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Bingo Hall History - The Southport Garrick - Part 1

Cinema architecture fan and photographer Ian Grundy returns with his second article. After an overview of the history of Bingo in the UK via its Bingo halls, In the first more focused article, Ian is this time looking at a single hall, to give us an in depth look at its changes in use and special features.

Author: Ian Grundy

Early Days Of Opera And Cinema

Page 1 | Page 2

On the 7th September 1891, the Opera House in Southport's prestigious Lord Street threw open it's doors to the people of the town. It had been designed by Frank Matcham, the pre-eminent architect of theatres in the United Kingdom, seated 2,000 patrons, and cost around £20,000 to build! The theatre was considered to be one of Matcham's finest creations and was a great success until December 1929 when a fire raged through the building completely destroying it.

The exterior of Southport Mecca Bingo - The Garrick

Plans were drawn up for a replacement, such was the success of the Opera House that no concession was made to the rising popularity of cinema, so that when the Garrick (as the new theatre was named) opened on 19 December 1932, it was purely as a theatre for live shows. The Garrick Theatre was designed by George E Tonge, a Southport based architect who was responsible for many notable buildings including the Royal Birkdale clubhouse, the Palace and Palladium cinemas in Southport and the Scala Cinema in Ilfracombe. The Garrick cost rather more than its predecessor at approximately £120,000.

Detail of exterior of the Garrick

It was constructed in the fashionable art deco style with a brick exterior dressed with Portland Stone and concrete, which remains largely unchanged today. The entrance is on the corner of Lord Street and Kingsway with the theatre running along the Lord Street axis, set behind several shop units. Above the two storey shops was an open colonnade and ornamental garden which was used by theatre patrons during the summer months. In the centre of the colonnade is a carved panel bearing the comedy and tragedy masks.

The plush interior of the Garrick

Inside Tonge had provided a two tier theatre seating 1,600, which was (with the exclusion of a single chandelier in the dome above the circle) lit by indirect lighting. The stage was wide, a 50 foot opening, and deep. Over the years it presented all types of productions, plays musicals, opera, ballet, pantomimes and (on Sundays) when theatre was not permitted, concerts. On each side of the stage was a range of four boxes, these were at quite an extreme angle and were better to be seen in by the rest of the audience, than to view the production! The poor view from these seats were the exception as all the others in the auditorium provided excellent sightlines, there are only two columns, and these are at the rear of the balcony and do not obstruct the view from any seat. Just behind the boxes is a spectacular art deco arch running across the ceiling containing musical motifs and stylised figures.

Scarborough Mecca - formerly the Capitol Cinema
Art Deco detail inside the theatre

It continued successfully until January 1957 when the Garrick was sold to Essoldo Circuit Ltd by the owner Victor Sheridan, in the belief that Essoldo would continue live usage. In fact Essoldo almost immediately closed the theatre on 19th January at the conclusion of the Pantomime "Robin Hood' and installed a projection suite in the former follow spot room at the rear of the dome above the balcony. This was not ideal as the projection of the film was at a very steep angle, and the 37 foot screen had to be tilted to minimise distortion. It was renamed Essoldo around 1959/1960. The name of the circuit was derived from the owner's family ESther and SOLomon Sheckman and their daughter DOrothy!

The location of the projection booth at the back of the balcony

An idea of the steep angle of projection that caused distortion problems

Part 2: The Bingo Years >>

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Bingo Hall History - The Southport Garrick - Part 1

Early Days Of Opera And Cinema

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