If I told you Buzz Bingo in Tooting was getting a blue plaque, you might be a little confused. However, the building has played host to some of the most iconic musical artists to exist, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, and Dusty Springfield.
The historic building
The Grade I-listed building was opened in 1931 as a cinema with a whopping 3000 seats and features stunning Gothic-style interiors. Designed by Russian theatre director Theodore Komisarjevsky, the building has a “hall of mirrors” modelled after the Palace of Versailles.
It eventually received Grade I status in 2000, with Historic England claiming it was ” without doubt the most lavishly decorated interior of any cinema in Britain.”
It was on the venue’s stage, which has been masterfully preserved along with the original orchestra pit and grand medieval wall panels, where musical icons performed. It was known at this time as the Tooting Granada. The Bee Gees, The Beach Boys, Lulu and Cliff Richard have also graced the stage, and their names will feature on the plaque.
In 1976, after being saved from demolition, the building was transformed into a bingo hall.
The campaign for a blue plaque
Local champion Geoff Simmons has led a three-year public campaign to get a blue plaque on the building, and this Saturday (27 June), it was unveiled.
While the building is being honoured with a publicly funded plaque for its place in music history, today Buzz Bingo Tooting is known as an accessible and vibrant social hub. Local campaign leader Geoff Simmons even goes so far as to call it “The Vegas of South London.”
He also adds, “It’s extraordinary that so many people really didn’t know about the stars who once performed here. This plaque will change all that and add to the affection in which the building is held.”
You can find the plaque outside Buzz Bingo, Mitcham Road, Tooting.
