Date of closure: February 2021
Address (for reference only):
Riva Bingo (Lost Halls)
Ground Floor
St Nicholas House
St Nicholas Road
Sutton
SM1 1EH
Unlike many Riva clubs that began life in old cinemas, Sutton’s venue was a genuine purpose-built bingo hall, fitted out for around £2 million within the ground floor of St Nicholas House, an early-1960s office tower originally built for the Crown Agents. With seating for roughly 600 players, it offered both paper and electronic bingo, jackpot fruit machines, a licensed bar and diner known for its cooked food, smoking areas, disabled access and free nearby parking. It became a genuinely popular local fixture, topping Sutton Council’s own household survey as the most frequently named bingo venue among local players.
The club started under the Riva/Mayfair Gaming banner but by around 2009 had passed into family hands, run by Lynchpin Leisure Ltd under manager Tony Lynch, making it one of the last independently operated bingo clubs left in London. Sadly, the pandemic brought the story to an end: the Lynch family closed the business permanently in February 2021 after 12 years of ownership, citing uncertainty over when bingo could resume normal trading, and Lynchpin Leisure Ltd went into members’ voluntary liquidation shortly afterward. The building itself was already destined for major redevelopment, and St Nicholas House — including the former bingo hall — is now the subject of large-scale residential redevelopment plans, meaning this particular Riva site won’t be returning as a bingo venue.
Other Lost Halls In The Area
Here are some photos of the Sutton Riva Bingo on St Nicholas 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.
Also, if you have photos to add here, please contact us here to share them.
To staff. Please let me know went is reopening. I will come to play bingo next times. Thank you. Love from Loret.
Hi Loret, sadly, it looks as though the club is not re-opening after lockdown. I will leave the page here till we’re certain it’s not reopening, then move it to our Lost Halls section. Shame to see another club hit by the pandemic lockdown.