Futurist Cinema

58 Hill Street,
Elsecar, S74 8BD

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Additional Info

Architects: Percy J. Roberts, T. Menson Robinson

Functions: Housing

Previous Names: Electra Palace Theatre, Palace Cinema

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Futurist Cinema

The Electra Palace Theatre was located in Elsecar, midway between Barnsley & Rotherham, South Yorkshire. It was opened on 27 August 1912 and seated 600 on the single sloping floor. It had been designed by architects T. Menson Robinson and Percy J. Roberts and built by Messrs. Longden & Son of Sheffield. It was very well appointed with Oak panelling in the foyer and tip-up seats throughout the auditorium, the more expensive one being better upholstered and the cheapest probably wooden seats. The proscenium was 24ft wide. There were two electric fans to extract hot air and the building was centrally heated in winter.

By 1930 a Western Electric(WE) sound system had been installed and the seating was now reduced to 450. By 1934 it was equipped with a British Thomson-Houston(BTH) sound system. It was renamed the Palace Cinema in May 1938 and the Futurist Cinema from August of the same year.

The Futurist Cinema closed relatively late in 1985 (when no one turned up to see the final programme). It was converted into a club, which itself closed soon after and the cinema became an auction room. After 1995 it became unused. In 2002 it was purchased by retired TV engineer Trevor Miller who converted the building into his home.

Contributed by Ian Grundy

Recent comments (view all 3 comments)

neoquaid
neoquaid on April 22, 2008 at 10:37 am

Copy and paste this link into the browser to get a current (2008) view of this lovely old cinema…!
View link

Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield on June 5, 2012 at 9:50 pm

I worked as a projectionist at the Futurist in the early 1980’s. We were like a small family. Then a new manager arrived, and it became a horrible place to work. He manage to close it down within one year. So sad.

quaestorr
quaestorr on March 8, 2015 at 6:00 pm

Passed this fascinating building today. Would love to get inside; anyone know who the owners are?

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