A former nightclub on Douglas Promenade has been transformed into a new coffee bar and barber shop.

The iconic Paramount City has been revamped by former Isle of Man TT rider Richard ‘Milky’ Quayle and his wife Lydia, who bought the building in August 2020 and now live in the site’s upper-floor flats.

They have spent years breathing new life into the building and their venture welcomed its first customers on Friday.

The large space on building’s ground floor - an area which once played host to dozens of revellers as they danced the night away - is now occupied by a coffee bar with an extensive seating area.

And although the Paramount’s days as a popular nightspot are long behind it, a trace of its former guise remains in the shape of a DJ booth located in the far corner.

Past the coffee bar and kitchen area lies a series of steps leading up to a raised platform where Lydia plies her trade as a barber.

The venue also contains several items of memorabilia from the Isle of Man TT, design touches no doubt inspired by its part-owner.

Mr Quayle is a retired TT rider and remains the last Manxman to ever win a solo TT race.

Speaking about the new venture, Mr Quayle said: ‘It’s been mine and my wife’s dream really.

‘We used to walk the dog along Douglas Promenade outside the building, and I also used to work here for four years - this is actually where I met Lydia!

‘It’s been a long and difficult process since we bought the building, but it’s great to see it open now.

‘We didn’t get any contractors in and we’ve done it all ourselves, so I’ve had to get my hands dirty.’

The once-popular nightclub on Queen’s Promenade was bought by the Sefton Group in 2008.

It closed permanently in 2011 after briefly operating again as The Crescent - the name by which it was known before it was revamped and became Paramount in the early 90s.

Before it was known as Paramount City, it had been called Little Caesar’s Nightclub, and as the Crescent before that, dating back to the 1940s.