By Andrew Brown
What a difference a few months makes.
The picture on the left shows just how derelict the former Grand Casino on Lord Street in Southport looked two years ago.
Once one of the North West’s most beautiful art deco buildings, its luck ran out when, as Genting Casino, it closed its doors in 2007.
The condition of the building became worse and worse as the years followed, with gradual neglect compounded by break-ins.
It was eventually bought by Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group (MHALG) which invested millions of pounds in transforming the building and making The Grand the anchor of the ‘Northern Quarter’ of Lord Street.
This week, MHALG Chairman Andrew Mikhail posted the ‘before’ picture of the site, along with the words ‘Southport Grand 2 years ago!’ and the hashtag #MakingSouthportGreatAgain
The Lord Street boulevard in Southport, one of the most stylish in the UK, is undergoing a noticeable transformation.
At the Northern end, the changes are being led by Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group which has invested £4 million already into converting parts of the ground floor and first floor of The Grand into Grand Brasserie and Chloe’s Piano Bar, plus the Princess Grace wedding and function suite.
Harry’s rooftop bar and the sky bar are due to open this year.
The building is celebrating its centenary this year. It dates back to 1923 when it was first opened as a car showroom and garage before being converted into the Grand Cinema in 1938.
The building remained a luxury cinema until 1966 when it was transformed into an independent bingo hall before closing down as Gala Bingo in 1999.
The building reopened that year as the Grand Casino before being changed to the Mint Casino and then finally Genting Casino before closing in 2007.
https://twitter.com/andrew_mikhail/status/1645782430987722758?s=20
MHALG has also transformed The Bold Hotel, the Lord Street Hotel, the Lord Street Sports Bar and Punch Tarmey’s bar in the Northern Quarter on Lord Street.
Some superb local independent businesses have opened in the area in recent years, such as Corridor, Cooper’s, the Beer Inn, Ra Bar and others, while Volare restaurant expanded earlier this year.
It makes a huge change from a decade ago when this end of Lord Street was noted for its abundance of charity shops, empty units and a decaying former casino.
Huge investment in recent years has turned the tide with the Northern Quarter of Lord Street really hitting the jackpot.
It’s an area worth watching with more developments in the pipeline for this year, including the top floor of The Grand and the former Pizza Express building on the corner of Lord Street and Leicester Street among others.
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