Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | |
Founded | 1933 (as Mecca Agency Limited) |
Founder |
|
Headquarters | London, 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.
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]
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] |