Southampton New Century Bingo – Shirley Road

A victim of the prolonged shut-down of 2020 due to Coronvirus. The Southampton New Century Bingo in Shirley Road was one of a number of independent clubs to close as a result of the trading restrictions that were a result of the outbreak.

The club occupied a converted theatre building, which opened in 1912 as the Atherley Cinema Theatre. It operated as a cinema, with advances from silent, to talkies, to widescreen over the following decades, until it was converted for Bingo in 1975. It was run as a family run business between 1998 and 2020, undergoing a complete refurbishment in 2011. It was announced on the 23rd of July 2020 via its Facebook page that it would not be reopening following the lock-down, with the following message:

“To all customers of New Century Bingo

Everyone has been affected by coronovirus, including us here at New Century Bingo, which means we have had to make some difficult decisions.

It is with deep regret that New Century Bingo club, Southampton will not be re-opening and is closing permanently.

We wish to thank all our loyal customers and colleagues who have supported us over the 22 years we have been operating.

Take care everybody
Phil and Belinda”

At this early stage, we don’t know what the future holds for both the building and the staff who worked at the hall, but we will be keeping an eye on preceedings and will update when plans become apparent.

The below images show the interior of the club following its refurbishment in 2011. The club made a point of sticking to paper tickets to play, which is admirable. Photographers are unknown on these photos.