Granada, Tooting
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Buzz Bingo, Tooting (formerly Gala Bingo and the Granada Tooting cinema) is a Grade I
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
in
Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times. The name is of Anglo-Saxon ori ...
, an area in the London borough of
Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...
. Originally built as one of the great luxurious
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
cinemas of the 1930s, it is still considered by many to be the most spectacular cinema in Britain. In his 1966 guide to London's buildings, the architectural critic Ian Nairn said of it, "miss the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
if you have to, but don't miss this". In 2000 it became the first Grade I listed 1930s cinema and in 2015 was selected as an
asset of community value In England, an asset of community value (ACV) is land or property of importance to a local community which is subject to additional protection from development under the Localism Act 2011. Voluntary and community organisations, parish councils, ...
.


History

The building was first opened as the ''Granada, Tooting'' in 1931. It was designed by the cinema and theatre architect Cecil A. Massey for Sidney Bernstein, as part of his Granada cinema chain. The interior was by the Russian theatre director and designer,
Theodore Komisarjevsky Fyodor Fyodorovich Komissarzhevsky (; 23 May 1882 – 17 April 1954), or Theodore Komisarjevsky, was a Russian, later British, theatrical director and designer. He began his career in Moscow, but had his greatest influence in London. He was note ...
, who also designed the Granada Cinema, Woolwich. Construction had begun in May 1930 and was completed by September the following year. An opening ceremony was held on 7 September 1931 to much local acclaim, more than 2000 patrons had to be turned away due to limited space. It included a performance by trumpeters from The Life Guards and Alex Taylor on the cinema's
Wurlitzer organ The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
. The opening films that night were ''
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
'' and the British short film '' Two Crowded Hours''. Double-features like this one were the main component of the Granada's programming. Variety shows would also supplement the screening schedule, including theatre and music performances as well as a small circus up until 1934. Through the 1940s and 1950s the Granada became more important as a local venue in Wandsworth, attracting talent from further afield. Artists who performed there included
Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
,
The Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by John Walker (musician), John Walker (real name John Maus) and Scott Walker (singer), Scott Walker (real name Noel Scott Engel), with Gary Walker (musician), Gary Wal ...
,
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
and on 1 June 1965
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
performed two sold-out sets. The final artist to perform here would eventually be the
Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
on 28 April 1968. From 1970 the cinema's organ would be featured on the
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
programme ''
The Organist Entertains ''The Organist Entertains'' was a long-running music programme broadcast on BBC Radio 2. The 30-minute programme focused on the organ in its many guises, and played recordings and live broadcasts of theatre organs, pipe organs and electronic ...
''. Declining attendance throughout the 1960s meant that by 1971 the cinema was only receiving 600 patrons per week. Concerned that this would lead Granada to close and demolish the building, the Wandsworth local council applied for listed status. On 28 July 1972 the cinema received Grade II* listed status. Heavy storms in July 1973 led to the flooding of the cinema, damaging the organ in the process. This, coupled with the declining viewership, led to the closing of the cinema on 10 November 1973. The final films shown were '' The Man Called Noon'' and '' Perfect Friday''. The building would lie unused for almost three years until it was reopened on 14 October 1976 as the Granada Bingo Club, Tooting. Granada would continue to manage the club until May 1991 when it was taken over by Gala Bingo (now Gala Coral Group Ltd) and renamed the Gala Bingo Club Tooting. On 5 October 2000, the building was relisted as a Grade I listed building, making it one of three such former cinemas in the UK. It remains the only Grade I cinema of its style. Although the organ had been repaired in 1984 it had remained in relative disuse until 22 April 2007 when a concert was held featuring it. This was the first such concert since the 1970s and was given by Doreen Chadwick, along with
Len Rawle Len Rawle (4 January 1938 – 14 November 2023) was a Welsh organ builder and organist. A London College of Music graduate, he was particularly noted for his restoration of Wurlitzer theatre organs, such as at Harrow, Tooting and Woking. Earl ...
and Kevin Morgan to an audience of over one thousand. More storm flooding on 20 July 2007 damaged the organ chamber and console once again. Following a year long campaign by local resident Dan Watkins in December 2015, the
bingo hall Bingo is a game of probability in which players mark off numbers on cards as the numbers are drawn randomly by a caller, the winner being the first person to mark off all their numbers. Bingo, previously known as Housey-Housey, became increas ...
was listed as an
asset of community value In England, an asset of community value (ACV) is land or property of importance to a local community which is subject to additional protection from development under the Localism Act 2011. Voluntary and community organisations, parish councils, ...
.


References


Bibliography

* ''The Granada Theatres'', Allen Eyles pp. 42–49 (Cinema Theatre Association, 1998)


External links


Granada Tooting at Scottish Cinemas

How We Built Britain excerpt covering Granada Tooting
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Granada Tooting at Cinema Treasures

The Granada Theatre Circuit
{{Authority control 1931 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1931 Former cinemas in London Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Wandsworth Art Deco architecture in London Cecil Massey buildings Assets of community value Tooting Bingo Granada Theatres