Date of closure: TBC
Address (for reference only):
Derby Road
Liverpool
L6 9BY
This is another of the mysterious bingo halls whose demise appears lost in the annals of time, from an internet search perspective at least. The building is still standing, and we do definitely know that it was once a Mecca Bingo hall.
Now the Liverpool Olympia, the building was originally a theatre that was built in 1905. It was and still is a massive building, originally designed for the patronage of 3,750 theatre goers which must put it up there with the biggest theatres of the day, as even for a metropolitan venue this was big.
The stage was 48 feet wide, 41 feet deep, and had a height of 68 feet. In its day it must have seen some marvellous spectacles, and today it still exists as an entertainment venue with everything for boxing to music on view.
In the mid twenties it was converted into a cinema which lasted until 1948 when Mecca bought the premises. It closed as a bingo hall in 1982, then reopened five years later in 1987. It lasted only three years until it went the way of many other halls of the day, but at least the premises are still being used to keep the public entertained in one way or another.
By Gareth Whieldon (August 2010)
As you can see from the photos below, the premises were quite grand, and ornate. It’s a pity the foyer can’t be seen as it must also have been a great site. If you can step back and imagine yourself here not 10 years ago, but fifty, you will be transported to a bygone era. Bingo is a great way to spend the night but its atmosphere is different from that of the venue’s intended purpose – theatre.
Having said that, bingo is also theatre in its own way: it has a narrative, a beginning, a middle and an end. The story opens with the search for a winner, and after a few minutes or more of frantic daubing the story is concluded with the announcement of a winner. And within this story are many other untold stories, of the happy daubers who played bingo here for years before its closure. Bingo holds a certain part in our history which is why it’s a shame to lose so many halls, but at least we have the photographs as a reminder of good times gone by.
By Gareth Whieldon (August 2010)
If you have any photos from this lost hall, be it of its interior, the staff, special events, parties, customers and more; and you’d like to share them here, please contact us to arrange adding them to the site.
