Dancing at Kingston’s riverside will soon be a thing of the past as “iconic” nightclub McClusky’s announced its surprise closure last Friday.

Owners Harewood are spending almost £500,000 rebranding the oldest nightclub in Kingston as The Viper Rooms, an upmarket cocktail bar.

Surrey Comet:

How it could look: The Viper Rooms in Sheffield

Despite the refurbishment costs, the club will have to close in less than four years because there are plans to turn the riverside venue into restaurants when the lease expires in 2019.

Recently-elected Grove ward councillor Jon Tolley ran club night New Slang in McClusky’s with his music store Banquet Records.

He said: “McClusky’s was a great venue with amazing staff.

“If both of the big nightclubs in Kingston are run by the same company [The Deltic Group] then that is not a good thing for customers.

“Hippodrome’s future is uncertain and if Kingston only has one nightclub, and that nightclub is Pryzm, then that is not enough.”

Council leader Councillor Kevin Davis said: “I always thought McClusky’s would be closed in about a year. I didn’t know that it would close down this soon.”

Just last year McClusky’s was listed as one of the “10 most iconic London venues” by radio station XFM and has had acts including Maximo Park and Liam Gallagher’s band Beady Eye grace its stage.

When Kingston Carnival was cancelled at the last minute in 2014 McClusky’s came to the rescue by letting headline act Neville Staple from the Specials play the venue.

Kingston Race and Equalities Council chief executive John Azah led a conga line around the club at the event dubbed Long Live Kingston Carnival.

He said: “It is really unfortunate and shocking about the sudden closure. It has been a unique location in Kingston.

Surrey Comet:

Liam Gallagher played McClusky's with band Beady Eye

“They came on board with the save carnival theme. Even though it is a small club they took us on.”

“A disgracefully grown up night out for the elegantly wasted” is the motto of The Viper Rooms, which will open on August 22.

Harewood owner Paul Kinsey said: “We took over McClusky’s in 2010 and kept it open because it was making a profit but now is the time to come to Kingston.

“We are hoping that when everyone sees the quality of the operation they will think that is the style that the town needs going forward.

“That could mean in four years time people might say ‘Would you like to operate a sky bar in Kingston?’”

Greg Miles, director of the Riverside Edge restaurants next to McClusky’s, said: “It would be nice if it could become somewhere you could have a drink out on the terrace.

“We don’t have too many problems with McClusky’s but if it is going to become an upper class venue that would be great.”