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.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1933 (as Mecca Agency Limited) |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
Key people | Michael Guthrie, Chairman |
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
editThe 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
edit| 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[18] |
References
edit- ^ a b "The Rank Group plc - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on The Rank Group plc". www.referenceforbusiness.com. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "Come Dancing - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "A Study in Branding Popular Entertainment". meccadancing.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "Jimmy Savile". DJHistory.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ a b "Leodis - a photographic archive of Leeds - Display". www.leodis.net. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "The Specials - Music / Lyrics". Retrieved 15 August 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ball, Aimee Lee (July 1991). "Mr Universe". New York Magazine. 24 (27): 38.
- ^ "Rank Group Plc - About us - History". www.rank.com. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "Basildon - A Chronological History 1960 - 1969". www.basildon.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "Locarno Ballroom, Burnley, England Concert Setlists | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm.
- ^ "The Coventry kid who made good". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Evening Times (March 30, 2015). "Memories: it was strictly for dancing at the Locarno Ballroom in 1962". Evening Times. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "English Seaside Piers - Royal Pier, Southampton". www.theheritagetrail.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "BBC - In pictures: Stockport Plaza". www.bbc.co.uk. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, England Concert Setlists | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm.
- ^ Frogmore Street, Bristol, 1999, 7 February 1999, retrieved 29 February 2024