Fairy lights lined the dance floor, Union Jack bunting hung over the bar and guests resplendent in black ties and long evening gowns were handed buck’s fizz as they arrived.

The Aquarius Ballroom in Hednesford, near Cannock, was finally closing its doors after 60 years – but owner Mike Allsopp and his regulars were determined to bow out in style.

After a weekend of unadulterated nostalgia – Saturday night’s Grand Finale followed by last night’s sell-out Last Waltz – the dance hall will be bulldozed to make way for a Tesco.

A new community hall, with provision for dancing, will be built not far away as part of the redevelopment but for fans of the old ballroom, a part of the town’s and their own history will have vanished forever when it goes.

Reg Bailey, of Watling Street, Brownhills, has attended functions there with wife Jean for the last 35 years. He recalls: “We used to get big bands back then – Vic Sylvester Junior, Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, Acker Bilk. People would come from Stoke and Birmingham, with the train station just across the road.”