Whether you wanted to dance to a top DJ or down a few pints with your mates, Kent has been home to some first-class pubs and clubs over the decades.

Sadly, some of our most loved venues have closed down, leaving us with just our memories of the times we spent there.

Here, we take a look at some of the biggest, best places to be over the years - where we’d love to return for one more night out.

Amadeus/Passion, Rochester

No nostalgia piece about Kent’s most iconic venues could go without Amadeus, the £5 million club at Medway Valley Leisure Park which opened in a blaze of glory in 1997.

There’s a good chance a lot of people visiting it in its current form as a Hollywood Bowl have no idea of the mayhem that used to take place behind those walls, whether it be jamming to garage music, hooking up with fellow punters or throwing up after one too many shots.

Every weekend, hundreds of glammed-up dancers would head to the club, make the most of £1 drinks before 11pm, buy grub from the burger bar and battling to keep track of your friends – it was a huge venue.

Lovingly labelled "Amadangerous", there even used to be a bus service taking people from pub to pub.

It was sold in 2003 but the tunes kept coming for eight more years, ending life under the name Passion before it was finally time to say goodbye.

All we have now are those memories, with punters often taking to social media to relive those heavy nights.

Atomics, Maidstone

In 1991, Maidstone DJ Mick Clark converted an old warehouse on Hart Street into Atomics, which became a legendary dance music venue.

Among those to grace the decks were Boy George, Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold and Judge Jules and the county town’s now-famous son Nic Fanciulli cut his teeth there.

Home to the infamous Club Class nights, Atomics looked different every week, decorated with banners, inflatables and lasers. It welcomed clubbers from as far away as France and Germany, as well as all over the south east, who danced to hardcore, happy house, drum ‘n’ bass and house over the years.

It wasn’t to last though. Atomics closed after 11 years and the building was eventually converted into apartments.

Warehouse, Maidstone

Of course, you can’t mention Atomics without giving fellow Maidstone club Warehouse a shoutout.

Described by some as the birthplace of British dance music, the club easily rivalled London venues in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Warehouse opened in 1979 in a former industrial warehouse, opposite where the Fremlin Walk car park now stands, and DJs led clubbers on a musical journey over the years, playing cheesy 80s, jazz funk, soul, disco and house.

When it closed 12 years later, it was a rave club.

Music would be lighthearted until 11pm when the DJ would drop a track such as acid techno favourite Spice by Eon and it would be hard rave for the next three hours.

Bridge Country Club, Canterbury

From a £100 Led Zeppelin gig to its legendary 'grab-a-granny' nights, few places had quite the hedonistic reputation as Bridge Country Club between the 60s and 90s.

The historic mansion on the outskirts of Canterbury was the most popular rock and roll and disco venue in the county, embracing the music of the era.

Among the bands who performed there were the Moody Blues, the Kinks, the Yardbirds and Manfred Mann, as well as jazz legends Acker Bilk and Kenny Ball.

It has since been transformed into a luxury hotel - The Pig at Bridge.

Onyx/The Priz, Folkestone

Whether your era was La Parisienne, Club Indigo or Onyx, a night out at ‘the Priz’ was a rite of passage for generations who grew up in Folkestone.

The seafront nightclub was the heartbeat of the town’s party scene for almost three decades, but eventually, the sound system fell silent and the dancefloor cleared for the final time in October 2015.

Then, just months after the party was over for good, the building was hit by a suspected arson attack.

Now, the foundations of the nightclub are nowhere to be seen, hidden under shingle on Folkestone beach.

Whether throwing shapes to dance tracks in the main room, or revelling in the cheesiest hits of the decades next door, it was always a top night.

Stage Three, Leysdown

Leysdown venue Stage Three used to be a major attraction for lovers of jazz, funk and soul music in the late 70s and early 80s – as long as you didn’t mind the drive to the far side of the Isle of Sheppey.

Founded by Robert and Mark Wilson in 1979, it took influences for its lighting and sound from famous New York haunts like Studio 54 and Paradise Garage.

World-famous DJs including Pete Tong used to perform sets there, but it was forced to shut after a fire in September 1989.

The site is now a car park that sometimes hosts a market. The much-loved former club had a popular reunion night in 2014.

Dusty’s/Liquid, Ashford

The 123-year-old flour mill in East Hill has had many names and spent a long time as an iconic late-night venue after it closed as a working mill in 1972.

It hit the headlines in 1974 when a catastrophic fire devastated part of the building but was soon transformed into Ashford's first nightclub, Dusty's and the Jolly Miller, in 1981.

The club closed in 1990, when the owner of the mill reportedly abandoned the business owing thousands of pounds, then became Cales Nightclub and Flatfoot Sam's for 11 years before undergoing a £500,000 facelift and being rebranded as Liquid in 2002.

It shut in 2014 and has since fallen into more serious dereliction with multiple attacks of vandalism and trespassing over the years.

M20, Ashford

What is now a place to enjoy a plate of peri peri chicken was once an exciting raving destination.

The M20 nightclub opened in the early Noughties in Eureka Park, in what would become Nando's.

It became the first club in Britain to receive a Superclub award in 2004 but shut in 2005 and remained empty for three years until reopening as Strawberry Moons.

It then became Rain, and finally Arena Live before the restaurants moved in.

Excalibur, Gillingham

This one was a legendary clubbing destination within the King Charles Hotel.

The club in Gillingham was demolished to make way for houses in 2019 but in the 80s and 90s it welcomed rap duo Salt-N-Pepa, cult icon Rick Astley and heartthrobs Bros.

It was known as The Regency in 1982 before its final incarnation as Excalibur - which enjoyed a hugely successful run from 1989 until its close in 1998.

In 2018, a 90s themed goodbye night was hosted before the building was demolished to make way for houses.

JJ's, Sittingbourne

JJ's has had a few names, including Base and Fat Sam's and was found within the Bell Shopping Centre in Sittingbourne.

It was eventually lost to the town, and the shopping centre collapsed in 2013.

Plans had been in the works to transform the derelict site into 165 flats, a medical centre and a pharmacy but the site is now up for sale.

The Front, Herne Bay

The Front was part of Talk of the Town right on the seafront and shared the building amusement arcade and casino.

It has had various names over the years, including New York and Show Bar.

The owners sold the venue in 2018 after contending with rising taxes and the costs of the casino.

After the sale, Talk of The Town became an events venue called Vibe and a cocktail bar called Captain Jack's.

The Funky Monkey, Dover

One that was still recently with us, the Funky Monkey closed in December two years ago.

The building is part of an ambitious plan to transform that "neglected" part of Dover.

It was one of the town’s most popular venues and "created a lot of memories" for those who graced its dancefloor.

After running for 16 years, work to demolish it started last year.

Moo Moo, Gillingham

This Canterbury Street nightclub wasn’t always known by the cow-sound name, having previously lived life as Bliss and Preach.

Dating back to the 1970s, the club was known under many guises: Joanna's, The Zone, Ritzy, Preach, and Bliss.

Renamed Moo Moo in 2016, it became famous in its later years for freshers' events, and UV parties with foam, paint and ball pits – becoming a rite of passage for students from the University of Kent's Medway campus.

The club closed down in 2019 and was demolished earlier this year.

Franks, Cliftonville

This clubbing venue in Ethelbert Crescent, was previously run by Frank Thorley who sadly passed away last year.

It was once a popular spot with two-for-one offers, ladies' nights and under-18s events.

In 2009, it closed down and was sold.

The Margate location's ground floor is now home to a community space and was formerly Rendezvous restaurant, while the top floor is the Faith in Strangers events space.

AMP/SOS, Tonbridge

At the time of its closure on Christmas Eve 2017, AMP, which was previously known as Source of Sound, was Tonbridge's only nightclub.

There was heartbreak among regulars as plans revealed the disco would be turned into 14 new flats and a gym.

After closing, it was a community creative space called Hub for a while.

The site has not been transformed as of yet, despite two separate planning applications for the development of apartments.

The Jolly Sailor, Canterbury

A pub first stood on the corner of Northgate Street as early as 1619. Sadly, almost 400 years later, it was serving its final pint.

It was then known as the Black Swan, before changing its name to the Jolly Sailor between 1780 and 1830.

The pub was popular with students and had been taken over by Ian Blackmore, a former uni student in the city, in 2008 before he had to give it up 10 years later.

It was bought by the Kings School in 2019 after its closure, with the latest plans to do something with the site causing controversy.

The Court House/Wig and Gown, Dartford

Having shut twice in the past 10 years, this Spital Street boozer was sold earlier this year after its operating costs doubled.

When it shut for the first time in 2016, the Court House had been going since the late 1990s.

The building was first erected in 1850 as part of the methodist church opposite but was converted into a Crown Court within 10 years.

A short-lived revival saw the name change after reopening in 2018, but the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis plunged it back into trouble.

The Saracens Head, Deal

Closing in March last year, this 19th-century pub has been the centre of a planning row after a bid to turn it into a home was launched.

Despite the pub originally thriving, its last tenants, Matthew and Martine Brett, left after 13 months saying it had been “impossible to make a profit”.

Strawbs frontman Dave Cousins joined a fight to protect it from developers in 2016 when it was made an asset of community value.

The building is thought to date back as far as 1806 when it housed a carpenter’s shop and several apartments before becoming a pub 15 years later.

Cross Keys, Canterbury

This 17th-century Oaten Hill pub was forced to close in December 2019 when a huge hole and 20ft deep shaft opened up in the toilet floor.

There were hopes of seeing it reopen within a couple of years but as of now, it remains an eyesore.

It was originally referred to as the Trumpet in 1687 before changing its name less than 10 years later, and in the 1950s also housed a bakery.

Older customers will remember when Charringtons and Co and Whitbread Fremlin included the Cross Keys in a pub swap in 1972.

The Railway Tavern, Teynham

When it closed in 2015, the writing had been on the wall for some time for this pub between Sittingbourne and Faversham.

The owner had said a year before it was no longer commercially viable and his efforts to turn it back into a house once prompted Swale Borough Council to visit him out of fears he was suicidal.

But dating back to 1857, the tavern had a proud history with many locals visiting the Lower Road over the years.

It was originally built as a farmhouse and had been a Barclay’s, Courage and Enterprise Inns establishment.

Duke of Kent/Braces, Ramsgate

This quirky-looking inn has gone through many names including Cobblers, Duke of Kent and Swiss Cottage.

It was more recently called Braces and closed in 2009 and then became a favourite haunt of trespassers.

In 2017, permission was granted for Braces to be demolished, but nothing happened and the building went up for sale in 2019.

Finally, in 2020 it was demolished, and flats were built in its place.

Millers Cottage, Gravesend

This once-charming inn in Shrubbery Road made headlines in 2009 when its bar staff got their kit off for a charity calendar.

Built in 1695, the original building has since undergone many changes and was still grinding wheat to serve its original purpose until the last miller to occupy the cottage, one Michael Slaughter Woolett, left in 1842.

It was then opened as a public house where the drinks flowed until 2018, two years after it went up for sale.

The building was soon converted into a property, though the nearby Windmill Tavern remains.

The Greyhound, Rochester

The Greyhound was a traditional backstreet boozer and was found on Rochester Avenue.

For decades, landlady Wendy Stenhouse served up sound advice, good grub and pints.

She even took one regular out clothes shopping when she didn't approve of his fashion sense, and she and her late husband Bill used to go on holidays abroad with their customers.

After Bill died, Wendy kept running the business for a few years but eventually pulled the last pint in 2002.

The King’s Arms, Headcorn

This High Street property opened as a boozer in the 1830s but was the setting for Catholic intrigue before then.

Local Jacobites - supporters of the deposed James II and his descendants in their claim to the British throne after the Revolution of 1688 - used the house as a secret rendezvous while it was also seen as a “seedy joint” thanks to its ties with the Hawkhurst Gang.

After closing in 2016, it became an Indian restaurant and then an opticians.

The Elephants Head, Sevenoaks

This pub was once visited by an actual elephant, which had been forced to walk from Wales to Maidstone when the cricus she was travelling in was taken off the road.

Lizzy, as she was known, sadly died of a heart attack soon after.

The watering hole started serving in 1867 but sadly closed in 2009.

The site is now occupied by Sevenoaks Veterinary Surgery.

The Mounted Rifleman, Luddenham

The Mounted Rifleman near Faversham has a vibrant history. Most interestingly, it had no bar.

There was just a cellar below and the landlord, John Austin, would bring up drinks on a tray.

There was huge uproar from locals when the closure of the pub was announced in the early 1990s and the news reached local TV.

The pub had been owned by the same family for well over 100 years before it was sold and became a private house. However, the painted sign on the front of the building has been kept.