The Shimmy Club was a nightclub in Glasgow that operated from 2013 to 2022. The club installed a
one-way mirror allowing viewing into the hand washing area of the women's toilets, prompting
Glasgow City Council
Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of the S ...
to intervene, forcing the club to temporarily close for a week to rectify the issue.
The club
The Shimmy Club was a nightclub that also hosted disco events for children, located at 25
Royal Exchange Square
The Royal Exchange Square is a public square in Glasgow, Scotland. The square lies between Buchanan Street and Queen Street, opening out Queen Street and Ingram Street to the south of George Square. It is also easily accessible from Buchanan ...
.
It was owned by
Scotsman Group, previously known as G1 Group.
History
The club opened on 3 May 2013 and included a one-way mirror enabling patrons in one of the £800-per-night private rooms to view into the hand-washing area of the women's toilets.
Margaret Curran
Margaret Patricia Curran (born 24 November 1958) is a Scottish Labour Party politician. She served in the British House of Commons as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow East from 2010 to 2015 and was Shadow Secretary of State for Scotl ...
called for the police and authorities to take action.
Reports about the mirrors made news in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Qatar,
and Portugal.
On June 14 2013, Glasgow Licensing Board forced the club to close for seven days, to remove the one way mirror, and to provide equity training to staff.
Police Scotland
Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...
investigated complaints about the mirrors.
In 2016, playwright
Adura Onashile
Adura Onashile is a British actor, playwright, and director. She wrote and directed the 2013 play ''Expensive Shit'' and adapted it into a film in 2020.
Early life
Onashile is of Nigerian descent and was born in London, England.
Career
Onas ...
wrote the play ''
Expensive Shit
''Expensive Shit'' is the twelfth full-length album by pioneering Afrobeat artist Fela Kuti and his Africa '70 band, released in 1975. It was reissued in 2000 by MCA Records, packaged with Kuti's ''He Miss Road'' (1975) on the same CD.
Backgroun ...
'' based on the events at the club.
The play featured at the 70th Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
On March 30 2022 the club announced it was closing.
References
{{Authority control
External links
Official website
Nightclubs in Glasgow
2013 establishments in Scotland
2022 disestablishments in Scotland
Music venues in Glasgow
Electronic dance music venues
Defunct nightclubs in the United Kingdom
2013 scandals
Scandals in Scotland