Rex Cinema

85 Stanley Road,
Eastmoor,
Wakefield, WF1 4LH

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Star Cinemas

Previous Names: Coliseum Cinema, Star Cinema

Nearby Theaters

Rex Cinema

Located in the Eastmoor district to the north of the centre of Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The Coliseum Cinema opened in November 1920. It was converted to sound in early-1930 when a Brown sound system was installed and showing its first sound film, “The Broadway Melody” on 21st April 1930. In 1933 the cinema was acquired by Walter Eckart’s Star Cinemas group, based in Leeds. Following a £2,000 transformation, which included a new screen and new Kalee projectors with British Thomson-Houston(BTH) sound, it re-opened as the Star Cinema on 4th December 1933 with Laurel & Hardy in “Fra Diavolo”. In 1945 Star Cinemas sold the cinema to Park Row Cinemas Ltd. for £2,000. Its name was changed to the Rex Cinema.

The Rex Cinema closed on 7th February 1959 with, rather ironically, “The Killing”, starring Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray. It became a ballroom, the Rex Rendezvous, before moving over to bingo in 1966 when it was taken over by Bartle Enterprises. By December 1998, when my photograph was taken, it had become the Rex Snooker and Pool Club.

By 2012 it had become the Vegas Sports Bar, and the façade has been covered with metal cladding. In October 2020 the vacant building was ‘For Sale’.

Contributed by David Simpson

Recent comments (view all 2 comments)

Bagnall
Bagnall on February 12, 2014 at 6:22 am

I was delighted to find your information about a cinema which my Great Grandfather built in Wakefield.

I have an ancestry website which features the cinema along with a photograph of how it used to look. I wondered if you would allow me to include the information from your page with a link back to your site please? Also, do you have the contact details of the contributor – David Simpson please? He may be able to supply further information?

http://bagnallancestry.co.uk/places/stanley_road.asp#cinema

Bagnall
Bagnall on January 16, 2017 at 5:59 pm

Does anyone know what is happening to the Rex? I’d hate to see it demolished?

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