It’s been in the offing for the best part of 20 years, but the last month or so, the final chapter of the my old workplace has been written. Work began in March 2026 to finally demolish the former bingo hall and cinema on City Road in Cardiff, finally wiping away any vestiges of the that once great building and the culture it once represented. It’s been waiting to happen since the last owners, Spin Bowling, closed the doors and shuttered the building back in 2006. Whilst I hoped something more could be made of it to retain at least the fabric of the building, it was not to be and the good fight against vandals, graffiti, rats and most importantly, time, was lost.
This whole website exists because of that place, and the time I spent working there as both a bingo caller and floor walker circa 1989-1993. To say that shabby old cinema has long been an ingrained part of my psyche since my teenage years is an understatement. I still chat to former ex-colleagues from my time there 30+ years ago. My recent and ongoing Confessions Of A Bingo Caller series, all about my time there are occasionally popping up in the feed here (when I get the time to add them). I’ve also written about the place for other sites in the past – here’s my love letter to the Gaiety which I wrote for the old Roath Cardiff Net site in 2016.
To this day, I still get the odd dream where I’m there in the bingo hall, wandering the corridors looking for a good place to sit and play the game, or marveling at the interior and big space of the old hall. Sometimes in the dreams I’m working, awkwardly trying to figure out where I should be at that point in my shift, and other times, I’m there as a player, looking for which ticket to play first. Sadly though, that’s all they are now, just dreams. This hall, like the grand hall in Splott, are now expunged from the fabric of my old home city, replaced by more shabby flats stacked and squashed in to what were once impressive and ornate spaces filled with laughter and joy, silent witness to 1000s of Cardiffians seeking a brief respite from the stresses of the world.
My sadness has given way to a sort of relief given the long demise of the place. No more wondering if it could be saved, or even if it should, no more watching the graffiti grow, nature trying to reclaim its once gaudy facade or the slow rot of an abandoned building. It’s gone now, for good, as all things do eventually. But I’m not going to wallow, I’m going to continue to celebrate the place and the times I had there. My best friends would often come and meet me and sit in the hall for the last session before we headed out in to Cardiff’s night life, a quick ride on the bus from outside the hall. My family would also be there often, which was always nice as well. I remember laughing, often and heartily, be it with the customers or fellow staff members. Definitely some rose-tints to me glasses, but it really was a great place to work and exist in a period before mobile phones, electronic terminals and online bingo.
So, here’s to you The Gaiety! Thanks for all the great stories I’ve been able to tell, and those that I am yet to tell, all down to your part in my life. There may be some dreary flats set to replace you, but for everyone of us that had the pleasure of your company over the years, dwindling in numbers as we may be, your contributions are noted and appreciated. Until the next time we meet in a dream, thanks again!
