Tower Cinema

111 Lumley Road,
Skegness, PE25 3LZ

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Built and opened by local exhibitor Fred Clements, the Tower Cinema opened on 27th March 1922, with a total seating capacity of 1,200; 750 in the stalls and 450 in the circle. It is located in the corner of the pleasure gardens near the town’s famous clock tower, hence the name of the cinema.

It was closed for three months in January 1937 for internal alterations. It was hit by a German bomb on 18th January 1941, during a matinee performance, but luckily, no-one was hurt. Damage was sustained to the roof only, but it put the cinema out of action until repairs were begun in late-1949. A stage and eight dressing rooms were added to enable live shows to be performed in the cinema, in addition to film performances. The Tower Cinema was re-opened on 6th July 1951 with Bette Davis in "Payment on Demand" and John Payne in "El Paso".

In the Summer of 1984, the balcony was converted into a 420 seat cinema and the stalls area was converted into an amusement arcade. In January 2003, the former balcony cinema was twinned, each screen seating 142. In 2004 these were slightly enlarged and the seating is now for 160 and 152.

Contributed by Ken Roe