The art deco building was built in 1937, replacing the old Dingle Picturedrome, and functioned as a cinema before being turned into a bingo hall
09:44, 05 Apr 2026
The former Gaumont Cinema in Dingle, Liverpool
An iconic abandoned Liverpool cinema has lain vacant and disused for the last 28 years. As a result, it has been subject to much speculation and rumour, as well as campaigns to restore the site to its former glory.
The Gaumont cinema in Liverpool 8, was built on the site of the old Dingle Picturedrome, and was famous for its beautiful art deco design. It opened in March 1937, launching with its first feature film showing of “My Man Godfrey”, starring William Powell and Carole Lombard.
For the next thirty years, the Gaumont put on hundreds more films, many of them certified classics, created during the ‘Golden age of Hollywood’. However, it was closed down in 1966, and was subsequently reopened as the Top Rank Bingo Club in 1967, before that eventually closed in 1998.
Despite being bought and resold by potential investors looking to transform the site, the building has stood empty and unused for almost three decades.
Gaumont on Park Road when it still operated as a cinema.(Image: cinema-theatre.org.uk)
For several years, the ownership of the building was unreported, but in 2017, the property was listed online by Venmore Auctions for £75,000. Venmore described it as “ideal for a residential development”, but only if investors were able to secure planning permission.
We checked Liverpool City Council’s planning portal and can confirm there have only been two planning applications submitted for the Park Road property this century – one in 2003 for the installation of a rooftop antenna, and the other in 2012 for security hoardings.
Venmore opened the doors of the cinema to potential buyers, who were able to view the site before the auction, scheduled for December 13 that year. There was no follow up confirmation on who (if anyone) bought the property and for what price.
Graffiti covers the former Gaumont Cinema in Dingle, Liverpool
In 2022 the “Save Gaumont Cinema” campaign, led by self-described ‘culture activists’, wanted to restore the property to its former glory, and reopen it as a cinema, on behalf of the L8 community. The campaign aimed to acquire the building at auction and then use it as a hybrid venue, able to function as a cinema, theatre and gig venue, but it was not ultimately successful.
Since then questions have continued about the Gaumont. When asked about the cinema building’s future back in January 2024, Dingle ward councillor Steve Munby told the ECHO: “I think it would be wonderful to bring the Gaumont back into use. But I think it would be enormously challenging, you need to find somebody who is a creative genius to work out an idea for it.”
For the first time, the ECHO can report the old Gaumont Cinema at 446 Park Road, Toxteth, was purchased by a Liverpool-based property firm called LRZ Holdings Ltd. The company is owned by a Ross Baigent, which purchased the building for £160,000 on November 29, 2023.
The former Gaumont Cinema on the corner of Park Road and Dingle Lane, in L8
We made several attempts to contact Mr Baigent, including via his employees at his Liverpool-based cleaning products company, to ask him about plans for the site.
It is fair to say the Gaumont has seen better days. It is derelict, covered in graffiti, weeds are growing out of it and the brickwork shows plenty of signs of damage and decay. A billboard hangs on the building and the ECHO understands the cinema’s current and primary use is to host telecom masts on its roof.
Some people would still like to see it become a cinema once more, but at the time of writing, and despite its recent purchase, the future of the Gaumont remains unclear.
We approached Dingle ward councillor Steve Munby for a comment on the ongoing vacancy of the Gaumont, and the future of the site. Cllr Munby had not responded at the time of publication.