![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmRuqgtgJNXDRdNCT7E9GJVGtFiJ21MELAXRqEW9pEEg1E/front.jpg)

Maybe I left a bit late to get in to this place, but I thought I'd have a snoop around just to see if there were any easy way in, to put it blunt there wasn't even a hard way into this place.

When I was a kid this was the Scala cinema, built back in  the 1930's and opened 22nd of December 1934.
It was the Regal cinema when it originally opened, playing the film "Girls Please" starring Leslie Howard, the cinema went through different names in it's time including Odeon and then closing as the Scala cinema in 1983 with the last film being shown was Porkys II: The Next Day.

It then reopened as the Ritz bingo place and then getting renamed to Mecca bingo before closing for good in 2020, partly because of Covid, it never reopened.

![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmRtFefk3BsByc91DxrorqDm1GDFzGYE6HQ3rLcZMv7n51/front_side.jpg)
When I was growing up, this entrance was an arcade, I have fond memories going in there and playing the game "Willow", they also rented VHS videos out and we sometimes hired videos from here too.

One of my fondest memories was when my parents took me and my brother and sister to see a film (can't remember if it was ship wreck or Pete's Dragon), and part way through a man playing the organ rose up out of the floor, I was so mesmerised and fascinated by this, I have heard that the organ has or is being restored somewhere down south.

Anyhow, I thought I'd have a good look around the place to see if I could get in but it's really well sealed, not even the slightest bit of peeled back metal or anything to allow entry.

![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmXASybWSmHUHceX25YcKgDH7jfA524Xswg4ufEbyY8Fpw/img_9744.jpg)

I do love the old drainpipes and detail on them.

I walked around the place 2 or 3 times, looking at different things, the building has been granted Grade II listed status, so maybe this is why it's sealed up so well.

![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmfMqsFWKCsM6Pgkz7QgAtq9qEUfTfZV8uYSATSynKBhS3/side_01.jpg)

I did contemplate getting up here but a man of my girth would struggle, plus there's no easy entry through those windows either.

![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmVB2C5jeyBdiFuixeYb6cqHEhH29se7QjwEp7brQ63B8E/rear_02.jpg)

![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmfHiTEU74BHf3fqpERE6Ghuc5zc1ugRkRKonfwo1BLQeQ/rear_01.jpg)

Sadly, I had to call this one off, the weather was rubbish so thought a nice little explore would be good, the one thing about living in a town that's closing down is plenty of deserted buildings so even though I couldn't get in this one, there's a few more on the radar that I need to have a good luck at. In the meantime I am keeping my ears close to the ground and checking from time to time just in case the opportunity to get in here arises.

I really hope you've enjoyed this post, even though I failed on my mission.

Thanks for reading.

All the best :-)