Date of closure: July 19 2018
Address (for reference only):
Beacon Bingo (Lost Halls)
South Street
Ilkeston
DE7 5QT
The Ilkeston Ritz was originally the Ritz Cinema, which opened in 1938 with Art Deco style construction. It had and still has the ‘fin’ on the front of the building, which was quite common for cinemas of the era. The original Doulton ‘carraware’ tiles on the exterior of the building are still evident, and is probably one of the reasons that it has achieved ‘listed’ status. It did well to operate for so long as an independent, as many other cinemas in the era work taken over by the big chains such as ABC. Originally a Ritz Bingo hall, it was taken over by Beacon Bingo who pride themselves in operating a warm and friendly bingo hall. The 1402 seater cinema lasted until 1958, when it was converted to a bingo hall.
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The following photos were taken when the club was open, and this was the info on them:
There are some beautiful photographs in this collection provided exclusively for Playing Bingo by the artist duo Henry/Bragg who photographed several UK bingo halls as part of their B.I.N.G.O project. The colours and details on the friesework are outstanding, as are the shots of the paintwork that show this is a clearly loved and well preserved venue. The light fittings are quite unique, and even if they are not the originals, they are unlikely to to seen elsewhere. It’s also good to have a set of photos with the session in swing, we have many sets of photos on the site of fine old cinema buildings, but often they’ve been taken once the venue has closed, but, it’s people that bring the set to life.
