Lost Brixton: Regal / Granada
Kennington Rd, Black Prince Rd


A hipster heads across the road in front of the Granada Bingo hall, c.1960
(pic: Lambeth Archives)

This large cinema (2,000 seats) on Kennington Road opened in 1932, and was taken over by Granada in January, 1949.

By 1955, seat capacity was down to a still sizeable 1,818 seats, and by July 1961, the cinema had closed to film.

A few months later, the building was running as Granada Bingo, opening for business on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, then also Fridays.

From around October 1961 onwards there was wrestling on Saturdays, with bingo every night from September, 1962.

Another change of management saw the building renamed The Gala in June, 1991 until complete closure in March 97 followed by the inevitable conversion into urban living yuppie lifestyle flats (or whatever it is they call them).


View of boarded up premises, March 2003



Closed entrance, March 2003



Happy, shiny, sunny artist's impressions of the flats (Jan 2006)

Mercia Cinema Society


The completed conversion, April 2006




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