Shiregreen Working Men’s Club Credit: Fox – Check Copyright Holder
Firefighters tackling the blaze in Sheffield Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Shiregreen Club, or Shiregreen Working Men’s Club as it was at the time, was the location for the finale of the hit 1997 comedy film The Full Monty.
The Full Monty followed six unemployed men from Sheffield who transformed into Chippendale dancers that stripped off so they could raise some cash.
The movie, starring Robert Carlyle and Mark Addy, ended up as one of the best-loved and highest-grossing British films of the 1990s.
A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: “We were called just before 5pm yesterday following a report of a fire at Shiregreen Working Men’s Club.
“It is reported that the fire service was called and eight engines attended.
“The building was unoccupied and no injuries were reported. It is believed that the fire was started deliberately and we have launched an arson investigation.”
Shiregreen Working Men’s Club once stood as a familiar and much-loved social hub for generations of local residents.
The club achieved cinematic fame after being used as the setting for the final, infamous striptease scene in The Full Monty, the Oscar-nominated film set in post-industrial Sheffield.
The hit 1997 movie The Full Monty
But the scene of one of the film’s most iconic moments has now been left gutted Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
The scene was shot before a live audience.
It saw characters Gaz, Dave, Gerald and Lomper take to the stage in a last-ditch attempt to earn money after losing their jobs at the steelworks – a moment that would go on to become one of British cinema’s most recognisable endings.
Local women were invited to attend the filming, meaning the crowd captured on screen was made up largely of locals from the surrounding area.
Despite a budget of under £3million, it made over £200million in ticket sales and was later adapted into a musical in 2000 and a play in 2013.
For a time, the club leaned into its newfound fame, even erecting a sign proudly declaring itself the “Home of The Full Monty”.
However, the attention did not translate into long-term survival.
By the mid-2000s, trade had begun to decline, reflecting the wider struggles faced by working men’s clubs across the country before the venue shut its doors for good in 2018.
However, an application to demolish the building to make way for flats was rejected by Sheffield City Council in 2020, after more than 1,000 people signed a petition.
There were plans announced in 2024 to reopen the building as a boxing gym, cafe and community centre but they were later scrapped.
Following the blaze at the iconic location, the fire service said: “Eight fire engines are in attendance at a fire in a derelict building on Shiregreen Lane, Sheffield.
“Please avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed if you live nearby.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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