From Cinema to Bingo Hall: The Story of Prescot Picture Palace

Prescot Picture Palace was established in 1912 and is one of England's earliest surviving cine-variety houses. It retains many original features, including early 20th-century cinema seating and cinema doors.

At its opening, the Palace was described as 'quite luxurious’ with the theatre seating 630 people, but in 1957 the cinema closed and the building became a carpet and furniture warehouse.

Around 1975, Tudor Bingo purchased it before Coral Bingo took over in the late 1980s and established a social club. In 1995, Prescot Community Church (an Elim Pentecostal Congregation) purchased the buildings and remained in residence until 2021.

Knowsley Council acquired the building in 2021, and the revival of the building is the largest project of Prescot’s High Street Heritage Action Zone project, jointly funded by Knowsley Council and Historic England.

The façade of the former Picture Palace has now been restored. Historical photographs were used to help recreate some of the original design features, which were created in the flamboyant Edwardian Neo-Baroque style. This has all helped to bring the building back to its former splendour.

What will it be used for next?

Do you have memories of Prescot Picture Palace? Add them to the Missing Pieces Project ➡️ https://bit.ly/MissingPiecesProject

Chapters
00:00: Restoring Prescot Picture Palace
01:06: 1912-1957 – A Cinema
02:46: 1975-1995 – A Bingo Hall
04:28: 1995-2021 – A Church
06:30: What will the next chapter be?
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