A BALLROOM which was under threat from developers has been given listed status.

News Shopper reported last month the Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley Road, Brockley, had been put up for sale by its owners.

But the building has now been given Grade II listed status by English Heritage, meaning it cannot be demolished or altered without planning authority permission.

The building has been used as a ballroom since 1959 and is famous for its red velvet decor and interior fittings.

It was partly listed because its interior was found to be of special architectural interest.

Owners Bill Mannix, 67, and his 59-year-old wife, Jeanie, previously said they had received two offers of around £10m from potential developers of the site.

In its report English heritage gave the building Grade II status for three reasons:

  • Special architectural interest for the highly-unusual interior of 1958, the total effect of which is luxuriant, exotic and deeply theatrical.
  • Special historic interest as an eloquent and unusual witness to the era of American jive and swing bands, lindy hop, jitterbug and rock 'n' roll, alongside the continued popularity of traditional strict tempo ballroom.
  • A rare surviving example of a once common conversion of an early 20th-century cinema to a ballroom.

It concluded: "The Rivoli Ballroom is a highly unusual building which is of special architectural interest for its flamboyant interior and special historic interest for its rarity as a surviving 1950s dance hall in a former cinema."

Lewisham councillor for Ladywell ward Cllr Sue Luxton, who had campaigned for the building to be listed, said she was pleased with the news.

She said: "I'm really glad. It means a developer can't just buy the site, demolish it and build a lot of flats there."