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Also known as Carlton Cinema de Luxe

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Carlton Cinema

Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales

17 Oxford Street

, Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom SA1 3AG

(map)

Status:	Closed/Demolished
Screens:	Single Screen
Style:	Baroque

Function:	Unknown
Seats:	971
Chain:	Unknown

Architect:	Charles Tamlin Ruthen
Firm:	Unknown

Situated on Swansea's Oxford Sreet, next door to the now demolished Empire Theatre, the theatre opened as the Carlton Cinema de Luxe on 31st January 1914. The Carlton cinema has a very beautiful facade with bay glass windows on the first and second floors which contain a very ornate staircase. This leads to the Carlton cafe which was a very popular meeting place in its heyday. The facade has now been cleaned up and looks very impressive. All this is a shame now being that everything behind the stairwell has been demolished.

The Carlton was closed by the Rank Organisation on 29th October 1977 and remained dark until the auditorium was demolished and replaced by a large
bookstore (Waterstone's). During this time the building had been Listed Grade II and the retained facade still has this status.

The opening of the bookstore saw the stairwell opened up to access the second floor shop, the first time the area had been seen since the 1950's. During its last 10-15 years, the cinema was accessed by a narrow corridor with a small box office at the street then a kiosk halfway down. The circle area was unused for many years before the closure.

Contributed by Ian Howells

YOUR COMMENTS

A photograph of the derelict - but still intact at this point - cinema can be found here :-

http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/74762095/

posted by Ian on Dec 19, 2006 at 6:23am

Thanks Ian! The above photo is proberbly from the 80's when the building was left to look dreadful and many people just took it for granted it would disappear soon. BUT NO! - thanks to Watermans its still there, tho as explained above minus the auditorium (just a black room-nothing lost!) This new picture is one i took in March 2007 and shows just what a fantastic building it is. I tried to take a photo of the staircase inside the main entrance but was stopped by a security guard who said 'its against company policy- no photos' - i replyed that i wasnt taking photos of books!!!! but he wasnt having any of it. If anything id like to thank Watermans for the outstanding work theyve done. Ian x
PS i WILL get that staircae photo!

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Mar 8, 2007 at 3:59am

Ive now been into the cafe at the Carlton which is fantastic. The cafe is actualy on 2 floors behind the dome window you see in the above pictures. Fantastic ornate ironwork on the staircases and pillars holding t he staircase itself. Beautiful stained glass windows at the rear of the top floor. Very well restored and you can imagine it open in its heyday with cinema goers haveing afternoon tea before a film. I have photos of the cafe which i will post when the function is returned.

May i could take this opportunity to ask the editors of Cinema Treasures when we will be able to enter photos again on the site. Maybe there is another way that some could tell me as i have a lot of photoes i want to post here. Thanks.

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Apr 15, 2007 at 3:09am

The Carlton Cinema
Here are a selection of photos showing the gorgeous cafe of the Carlton.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2220796788/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 2:52pm

Sorry wrong set!

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 2:54pm

Try again!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2220582541/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 3:00pm

The impressive glass dome.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2221370582/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 3:23pm

The wonderfully restored facade.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2221013470/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 3:25pm

The Carlton cafe
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2220982604/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 3:26pm

Stairwell to the cafe on the 1st floor.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2220185773/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 3:27pm

The stunning balcony looking over the cafe.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2220182953/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 3:29pm

The glass bay window looking over Oxford Street.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2220979442/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 3:30pm

Another, fuller view of the cafe.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2220181577/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Jan 27, 2008 at 3:32pm

Distant shot up Oxford Street. The bland 60s building is where the once gorgeous Swansea Empire theatre stood until 1957
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtians/2221373192/in/photostream/

posted by Ian -'adoraKiaOra on Mar 22, 2008 at 1:09pm

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