Date of closure: March 2007
Address (for reference only):
The Broadway
Liverpool
L11 1BZ
Norris Green Mecca closed in 2007, after over thirty years of bingo service, that had been preceded by almost sixty years serving the local community as a cinema. The building was built specifically to provide entertainment for the residents of Liverpool’s largest council estate, and was the first cinema purpose built for the talkies, so there was no orchestra pit or organ.
Having opened in 1930, the Regal was taken over by ABC in 1935, in much the same way that Mecca took over many ABC cinemas in the sixties and seventies. In a rather strange move, the interior atmospheric style was replaced with Art Deco interior design in the fifties. The way for bingo was saved by the part-time usage as a bingo club concurrent with cinema usage which perhaps proved more profitable for the owners. “Carry On Spying” was the last film shown before bingo took over full time. The building is still standing and in good condition to the best of our knowledge, so if there’s anyone out there with a few grand to spare, who loves bingo…
By Gareth Whieldon (July 2010)
Here we have two photographs of the exterior of the Mecca Bingo Club in Norris Green, Liverpool. The first appears to have been taken in the 1960s prior to Mecca’s takeover when the club was Regal Bingo. As you can see the club had a reasonably full program of activity.
In the second photo taken in 1990, the club has been closed down, and it looks like changes are being made to the building’s signage. The building’s exterior appears to be in reasonably good condition.
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.
