Mecca Leisure Group
TypePrivate
Industry
Founded1933 (as Mecca Agency Limited)
Founder
  • Carl L. Heimann
  • Byron Davies
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK
Key people
Michael Guthrie, Chairman

Mecca Leisure Group (also known as Mecca Leisure Ltd, Mecca Ltd, and Mecca Dance Ltd) was a British business that ran nightclubs, hotels, theme parks, bingo parlours and Hard Rock Cafes.[1] During the 1960s, Mecca was a centre of entertainment with numerous nightclubs throughout major United Kingdom towns and cities. Mecca ballrooms were used for the BBC TV show Come Dancing.[2] Eric Morley was a general manager of dancing at Mecca Leisure Group and was involved in the Miss World competitions.

Notable DJs performing at Mecca nightclubs include Jimmy Savile[3][4] from 1960[5] and Pete Waterman.

The Coventry Locarno is the subject of the Specials song "Friday Night, Saturday Morning", B-side to Ghost Town.[6] Chuck Berry's live version of "My Ding-a-Ling" was also recorded there.

History

The Mecca Leisure Group has its origins in the Mecca Agency Limited, a company co-founded by Carl L. Heimann and Byron Davies in 1933 to operate the recently created dance hall chain Mecca Dancing.[7]

In 1989, the company acquired Pleasurama plc.[8]

In 1990, the Rank Organisation made an offer of £512m to acquire Mecca Leisure Group, which was initially rejected, and then accepted two months later.[1][9]

Venues

Venue Location Opening Later Names Closure
Locarno Ballroom[10] Basildon 1961
Blackpool Mecca Blackpool 1965
Locarno Ballroom Burnley[11] 1962 Cat's Whiskers, Ritzy 1996
Mecca Locarno[12] Coventry
Ilford Palais[13] London
Locarno Ballroom[14] Glasgow 1926
Mecca Locarno Ballroom[5] Leeds 1938 1969
Locarno Liverpool 1948
Lyceum Theatre London 1834
Southampton Royal Pier[15] Southampton 1963 1979
Stockport Plaza[16] Stockport 1965
Locarno Ballroom [17] Swindon 1952 1969
Mecca Dance Hall Tottenham London 1910 2004
Hammersmith Palais London 1919 2007
Sherwood Rooms Nottingham 1957 1984

Locarno | Bristol | 1966 | | 1991 https://www.flickr.com/photos/152907113@N08/40380748435

References

  1. 1 2 "The Rank Group plc - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on The Rank Group plc". www.referenceforbusiness.com. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  2. ↑ "Come Dancing - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "A Study in Branding Popular Entertainment". meccadancing.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "Jimmy Savile". DJHistory.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Leodis - a photographic archive of Leeds - Display". www.leodis.net. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "The Specials - Music / Lyrics". Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  7. ↑ Nott, James (2015). Going to the Palais: A Social and Cultural History of Dancing and Dance Halls in Britain, 1918-1960. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199605194. pp. 26-27.
  8. ↑ Ball, Aimee Lee (July 1991). "Mr Universe". New York Magazine. 24 (27): 38.
  9. ↑ "Rank Group Plc - About us - History". www.rank.com. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  10. ↑ "Basildon - A Chronological History 1960 - 1969". www.basildon.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  11. ↑ "Locarno Ballroom, Burnley, England Concert Setlists | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm.
  12. ↑ "The Coventry kid who made good". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  13. ↑ "When the local palais was the place to be dancing". www.echo-news.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  14. ↑ Evening Times (March 30, 2015). "Memories: it was strictly for dancing at the Locarno Ballroom in 1962". Evening Times. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  15. ↑ "English Seaside Piers - Royal Pier, Southampton". www.theheritagetrail.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  16. ↑ "BBC - In pictures: Stockport Plaza". www.bbc.co.uk. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  17. ↑ "Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, England Concert Setlists | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.