Wolverhampton's Starworks Warehouse reopening after blaze with packed line-up of events
Starworks Warehouse will reopen later this month just weeks after a blaze threatened its future.
The giant warehouse used as a music venue on Wolverhampton’s Frederick Street will host three events over coming weeks after being given the go ahead by fire safety officers.
It comes after the blaze on May 16 saw more than 40 firefighters tackle flames and thick choking smoke to stop it spreading to the main event warehouse.
However, they were unable to prevent major damage to the newly refurbished 1883 Lounge which was due to open in just a few weeks’ time after months of restoration.
Today, the team led by entrepreneurs Wayne Scott Fox and Neil Kettleborough insisted it was back to business with thousands expected to flock over the summer.
Mr Kettleborough said: “Everyone assumed after the fire that our whole site was ashes and we would be months away from reopening but thankfully the fire was contained to just the VIP room and offices above and the main arena was smoke logged but otherwise unaffected.
“Now we have the go ahead go to reopen the arena and will bounce back bigger and better than ever, starting with our Pure Garage event on June 30 featuring DJ Luck and MC Neat and Oxide and Neutrino.
“We then welcome England World Cup legend Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne for an evening of entertainment on July 20 and his stories of his exploits on and off the pitch.
“July 21 sees us host the Wolverhampton Reggae Festival with some of the legendary names in reggae including 3 The Hard Way and Macka B as well a host of all food and flavours of Jamaica.”
Last month’s fire could not have come at a worse time for the venue, which had just hosted Wolves’ Premier League promotion winning after party at an event which saw manager Nuno Espírito Santo and his boys joined by more than 2,500 fans.
The event raised £3,000 – split between skipper Danny Batth’s Foundation DB charity and Cure Leukaemia in tribute to keeper Carl Ikeme, who is currently battling the condition.
The fire has also stalled the opening of the new VIP bar, severely damaging the newly laid flooring, windows, and ceilings which had been lovingly restored over the last few months to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory.
Starworks started life as the home of the Star Motor Car – one of the first mass production car companies in the UK.
In 1887 it joined forces with Benz – the forerunner of Mercedes Benz – building cars in a warehouse scaling more than 40,000 square feet.
