Perhaps by the thousands of East End youngsters who knew this place as the Ben Hur and went along for Saturday morning pictures every week.

It was a place that lies forever in the hearts of those kids – many now no longer with us. It was our flea pit – with it’s quaint iron railings inside and old lumpy seats all on the one level. It was a magic place full of screaming kids running up and down the aisles up to all sorts of mischiefs. The heroes were cheered, the villians booed, and the Three Stooges laughed at. The main feature was always greated with louder cheers and stamping of the feet to coincide with the dimming of the house lights. Great stuff.

One Saturday morning in 1962 the manager stood up at the front and told us all that they were going to make it into a Bingo Hall. He was booed off the stage and had all sorts flung at him. He tried to redeem himself by saying it would only be for a little while.

Despite knowing he was lying, I still found myself waiting for the return of Saturday morning pictures to be announced each and every time I went past it as the years rolled on.

It’s not coming back is it?

Thanks for capturing it Doreen.

GA, thank you for sharing more of Doreen Fletcher’s works and her illuminating commentary on them. I particularly admire how she worked those metal fences into the scenes such as those in Stepney Snookers Club.