An iconic nightclub enjoyed by partygoers for more than 50 years is now a sorry sight after demolition work turned it into a pile of rubble.

Renowned party hotspot MooMoo in Canterbury Street, Gillingham, shut its doors to ravers in December 2019.

It had opened under that name three years earlier in 2016.

New images show the spot now covered in debris, with the back entrance in Theodore Place boarded up now demolition work is complete.

The top half of the club's ornate exterior has gone, with just a few bits of basic framework still standing.

Although most recently known as MooMoo, the club had changed names several times over the years and was known as The Pavilion in the 1960s.

It changed to Joanna's the following decade, then became Catch 22 followed by The Ritzy in the 1980s with disco music at the heart of many of its evenings.

Despite further names, including The Zone in the 90s and Preach and Bliss in the noughties, its incarnation as MooMoo was the final time it played host to revellers.

It was famed for freshers’ events and UV parties with foam, paint and ball pits popular with the University of Kent’s Medway campus students.

The club had three rooms of DJs playing RnB and pop, plus a cheese room for classic hits downstairs.

One person sad to see the dancing landmark covered in debris was Sid Anning.

The 80-year-old met his now-wife, Barbara, at The Pavilion back in 1964 when it was known for hosting ballroom dancing.

However, his work in the Royal Navy meant the two couldn't continue their relationship.

But in a sudden act of fate, the pair crossed paths again in 2018 before marrying just months later.

Sid says seeing the club in tatters was both nostalgic and emotional.

"It saddens me to see the last of the dance halls from the 50s and 60s era, The Pav, being demolished," the former chairman of HMS Cavalier Association explained.

"Many people from Medway probably had their first dance there, or met their first girlfriend there, as I did in 1964 whilst in the Navy.

"I used to go with a shipmate, prior to me meeting my now future wife there.

"We then went our separate ways before crossing paths again about five years ago.

"We always wondered what happened to each other, so seeing MooMoos is very nostalgic."

Another who was affected by the nightclub's departure is micropub landlord Dave Hallowell.

The 62-year-old runs Past and Present alehouse with his wife, Lorraine, directly opposite the former nightclub.

Mr Hallowell set up camp there in February 2020 – just two months after MooMoo bit the bullet – having moved from Past and Present's former home in Skinner Street.

The new spot replaced the now-closed Gin and Tap Room, which Dave also used to own, selling the likes of craft beers and ciders.

He says the closure of MooMoo though was a major reason for shutting Gin and Tap.

"I used to get a lot of punters before it closed," he said.

"People would come to the Gin and Tap before going to the nightclub but that, of course, stopped happening.

"As soon as the club went, we made nearly nothing during that short space of time."

Gillingham resident Maureen Champ is another one disappointed the site is now being turned into flats rather than a nightclub.

The 76-year-old was a frequent visitor on a Friday night in the mid-1960s when it was The Pav.

She said: "It used to be really packed and a really exciting place to go.

"I would go once a week with friends in about 1963 and 1964.

"While everything changes, it does still make you sad."

Stefan Bennett, who used to go clubbing there in the 90s, remembers The Zone when there was a cigarette machine and a green laser machine.

“After I stopped going there, when it was renamed Preach, I got married and had kids,” he said.

“In 2012, when it was renamed again as Bliss, I went back there to work as a bouncer.”

Shortly after closing, plans were announced in April 2021 by Planning & Regeneration Limited, on behalf of Selby Capital, to transform the site into a four-storey building of 14 apartments.

They were approved six months later.

The development will include five one-bedroom and nine two-bedroom homes, all with balconies, with 250 sq m of commercial floorspace on the ground floor and parking spaces for 10 cars and 14 cycles.

Work began to demolish the building in the summer.

It is not yet known when the new development will be ready for residents to move in.