Fire Destroys Abandoned Bingo Hall Documented in Last Known Photos

A fire damaged an old building in Hyde. It used to be a cinema and bingo hall. The Astoria Bingo hall burned on February 24. The building started to fall apart during the fire.

The fire was intense, and bricks fell onto the road. People watched, shocked as the building was ruined. Workers demolished the remains days later, as it was 100 years old.

The building opened as the Star Picture House in 1914. In the 1920s, they changed the name to the Scala. It became the Astoria in the 1950s, then a bingo hall in the next decade.

The Astoria closed in 2009. Since then, the building was empty and slowly fell into disrepair.

Jake, an urban explorer, visited in 2020. His Facebook page is called Exploring With Jake.

Jake’s pictures show the inside, including the bar area. There were fruit machines and old signs that reminded people of its past.

His photos are some of the last taken inside, showing the building right before its demolition. He gave permission to share his photos.