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Original Text (Annotation: EAW009213 / 2154635)
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Barnsley British Cooperative Society Central Drapery Department, at the corner of Wellington Street and New Street. Built in 1886, with the drapery and mantle maker's shop on the ground floor, furnishing department and milliner's showroom on the first floor, and work rooms and store rooms on the second floor. The Co-op closed in the 1980s, but would later re-open as a nightclub venue in the early 1990's as Club Hedonism, followed by Chicago Rock Cafe in the early 2000s. In 2016, plans were in the works for a refurbishment and to turn it into a "Nando's"-style restaurant, but sadly in August of that year the local landmark was gutted by fire. The blaze was widely reported in both local and national news media, and at its height was tackled by 30 firefighters and 8 fire engines. The building was deemed unsafe due to the extensive damage and had to be demolished, much to the sadness of generations of local people, many of whom held fond memories of the building both as a shopping destination, and later as a staple of Barnsley's nightlife scene. As of February 2023, a car park is operating on the site. '