Palace Cinema

159 High Street,
Gorleston-on-Sea, NR31 6RG

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Palace Cinema, Gorleston-on-Sea (Official)

Additional Info

Architects: Eric Norman Bailey

Functions: Movies (First Run)

Styles: Art Deco

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 440149.344.0506
Manager: 440149.366.2520

Nearby Theaters

Palace Cinema

Located in Gorleston-on-Sea, near Great Yarmouth. The Palace Cinema is a small town Art Deco style cinema which opened on 16th January 1939 with Walt Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. It had 942 seats in stalls and balcony levels. It closed in 1964 and converted into a bingo club, which operated until early-2012.

In June 2017 renovations began to become a 4-screen, 403-seat cinema which opened on 23rd October 2017.

Contributed by Ian Grundy

Recent comments (view all 10 comments)

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on September 9, 2005 at 9:41 am

Designed by noted cinema architect Eric Norman Bailey of Maidenhead, the Palace remains virtually untouched in its current use as a bingo hall.

Ian
Ian on January 30, 2006 at 5:30 am

Exterior photo of the cinema (as a bingo hall) here :

View link

Note the marks at the top of the facade where the lettering used to be.

Louis Barfe
Louis Barfe on November 5, 2012 at 6:58 am

The bingo operation here closed a while back, didn’t it?

Buffer
Buffer on August 20, 2014 at 12:14 am

The original proprietors called themselves Rickenya cinemas after their names – LF Richardson, AN KENdal and Herbert A YApp

ritzman
ritzman on August 20, 2014 at 6:15 pm

The Compton organ in the Palace came from the Empire Cinema Aldershot and has since been removed, current whereabouts is unknown and sadly may possibly have been broken up for spares or scrapped. The organ had little ‘voice’ and although when in the Empire Aldershot the acoustic quality of the auditorium was high the sound of the organ was always somewhat disappointing and did not ‘fill the space’ with sound. This was despite the pipe chambers being high in the auditorium above the proscenium – according to Len Rawle (who used to play the Compton whilst he was stationed in Aldershot during WW2).The Compton was in poor condition when Len used to play it regularly and was rarely maintained. The organ had no illuminated surround and appeared to be a fairly basic Compton with a church style console. When installed in the Empire Aldershot it was not on a lift but at floor level below the screen. The film on the EAFA website is I think the only recording of this Compton

madorganplayer
madorganplayer on October 9, 2015 at 12:52 pm

The organ was supplanted by a newer model from the Savoy Leicester but then the thing grew and grew and became a monster of 5 manuals and 30 odd ranks of pipes.It was assumed at the time that the first organ (Compton 2-6)was joined with the next organ (Compton 3c-6).But then the whole lot was moved to the Bygones Village at Fleggburgh.Since that closed everything has been in store.oddly the Empire Aldershot is now looking for a replacement organ.

Yarcobilly77
Yarcobilly77 on August 6, 2017 at 1:21 am

I’m wondering if anyone can help? I’m currently working on this project to turn this building back into a cinema. Does anyone have any photos of the original interior? When it was officially opened datewise? And what the first film shown, I’ve been asking locally and someone has come back and thinks it’s Snow White. Any help greatly appreciated

stancubog
stancubog on October 31, 2017 at 12:48 pm

Hi all! The cinema is now open and you can find the updated program here: http://www.palacecinemagorleston.com/

DavidSimpson
DavidSimpson on April 13, 2018 at 8:54 am

It is always heart-warming when a former cinema returns to screen entertainment, and this is a splendid example. I was given a warm welcome by the very enthusiastic staff when I called in, on 10th April 2018, to see Wes Anderson’s animated fantasy “Isle of Dogs”. That was in Screen 3, one of the two smaller screens in the former balcony. They have been fitted out with ‘Luxury’ seating, as have the two larger screens in the former stalls area (which also have rows of ‘Elite’ and ‘Ultra Luxury’ seating at the rear). Capacities are: Screens 1 and 2: 125 each, Screen 3: 76 seats and Screen 4: 77 seats. Interestingly, there are plans to open a ‘Little Palace’ bingo club in space at the rear; it is unclear how much of this space, if any, was the former cinema auditorium.

popcorn_pete
popcorn_pete on July 19, 2018 at 2:40 pm

The Palace was designed by architect Norman Bailey and opened on 16 January 1939 with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. After the war the Palace was bought by Raymond Stross Cinemas then sold in 1957 to Clifford Spain manager of the circuit.

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