It’s hard to imagine that before The Arches welcomed world-famous DJs and crowds of clubbers, the space was just a derelict area below Glasgow Central Station.

To celebrate Glasgow as the European City of Culture in 1991, the area was transformed to host Glasgow’s Glasgow exhibition.

When the exhibition closed, theatre director Andy Arnold took over the space with ambitious plans to create a theatre.

Glasgow Times: NewsquestNewsquest

To raise the considerable funds needed to go ahead with theatre productions, Andy held nightclub events.

What was once a short-term solution would then embody the venue. The Arches – so-called for the large arches placed throughout the structure – was the go-to night out in Glasgow for over 20 years.

In 2007 a magazine poll voted the venue the 12th best club in the world.

Glasgow Times: NewsquestNewsquest (Image: Newsquest)

Hugely popular events over the years include Slam, which featured Underworld and electronic duo Daft Punk in their first UK performance.

Upping the ante with a huge Friday night blow-out was the monthly techno night Pressure, which has featured gigs from Jeff Mills, Derrick Carter, Boys Noize, Vitalic and more. 

But in times of strife, The Arches proved to be more than just another place to go for a night out in Glasgow, but an institution worth saving. In early 2015, over 40,000 people petitioned to reinstate their nightclub licence when bosses had it removed.

Glasgow Times: NewsquestNewsquest (Image: Newsquest)

The city’s club regulars know that the story does not have a happy ending, with the club announcing in June 2015 that they were going into administration and closing.

After nearly two and a half decades, it was the end of an era for more than just one generation of Glasgow’s clubbers.

The space was reopened in 2018 as Platform, a food market and events space.