New Western Bingo by Sophie Stafford

New Western Bingo was established on Eyre Avenue in Armley, Leeds in 1964, in what used to be the Palace Picture Hall. It underwent a renovation that same year to transform into an autonomous bingo club bearing the same name.

In October 2016, a fire broke out in a nearby sauna and spread to the roof of the bingo hall. Following the incident, the club was razed to the ground, leaving an empty lot in the place of the once-thriving bingo hall. Presently, there are proposals to construct housing on the land where it once stood.

Before the fire, Sophie Stafford visited the bingo hall in 2013, capturing photographs of the hall, its regular patrons, and staff over a year. This book features a compilation of images taken before the fire, serving as a tribute to the lost bingo hall and a commemoration of its original members and workers.

Sophie Stafford, a photographer hailing from Hull, East Yorkshire, currently resides in London. She is keen on exploring narratives that centre around the significance of safeguarding cultural heritage.