Keighley Buzz Bingo – Alice Street

Keighley’s Buzz Bingo occupied a genuinely lovely piece of 1930s cinema architecture, the former Ritz Cinema, designed by Verity & Beverley and opened in February 1938 in restrained Art Deco Streamline Moderne style, described at the time as “super modern in design.” It was a substantial venue, seating roughly 1,500 across stalls and circle, complete with a 100-seat café and a Mighty Compton organ with an illuminated console. It became an ABC cinema in 1971 before closing for good on 2 February 1974, partly hastened by the fuel crisis affecting cinemas at the time. Rather than sitting empty, the building was converted to bingo, first under Coral Bingo and later Gala Bingo, running as a bingo hall for around 40 years before becoming Buzz Bingo in June 2018.

What makes Keighley particularly special is what survived the conversion. A false floor was installed at balcony level for the bingo operation, but above it, the original 1938 Ritz auditorium remained largely intact, meaning bingo players for decades were unknowingly sitting inside a substantial chunk of the original cinema volume. The club became one of the nine Buzz Bingo closures announced in March 2023, with the final session held on 10 April 2023. Sadly, its afterlife has been rough, with reports of an arson attack and the building being illegally occupied as a large-scale cannabis farm. There is at least a glimmer of hope though. In April 2026, a planning application was submitted proposing to convert the building into eight retail units, 34 apartments and a restaurant, retaining and reusing the existing structure rather than demolishing it, giving this old Ritz a genuine chance at a third life nearly 90 years after it first opened its doors.

Other Lost Halls In The Area

• Bradford Buzz Bingo – Bridge Street
• Bradford Mecca Bingo – Little Horton Lane
• Bradford Silver Birch Bingo – Birch Lane
• Bradford Top Rank Bingo – Prince’s Way
• Leeds Mecca Bingo (Mayfair) – New York Street
• Halifax Mecca Bingo – Broad Street
• Nelson Palace Bingo & Social Club – Leeds Road

Here are some photos of the Keighley Buzz Bingo on Alice Street from Twitter and Facebook, to give you a flavour of the club, its customers and decoration. The photographers are unknown, but if one of these is yours let us know and we’ll add a credit.

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