Are bingo halls coming to an end?

Information about the possibility of Bournemouth bingo hall closing has improved efforts to get the building listed. Though the final decision of the fate of the hall will be made at month’s end, its council has already started efforts to protect the Art Deco building from getting bulldozed for flats.

So far the building has not been listed but council officers are approaching the English Heritage for the assessment of the site to find out if it is worthy of getting protected. This building was the home of Moderne cinema, which was opened in 1936.

Information on Winton Forum’s website states that the cinema featured cutting edge and innovative interior design of furniture made of tubular stainless steel and fake upholstery of fake leopard skin.

This cinema hall could accommodate as many as 1,500 people and had a provision for a theater organ which was never installed. This cinema hall staged many local talent events and formed the launch of many famous names like Dowland Brothers.

However as cinemas and talent contests lost out to the popularity of television, the building had no option but to convert into a bingo hall in the year 1963. A spokesman from Gala Coral agreed that the Winton club may get closed; however did not make any comments until the decision was made at the end of the month.

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