Take a peek inside as former Lancashire bingo hall and cinema is transformed into gym and community hub

The Old Victoria Building, on Poulton Road, was for decades the home of Barney’s Bingo and, before that, the Victoria Cinema but in 2010 it fell into disuse and its condition began to deteriorate.

Around a decade ago the imposing art deco building was bought by Fleetwood-based dredging company Wyre Marine.

Renovation work has been taking place to restore the building and now an ambitious scheme to create a modern new gym, along with storage units and a community hub, is almost finished.

The plans were approved by Wyre planners before work, amounting to a “considerable investment” got underway.

Aside from undertaking a massive restoration project to protect the building, many of its original features have been retained, preserving one of Fleetwood’s historic buildings.

Many old cinema/bingo halls, such as the Orion Bingo in Cleveleys (formerly the Odeon Cinema), and the Empire Bingo Hall in Marton, have sadly been demolished and lost forever.

What they say

Darren Greenwood, of Wyre Marine, said: “Renovations on the Old Victoria Building are nearing completion, and we are moving into the final stages.

“On the ground floor, there is an accessible fitness facility tenanted by Elle Greenwood Boxing and Fitness Elle.

“This gym will be dedicated to providing fitness opportunities for people of all levels and abilities, with a focus on those with special educational needs.

“Additionally, the ground floor will house 19 storage units, each measuring 21ft square.

“The rent from these units will help subsidise the rent for the club upstairs, ensuring it can continue to serve as a community hub.”

He added: “In the main building we have worked diligently and invested significantly to create a modern building that meets all the needs of our main tenant, Fleetwood Gym Amateur Boxing Club.

“In return,  Fleetwood Gym Boxing Club will be able to use the space and make it available for the entire community, especially for training young people, providing a safe environment, and promoting fitness and well-being. 

“The club will also make the space available to other community groups to help raise funds and support their charitable efforts.”

Grand cinema with chandelier

The building was originally the 1,124 seat Victoria Cinema, opened in 1929, which had a 15ft deep stage and dressing rooms.

It was one of several cinemas in Fleetwood at the time and was a grand venue, with uniformed usherettes and a crystal chandelier in the spacious foyer.

But as old picture houses across the country began to struggle with the increasing availability and popularity of television in the 1950s and early 60s, like many old-style cinemas, it was taken over by a new trend - bingo.

Barney’s Bingo opened in 1967 and the family-run enterprise, launched by Bernard Killoran, was a huge success, becoming one of the town’s biggest draws for decades to come.

In 2000 it was taken over by national chain Top Ten Bingo.

Smoking ban hit hard

However, further change was on its way - the new smoking ban in 2007 had a huge impact on many of the old bingo halls in the UK, with customers who enjoyed a cigarette having to keep going outside whenever they wanted to light-up.

The healthy new EU-driven initiative had an unexpected side effect - it killed off many of the old-style bingo halls and the familiar cries of “house” came to a sad end at Barneys around 2010.

Sign up for our free newsletters now A new ‘Barney’s Bingo’, unconnected to the original but named in its homage and run by Newcastle Bingo Ltd, opened on Station Road in 2017 but closed earlier this year.

Despite that, bingo has since made a comeback, with Fleetwood man Sean Connolly the manager of the recently-opened Club 3000 Bingo in Blackpool.

As for the spacious old original Barney’s building on Poulton Road, almost 100 years old, it faced an uncertain future but has now been given a new lease of life for the community of Fleetwood.