Mecca Bingo will close its Taunton hall on Sunday 7 June, ending bingo use at the Grade-II listed building in the town centre. The hall has served as a bingo venue for 45 years, and local customers in Taunton are marking the final days before the doors shut.
Taunton hall and 45 years
The building opened as the Gaumont Palace Theatre in 1932. It hosted bands including The Beatles, Queen and The Rolling Stones in the 1960s, became an Odeon Cinema in the 1970s and turned into a bingo hall in the 1980s.
Mecca Bingo said maintenance costs made it challenging to keep operating the venue and said the building requires considerable repairs. The company also said the end of its lease was imminent.
Somerset Council and 2028 lease
Somerset Council said it understood the lease expired in 2028. The council said it will continue to collect rent and that the tenant will need to comply with repairing obligations until the end of the lease term.
For regular players, the closure removes a familiar meeting place that has remained busy for years. Cherril Hurding, a Taunton bingo player, said, "It's quite sad actually." She added, "There's always lots of people in there and the staff are lovely. I think it's the sign of the times."
Cherril Hurding in Taunton
Other customers described the hall as well used and said they were surprised by the decision. C-Jay Pipe, 22, said, "Every time I've been it has been pretty full up in there." He added, "I'm very surprised actually it's closing."
Jan Webber said, "It would be lovely if it went back to being a cinema because then all the old people that can't drive down to Hankridge could go back to the cinema here." For Taunton players and staff, Sunday 7 June now marks the end of an 45-year run as a bingo hall at a Grade-II listed town-centre building.
