One of Southport’s most loved Grade II listed buildings could be in line for its most radical transformation yet. The Garrick Theatre will get its most dramatic revamp from a bingo club to a hotel spa in nearly a century.
Previously an integral part of the town’s theatre scene, the Garrick Theatre has remained empty since the early years of the pandemic. Planning permission already having been granted to its large-scale redevelopment, its future cultural value, architectural heritage and future continuing role in the life of Southport remain in doubt.
A Grand Past on Southport’s Lord Street
It was created and constructed during the early 1930s on the site of an old Southport Opera House, which had caught fire in December 1929. The new theatre officially opened on 19 December 1932 and was considered one of the district’s most attractive theatres. Architect George Tonge designed the building in the dramatic Art Deco style of the period and instantly made an impression with its illuminated curved frontage, ornamental panels and powerful geometry.
Seating 1,600, the Garrick introduced London-level entertainment to a resort town famous more for promenades than first nights. Productions ranged from variety shows and touring West End plays to operas and, occasionally, films. During its years, the theatre housed stars like Laurel and Hardy and rising Julie Andrews, giving the inhabitants of Southport the sort of exposure to culture available in the larger towns.
From Theatre Lights to Bingo Nights
The theatre’s first existence as a live theatre ended in January 1957, when Norman Forbes sold it to Essoldo Cinemas. It re-opened as a cinema, screening Love Me Tender. Although the cinema conversion aligned with broader trends within the entertainment industry, it marked the beginning of an era of the building’s identity change.
The cinemas’ declining fortunes had seen bingo, an increasingly fashionable type of working-class entertainment, arrive at the building by 1963. The building was transferred again, with operators like Lucky 7, Top Rank and Mecca Bingo controlling the hall over the years. This new chapter came at the same time as the broader trend in the town, with bingo firmly taking hold as an activity.
To the present day, the town is more supportive than most others in favour of the upkeep of actively operational bingo halls. Whereas others closed or altered use, the city maintained its affinity with the game and an ethos of community and chance that existed and defined its society post-war.
Heritage Meets Commercial Vision
Amid community members’ arguments and redevelopment proposals, one indisputable fact stood out—the Garrick Theatre is iconic, simple as that. This phrase has been echoed in the plan documents, conservation cause and online discussion, demonstrating the building’s unique cultural impact on the seaside town.
The Garrick is Grade II listed, an award it obtained in July 1999. Any redevelopment must be strictly managed to maintain its historic character. Developers must strike a balance between economic possibilities and conservation.
One plan has since been established: to convert the building into an integrated theatre, spa and hotel. This odd hybrid would involve the Garrick being redeveloped as a 109-bedroom boutique hotel with a health spa, gym, restaurant, bar and an updated event auditorium. Developers think this will produce the first theatre-spa-hotel of its kind in the UK.
While the new investment and visitor figures excite others, others are worried. Critics have mentioned concerns about gentrification, the loss of actual community use and the unsustainable long-term mixed model in the face of being a seasonal resort town.
Future Vision or Risky Gamble
Planning permission was granted in April 2024. Blueoak Estates, the scheme’s developer, has committed to preserving the main Art Deco features and refurbishing the interior to current use. The auditorium will be retained, albeit remodelled to house events rather than entire show productions.
However, qualifications remain. Local heritage groups and the Theatres Trust remain dubious, at least, about the new auditorium’s future usability, the nature of events it will accommodate and whether the refurbishment will pursue cultural reuse or commercial benefit.
Community members also have scepticism regarding the 11 new apartments, which are part of the project. To some, they are an ingenious way of keeping the project viable; to others, they negate the original purpose of the building.
The principal concern is that the town may lose one of its most distinguishing attributes to a financially minded project that fails to maintain the area’s heritage. However, hope is still that the right balance is attained, provided the process is closely managed during its construction phases.
A Cultural Anchor to Fight For
For nearly 90 years, the Garrick has been about more than bricks and mortar. It has been a symbol of culture, community and identity and a representative of the evolving face of Southport. From the red velvet seats and gilt decoration to bingo dabbers and call boards, the building adapted to meet the needs of successive generations.
To this day, as bingo fades nationally, the town holds tight to its declining number of halls—and with that, its identification with communal memory and rituals of sociability. The Garrick may have gone dark, but it has certainly not been forgotten.
Moreover, its future life will be determined not simply by developers but by public interest and continuing advocacy. Residents of Southport have made it clear that they treasure the Garrick as the town’s very soul. Whether the hybrid spa-hotel is successful on commercial terms without forfeiting that soul is still to be seen.
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