History in Structure

Mecca Bingo Club

A Grade II Listed Building in Scarborough, North Yorkshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.2815 / 54°16'53"N

Longitude: -0.4038 / 0°24'13"W

OS Eastings: 504017

OS Northings: 488490

OS Grid: TA040884

Mapcode National: GBR TLMX.CZ

Mapcode Global: WHGC0.RNW3

Plus Code: 9C6X7HJW+HF

Entry Name: Mecca Bingo Club

Listing Date: 5 October 2000

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1384984

English Heritage Legacy ID: 485443

Also known as: Capitol Theatre, Scarborough
Capitol Theatre
Mecca Bingo Hall
Classic Cinema

ID on this website: 101384984

Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11

County: North Yorkshire

District: Scarborough

Electoral Ward/Division: Castle

Parish: Non Civil Parish

Built-Up Area: Scarborough

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): North Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Scarborough St Mary

Church of England Diocese: York

Tagged with: Theatre Cinema Bingo hall

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Description


SCARBOROUGH

TA0488 ALBEMARLE CRESCENT
782/4/10019 Scarborough
05-OCT-00 Mecca Bingo Club

GV II

Also Known As: Capitol Cinema, ALBEMARLE CRESCENT, Scarborough

Former Capitol cinema, constructed in 1928-29 for Londesborough Theatre and Picture House (Scarborough) Ltd. Architects: Gray and Evans of Liverpool (job architect: Edwin Sheridan Evans). White faience facade, with return and rear walls in stock brick, to steel frame. Roof not seen. Cinema auditorium with single balcony, undivided, behind shallow foyer.

EXTERIOR: Symmetrical facade in white faience, standing on a low painted plinth, which has to rise in order to compensate for the steep gradient. The main entrance is beneath a canopy and is flanked by two subsidiary entrances and two exit apertures enclosed by heavy mouldings and large keystones. Three tall central windows are set in a slightly protruding area under an enriched straight pediment with a cove cornice, surmounted by an oval cartouche. There are side wings with shallow aedicules having flat=pitched pediments, above which are panels of Rinceau ornament. This decoration continues as a frieze along the top of the central block to flank original lettering thus: CAPITOL. There are smaller vertical windows, surmounted by wreaths, set between the central block and the aedicules.

INTERIOR: A foyer leads to the large double-height auditorium. It has a rusticated coved proscenium and a canted ante-proscenium - the return bays facing back into the body of the auditorium. The ante-proscenium bays contain `Neo-Grec' grilles behind which were the organ chambers, while above, arches extend forward becoming pointed hoods. Over the proscenium is a frieze of winged beasts with human heads supporting ribbon wreaths and flanked by Rinceau ornament. There is a dado rail with more Rinceau panels, incorporating masks. The side walls are treated as a heavily moulded arcade with false balconies containing spiky lozenge ornamentation of almost Gothic character. The arches are surmounted by mask keystones. The pilasters have capitals incorporating three rosettes each. Dentil cornice. Plain barrel ceiling. There is a large balcony with a central vomitory entrance. Shallow cin?-variety' stage.

ANALYSIS: A large super-cinema dating from the years immediately before the introduction of sound films in the late 1920s (the Capitol was wired for sound' in the last months of 1929), in which the elaborate classical decorative detail has survived virtually intact. Bingo took over permanently in 1977.

SOURCES:
Brian Hornsey, Ninety Years of Cinema in Scarborough, Fuchsiaprint, Stamford, Lincolnshire 1995, pages 10, 12, 13-16.
Richard Gray, Cinemas in Britain, Lund Humphries, London 1996, page 140.


Listing NGR: TA0401788490

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