A FORMER cinema which has been a Durham landmark since the 1930s is marking its 80th anniversary with an exhibition of memorabilia.

Now the home of Apollo Bingo in Durham, the building in Sherburn Road has been providing entertainment to people in the city since it opened in 1938.

To mark its 80th anniversary, club managers have put together the exhibition of memorabilia which goes back to its days as a cinema.

Kath McGurk, general manager at the club, said the exhibition was a “wonderful showcase”.

She added: “These interesting artefacts have been uncovered from rooms upstairs that are haven’t seen the light of day for years, and are being displayed in public for the first time.”

Marc Cook, one of the club’s mainstage callers, has been researching its history for around six months and has put the exhibition together.

He said: “It’s an inconspicuous building but so much went on here. It’s been fascinating.

“The best part has been that since it went up it has prompted people to come and its been bringing back memories. We’ve had people whose grandparents worked here and who remember it being built.

“It’s definitely the heart of the community. People rely on us because we’re always here.”

The display includes photos, artefacts and memories of the building, which first opened in August 1938 as The Majestic to provide entertainment for the new housing estate across the road.

Among the artefacts are a wartime Murphy radio transmitter, iron reel cases and a photograph of a 1939 visit by King George and his wife Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother.

It chronicles the history of the building, from its first movie showing of Maytime, starring Jeanette Macdonald, to a fire in 1956, its closure as a cinema in 1961 and its reopening as a bingo hall.

The hall later became a boxing gym and skateboard arena before having a major refurbishment and reopening again as a bingo hall in 1982.