Art Deco Cinema, England

This wonderful Art Deco Cinema was once a bustling entertainment venue. It is located in a small English town, which is surrounded by rolling hills and countryside. The once grand building was in ruins at the time of my visit. The roof had partially collapsed and years of water ingress had taken their toll. Rotting wooded floors, crumbling concrete and rusting metal work all made this a cautious explore. I visited this location during 2020; a year where I explored several other British theatres/cinemas.

History of the British Art Deco Cinema

The cinema opened around 1930, replacing an existing cinema. The frontage is white tiled and is strongly influenced by Art Deco style. A local architect designed the building. Subsequently the independently run cinema was taken over by a chain in the late 1950s. Eventually the cinema, like many others around England, was converted into a bingo hall in the late 1960s. The bingo hall closed in the early 2000s, and was put up for sale. Sadly, the building fell further into disrepair as the years passed.

Recently the Art Deco Cinema has been awarded a grant. Several buildings in the town were also awarded money. The project aims to renovate these buildings, and bring them back into use as cultural hives and community centres.

Inside the long abandoned cinema

Inside the Art Deco Cinema would have been seating for around 960 movie goers. There was a lower stall area, as well as an upper balcony area. A wonderful Art Deco style staircase leads up to the balcony level. The stage has an unusually wide proscenium arch, given the small size of the cinema. Above the arch is a black, yellow and red radiating sun motif. This kind of mural was popular in 1920s and 1930s cinema decoration.