Date of closure: July 2008
Address (for reference only):
Deluxe Bingo
Pier Hill
Southend-On-Sea
SS1 2AJ
The Southend-on-Sea Deluxe Bingo closed in July 2008. It was located on the ground floor of the Palace Hotel on Pier Hill. It’s worth noting that this was the second bingo hall to appear on Pier Hill, the first was based in the Ritz Cinema which was demolished in 1981 and built over with the adjacent Royals Shopping Center.
One day in July 2008, surprised locals turned up for a session to be confronted with a set of padlocked doors. A baliffs note on the door stated that the owners of the then Deluxe chain, Stylus Sport, could be prosecuted should they try to enter the club. The hall was well thought of by its players who were left shocked by the sudden closure of their club. News story here.
The Deluxe Bingo , Southend was the 2nd Bingo Hall on the same site !
Originally it was known by the name of ”The Palace Bingo and Social Club” and run by the Hemmings Family. Unfortunately the Brothers who ran it never got on… When One of the Brothers came in with his wife there was one set of rules for the staff…When the other Brother came in with his Wife a week later (They governed Week On/Week off) there were different set of rules for Staff :-)
I worked there from 1990-1991 at £2.50 an hour then went on for a slightly higher hourly rate (50p extra !) to The Crown Bingo, Rayleigh until that closed in 1999.,
In 1994 the club closed and The Palace Hotel Owners (The Burstin Brothers) took over-They tidied the club up and it reopened as ” The New Palace Bingo” and it continued to operate until 2000 when the Brothers sold the Hotel to Octagon Assets when it then was leased to Stylus Sports Ltd t/a Deluxe Bingo who also had sites at Hastings and Eastbourne.
I worked there from 2000-2001 but left for other ventures elsewhere..
In 2008 Stylus Sports Ltd ceased trading. The Site is now a Grosvenor Casino- Ironically owned by the same Owners of Mecca Bingo…Whom the previous incumbent operators had competed against in Southend.