Manchester Belle Vue Buzz Bingo – Kirkmanshulme Lane

Whilst outwardly looking like a new purpose built club at first glance, it’s actually a club with a bit of a pedigree. The club stood on Kirkmanshulme Lane on land that once formed part of the legendary Belle Vue entertainment complex, once known as the “Showground of the World” and famous for its zoo, circus, speedway and dance halls across more than 160 acres. By the time bingo arrived, most of that had long gone, but the site was still buzzing as a modern leisure park. The building itself started life in 1969 as The Granada Bowl, a ten-pin bowling centre, before being converted into Riva Bingo in 1995. Gala snapped it up just three years later in 1998, and it became Buzz Bingo in 2018 as part of the nationwide rebrand.

Architecturally there wasn’t much to shout about: a low, rectangular, late-60s leisure shed with wide-span roof trusses, no balconies or ornate plasterwork, essentially a blank canvas that made the bowling-to-bingo conversion straightforward. Inside it was fitted out in familiar modern style, with a large open auditorium seating an estimated 1,000 players, electronic terminals, a substantial slots arcade, bar and diner and lounge areas. While it was open it offered the classic leisure-park combo of bingo, cinema and food all on one site, with plenty of free parking that made it an easy draw for players across east and south Manchester, Stockport and Tameside. The club closed permanently in 2023, ending almost 28 years as a bingo hall and over 50 years of leisure use on the site overall, closing quietly compared to the old cinema conversions simply because there was no listed architecture left to fight for.

Other Lost Halls In The Area

• Manchester Mecca Bingo – Derby Street
• Manchester Mecca Bingo – Levenshulme
• Manchester Mecca Bingo – Preston Street
• Manchester Buckingham Bingo – Wilmslow Road
• Manchester Harpurhey Buzz Bingo – North City Shopping Centre
• Manchester Wythenshawe Buzz Bingo – Rowlandsway

Here are some photos of the Belle View Buzz Bingo on Kirkmanshulme Road 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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