A brief history -
The Regal was opened in 1934, designed by Hull based architects "Messrs Blackmore & Sykes" who also designed the Carlton cinema in Hull, which explains the architectural similarities between the two buildings.
Report on the Carlton in Hull here -
Report - - Carlton Theatre - Hull - Nov 2015 | Theatres and Cinemas | 28DaysLater.co.uk
The cinema was leased to Odeon in in 1946, from which time it ran successfully until it was then taken over again by an independent operator when it was renamed as "Scala". Scala ceased operations in 1983, but the premises were swiftly picked up again and repurposed as a bingo hall - known as the Ritz, which was soon absorbed by bingo giant "Mecca Bingo".
In 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mecca made the decision to temporarily close the club. It had been put up for sale before the first lockdown but remained operational as it had failed to sell. The decision was made to permanently close the building in May 2021 and soon after came threats of demolition, only for the building to be saved by achieving Grade II Listed status by English Heritage.
Our Visit -
This place had been on my list since it first closed, but due to the great exploring drought of 2020 it had to be pushed back into map obscurity until I zoomed in on a seemingly random pin whilst looking for somewhere fairly local to visit, and it turned out to be worth the acrobatics of getting in, for sure.
We teleported inside to find no power to any lights whatsoever, we didn't bring any large lights ourselves, so naturally we had to investigate. What followed was a Resident Evil style puzzlebox experience of restoring power, which took around three hours. Luckily we brought a few beers in with us so things didn't get too tedious.
There really wasn't a lot to see in here- the bar/cafe area was modernised and the projector room was seemingly removed and filled out long ago.
Archive image of the exterior -
Auditorium -
(excuse the lighting. I've tried to work around it best I can)
@Exploring with Andy laughing at something he said, probably -
And that's your lot really! Not much to see, but another ticked off the list. Cheers
The Regal was opened in 1934, designed by Hull based architects "Messrs Blackmore & Sykes" who also designed the Carlton cinema in Hull, which explains the architectural similarities between the two buildings.
Report on the Carlton in Hull here -
Report - - Carlton Theatre - Hull - Nov 2015 | Theatres and Cinemas | 28DaysLater.co.uk
The cinema was leased to Odeon in in 1946, from which time it ran successfully until it was then taken over again by an independent operator when it was renamed as "Scala". Scala ceased operations in 1983, but the premises were swiftly picked up again and repurposed as a bingo hall - known as the Ritz, which was soon absorbed by bingo giant "Mecca Bingo".
In 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mecca made the decision to temporarily close the club. It had been put up for sale before the first lockdown but remained operational as it had failed to sell. The decision was made to permanently close the building in May 2021 and soon after came threats of demolition, only for the building to be saved by achieving Grade II Listed status by English Heritage.
Our Visit -
This place had been on my list since it first closed, but due to the great exploring drought of 2020 it had to be pushed back into map obscurity until I zoomed in on a seemingly random pin whilst looking for somewhere fairly local to visit, and it turned out to be worth the acrobatics of getting in, for sure.
We teleported inside to find no power to any lights whatsoever, we didn't bring any large lights ourselves, so naturally we had to investigate. What followed was a Resident Evil style puzzlebox experience of restoring power, which took around three hours. Luckily we brought a few beers in with us so things didn't get too tedious.
There really wasn't a lot to see in here- the bar/cafe area was modernised and the projector room was seemingly removed and filled out long ago.
Archive image of the exterior -
Auditorium -
(excuse the lighting. I've tried to work around it best I can)
@Exploring with Andy laughing at something he said, probably -
And that's your lot really! Not much to see, but another ticked off the list. Cheers
