Gem Cinema

Station Road and West Street,
Long Sutton, PE12 9BN

Unfavorite No one has favorited this theater yet

Help us make this street view more accurate

Please adjust the view until the theater is clearly visible. more info

Gem Cinema

In Long Sutton, near Holbeach, Lincolnshire , the Alexandra Palace was opened around 1916 by the Tiller family.

It was a wooden building, and presented marionette shows, among them “Lady Audley’s Secret”, “East Lynne”, “Sweeney Todd” and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, before being converted into a picture house.

It is not known when film shows started.

The Alexandra Palace burnt down in the early to mid-1930’s. It was rebuilt as the Gem Cinema, which opened in 1936.

The Gem Cinema was owned by J. F. Bradley from its re-opening right up to its closure. The 1953 Kinematograph Year Book lists the sound system as Imperial, which was presumably installed during the re-build. This edition records a proscenium width of 16ft.

The Gem Cinema closed on Saturday 2nd April 1960 with “Jet Storm”, starring Richard Attenborough and Stanley Baker. Mr Bradley blamed a lack of patronage, claiming he was losing £100 a month.

The building was converted into a car showroom - Graves Garage - by Arthur Graves.

At some stage the building was demolished. By June 2016 a Nisa Late Shopper supermarket was on the site.

Contributed by David Simpson
You must login before making a comment.

New Comment

Subscribe Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater