It seems as though a quick and easy way to get your hands on an old bingo hall is via an auction. Last week there was the story of the old bingo hall in Girvan being placed under the hammer and this week it seems as though there is going to be a bingo hall in South Shields being put up for grabs.
This is a former Mecca Bingo hall, located in Dean Road in South Shields, and this hall closed down in January of last year. This was because of the fact that the company decided on a policy of closing down the buildings that were older. This is a double-edged sword and one that would have caused a few problems for a lot of people. Yes, if a building is older, it will likely cost a lot more time and money to keep it running and looking in good condition. However, it is these old buildings that add a lot of character to the bingo community and these bingo halls have a great sense of history. While modern bingo halls can add a lot of features and comfort, they don’t have the charm or panache that the older buildings have and it is easy to see why a lot of bingo players are not that happy at losing the bingo halls that they have loved over the years.
Bingo building up for grabs this week
The building was originally opened all the way back in 1935 and it is going to go on sale for a sum of around £175,000 when it is auctioned at Elland Road football ground in Leeds on Tuesday. The venue is being sold by the auctioneers company Pugh at the event.
A spokesperson for the company running the auction said; “The property is considered to have development potential subject to obtaining the necessary consents.” It would be good if there was bingo in the future of the building but it is unlikely that this will be the case. It seems as though many areas are facing up to the fact that there won’t be a local bingo on offer.
This is a great loss. Even though online bingo is booming, you want to have the chance to sit down with friends and get to know people. This is still something that is slightly lacking in the world of online bingo.
