In May 2019 it was reported that local entrepreneur Kevin Newton and his restoration team have brought back to life features from the “Great Gatsby” era to create Pillars Bar and Grill in the former cinema, which had been a nightclub until it closed after a New Year’s Eve Party in 2016.
Original features, including the arched tin ceiling, have been painstakingly restored and twinned with stunning furniture and fixtures. The £1 million project incorporated features celebrating the history of the building with a big screen installed, a baby grand piano for visiting performers and a ceiling feature created from the nightclub décor. Stunning new art deco doors form the entrance while a garden is accessed through bi-fold doors. See related photo.
On Thursday 9th May 2019, passing Darlington with Gene Sorkin, I paused at the Majestic primarily to take a look at the refurbished exterior. However, venturing inside, we got talking to a young lady, Colette, in the box office (which at that time was servicing the children’s play area in the former stalls) and, recognising our interest, she offered to show us the upstairs theatre. She is clearly very proud of this, which is building up a regular programme of live events. With the council concentrating on the Hippodrome, the Majestic has to be self-supporting but, in addition to the theatre, there is also a large bar area available for hire – and a cinema screen has been erected in an adjacent upstairs foyer area, where a local film society hosts regular film shows. Although, inevitably, still a work in progress, much has already been achieved and the upstairs spaces are in very good shape, all of which bodes well for the future.
I visited the ‘new’ Star and Shadow on Wednesday 8th May 2019, and was given a very warm welcome by the volunteers running this multi-faceted centre. There is certainly a lot more space than in the earlier building (a second performance space is being created in the room housing the bar) and, of course, there is still much more to do. The principal auditorium is very comfortably seated with seats obtained from the Tyneside cinema when it underwent its own refurbishment.
The events programme is primarily of films, but performance and music are also included. On the night I visited, I experienced a mixed presentation, with “Laughing at life”, a 1981 Tyne Tees TV documentary profiling North East comedian Pauline Petty (stage name Scarlet O'Hara), being followed by local stand-up poet Kate Fox, who talked about her research into Northern female comedians. This was part of a season of Revealing Women, supported by the BFI Film Audience Network.
As ritzman says, the Pavilion was 90 years old on Tuesday 19th March 2019. A special anniversary film and stage show was presented. The programme was introduced by Technical Co-Ordinator Christian Knighton, who presented a slide show history of the Pavilion. He was followed by a recreation of the Pavilion Municipal Orchestra, conducted by David Sims, then archive footage of Bournemouth was accompanied by Donald Mackenzie on the Compton organ. He then gave a recital followed, after the interval, by a screening of the 1933 Hollywood musical “42nd Street”, starring Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. In an really nice touch, patrons received a complimentary souvenir brochure. To add to the occasion, David Eve and Gary Trinder, of the Cinema Theatre Association, set up a comprehensive display of cinema memorabilia in one of the side corridors.
On 21st December 2018 the long-awaited fourth screen, built in a £1m extension, opened with “The Grinch” (2018). This was designated Screen 2, leading to the existing Screens 2 and 3 being renumbered as Screens 3 and 4. Seating capacities are: Screen 1:324, Screen 2:102, Screen 3:85 and Screen 4:33. A total of 544.
Sadly, a water pipe, which burst during a storm in 2017, went undetected for some time and caused significant damage. Then, once it had been spotted, the subsequent insurance claim was turned down. Film shows were suspended, and film stars Rhys Ifans and Michael Sheen headed up a crowd-funding campaign to raise £10,000 to get the cinema re-opened. (The hostel and cafe/bar were able to stay open.)
Just to clarify: The Alderley Edge Medical Centre occupies the front of the building, while the Festival Hall is housed in the former cinema auditorium, with access from the right hand side.
Sadly, in the spring of 2018 Flix was facing closure. However, thanks to an influx of new volunteers, it returned on Thursday 4th October (with “The Shape of Water”, starring Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon) with a new regular day and a new direction, with emphasis on limited release and foreign language films; films that reflect Flix’s location near the School of Arts. Screenings will be followed by a discussion group, TalkFlix.
In July 2018 I was asked by Claudia Materna, at ODEON, for permission to use my May 1998 image in a display the company was creating, at the cinema, to celebrate this historic movie palace. I was only too pleased to provide this, and the history wall, a permanent installation, was unveiled in October 2018. In these days of ever more futuristic, state-of-the-art all-digital multiplexes (such as ODEON’s own Luxe brand) it is heartening that the company is so mindful of its proud heritage. (Similar history walls have been installed at the ODEONs at Exeter, Weston-super-Mare and Glasgow Quay.)
According to the book ‘The Cinemas of West Wales’, written by Alan Phillips and published in 2017, the Palace was first equipped with a hand-cranked Kalee projector, later replaced by a motorised version. The seats were basic wooden benches. Films were shown nightly from Monday to Friday, with two changes of programme each week. He says the Palace closed in 1928/29 – as Editha suggests, most likely when faced with the coming of sound.
Alan says the building is in retail use, and the cinema frontage remains. However, on a visit to Aberaeron in June 2018 I was unable to locate the building. I subsequently e-mailed Alan courtesy of his publishers, but received no reply.
I then contacted Frances Owen, of the local history society. She canvassed her members and, although no one could recall this cinema as such, one member did find a reference in a brief report in the Welsh Gazette of 2nd March 1916, which said that entertainment needs in the town are now being met by “Mr Cheetham’s Cosy Cinema in Market Street, where bright and entertaining programmes help to counteract the gloom occasioned by War and Worry”. No further address details were provided, but this must surely be the same building. Although the licence was issued to “The Cinema”, this indicates it opened as the Cosy. Assuming it adopted the name Palace later on, this could have been following a refurbishment or, possibly, a change of ownership.
I will report further as and when more information comes to light!
It is a great shame that this splendid cinema is not used for regular screenings. However, when I visited, in August 2018, the Hospitality Manageress was only too pleased to open up the auditorium, so at least I got to see it. You will notice, in the photos I took from the stage, the black curtain pulled halfway across the stalls. There is a matching curtain on the other side; these are used to produce a more intimate atmosphere when the full capacity is not required.
I visited on 11th August 2018 and saw “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” in the splendid Screen 1. Seating capacities are: Screen 1:756 (569 in the stalls + 187 in the VIP lounge [circle]); Screen 2:63; Screen 3:63 and Screen 4:55.
I visited Filmstaden Sergel on Saturday 11th August 2018 to see “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”, starring Tom Cruise, in Screen 1. I was intrigued to note the side slips down both sides, presumably a legacy of its theatre origins. Seating capacities are: Screen 1:512 [reduced from the 700 quoted in the Overview]; Screen 2:63; Screen 3:196; Screen 4:55; Screen 5:225; Screen 6:72; Screen 7:51; Screen 8:109; Screen 9:89; Screen 10:104; Screen 11:77; Screen 12:99; Screen 13:49 and Screen 14:140.
By August 2018, the building had become home to a ‘gastronomic paradise’, with a number of restaurants and cafes. Thankfully, the magnificent interior remains intact.
Great news! It was announced on 11th August 2018 that the Columbia is going to undergo an extensive renovation, so by summer 2019 the city hopes to re-open it as a visitor center, a 50- to 75-seat theater for classic and contemporary films and it will also house the relocated Laurel & Hardy Museum that is the city’s biggest tourist draw.
Residents got a glimpse of what’s planned at a public meeting, during which they were shown the condition of the building and what needs to be done.
Mark Lorah, the Augusta structural engineer assigned to the project, said only the bottom floor of the three-level building will be restored as part of this project. The other two levels will be preserved, for renovation later. This decision was made largely “in deference to the budget” he said, which for now is $1 million. He added that some parts of the theater are in better condition than others. The original trusses are in good shape, and parts of the roof were replaced several years ago, soon after the city bought the building in 2005.
Seating capacities are: Screen 1:450, Screen 2: 131 and Screen 3:131. The very plain Screens 2 and 3 are virtual mirror images, in the former circle area.
Rather confusingly, the manager told me this cinema opened in 1996! Hopefully another correspondent will be able to confirm the year of opening! Seating capacities range from 140 to 390.
During a visit to Cincinnati I crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky on Thursday 12th July 2018 to see “The First Purge”, starring Marisa Tomei, at the AMC. Newport on the Levee is a large multi-purpose entertainment destination, with restaurants and shops and also office accommodation. The AMC occupies Level 3 of the main building, which is adjacent to the Newport Aquarium.
In May 2019 it was reported that local entrepreneur Kevin Newton and his restoration team have brought back to life features from the “Great Gatsby” era to create Pillars Bar and Grill in the former cinema, which had been a nightclub until it closed after a New Year’s Eve Party in 2016.
Original features, including the arched tin ceiling, have been painstakingly restored and twinned with stunning furniture and fixtures. The £1 million project incorporated features celebrating the history of the building with a big screen installed, a baby grand piano for visiting performers and a ceiling feature created from the nightclub décor. Stunning new art deco doors form the entrance while a garden is accessed through bi-fold doors. See related photo.
On Thursday 9th May 2019, passing Darlington with Gene Sorkin, I paused at the Majestic primarily to take a look at the refurbished exterior. However, venturing inside, we got talking to a young lady, Colette, in the box office (which at that time was servicing the children’s play area in the former stalls) and, recognising our interest, she offered to show us the upstairs theatre. She is clearly very proud of this, which is building up a regular programme of live events. With the council concentrating on the Hippodrome, the Majestic has to be self-supporting but, in addition to the theatre, there is also a large bar area available for hire – and a cinema screen has been erected in an adjacent upstairs foyer area, where a local film society hosts regular film shows. Although, inevitably, still a work in progress, much has already been achieved and the upstairs spaces are in very good shape, all of which bodes well for the future.
I visited the ‘new’ Star and Shadow on Wednesday 8th May 2019, and was given a very warm welcome by the volunteers running this multi-faceted centre. There is certainly a lot more space than in the earlier building (a second performance space is being created in the room housing the bar) and, of course, there is still much more to do. The principal auditorium is very comfortably seated with seats obtained from the Tyneside cinema when it underwent its own refurbishment.
The events programme is primarily of films, but performance and music are also included. On the night I visited, I experienced a mixed presentation, with “Laughing at life”, a 1981 Tyne Tees TV documentary profiling North East comedian Pauline Petty (stage name Scarlet O'Hara), being followed by local stand-up poet Kate Fox, who talked about her research into Northern female comedians. This was part of a season of Revealing Women, supported by the BFI Film Audience Network.
As ritzman says, the Pavilion was 90 years old on Tuesday 19th March 2019. A special anniversary film and stage show was presented. The programme was introduced by Technical Co-Ordinator Christian Knighton, who presented a slide show history of the Pavilion. He was followed by a recreation of the Pavilion Municipal Orchestra, conducted by David Sims, then archive footage of Bournemouth was accompanied by Donald Mackenzie on the Compton organ. He then gave a recital followed, after the interval, by a screening of the 1933 Hollywood musical “42nd Street”, starring Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. In an really nice touch, patrons received a complimentary souvenir brochure. To add to the occasion, David Eve and Gary Trinder, of the Cinema Theatre Association, set up a comprehensive display of cinema memorabilia in one of the side corridors.
From June 2018 Gala Leisure started re-branding their Gala Bingo clubs as Buzz Bingo.
On 21st December 2018 the long-awaited fourth screen, built in a £1m extension, opened with “The Grinch” (2018). This was designated Screen 2, leading to the existing Screens 2 and 3 being renumbered as Screens 3 and 4. Seating capacities are: Screen 1:324, Screen 2:102, Screen 3:85 and Screen 4:33. A total of 544.
Sadly, a water pipe, which burst during a storm in 2017, went undetected for some time and caused significant damage. Then, once it had been spotted, the subsequent insurance claim was turned down. Film shows were suspended, and film stars Rhys Ifans and Michael Sheen headed up a crowd-funding campaign to raise £10,000 to get the cinema re-opened. (The hostel and cafe/bar were able to stay open.)
Further to the re-branding as Luxe, total seating capacities reduced from 1,876 to 718. Individual capacities are [were]: Screen 1:66 [was 175], 2:66 [was 166], 3:54 [was 166], 4:66 [was 175], 5:107 [was 256], 6 (ISENSE):107 [was 256], 7:66 [was 175], 8:54 [was 166], 9:66 [was 166] and 10:66 [was 175].
Further to PhilipWW’s comment, the re-branding saw the seat count reduced from 1,866 to 703. Individual capacities are [were]: Screen 1:65 [was 172], 2:65 [was 167], 3:53 [was 167], 4:66 [was 172], 5:103 [was 255], 6 (ISENSE):103 [was 255], 7:65 [was 172], 8:53 [was 167], 9:65 [was 167] and 10:65 [was 172].
Further to PhilipWW’s comment, the re-branding has seen the total seating capacity reduced from 2,463 to 853. Individual capacities are [were]: Screen 1 (ISENSE):141 [was 362], 2:87 [was 225], 3:38 [was 128], 4:47 [was 148], 5:69 [was 228], 6:48 [was 154], 7:132 [was 337], 8:87 [was 223], 9:38 [was 129], 10:47 [was 148], 11:71 [was 228] and 12:48 [was 153].
Just to clarify: The Alderley Edge Medical Centre occupies the front of the building, while the Festival Hall is housed in the former cinema auditorium, with access from the right hand side.
By the time I visited, in October 2018, the building had been converted into the Handyman micro brewery and bar.
In August 2018, the hall’s principal use was as The Malthouse dance school.
Sadly, in the spring of 2018 Flix was facing closure. However, thanks to an influx of new volunteers, it returned on Thursday 4th October (with “The Shape of Water”, starring Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon) with a new regular day and a new direction, with emphasis on limited release and foreign language films; films that reflect Flix’s location near the School of Arts. Screenings will be followed by a discussion group, TalkFlix.
In July 2018 I was asked by Claudia Materna, at ODEON, for permission to use my May 1998 image in a display the company was creating, at the cinema, to celebrate this historic movie palace. I was only too pleased to provide this, and the history wall, a permanent installation, was unveiled in October 2018. In these days of ever more futuristic, state-of-the-art all-digital multiplexes (such as ODEON’s own Luxe brand) it is heartening that the company is so mindful of its proud heritage. (Similar history walls have been installed at the ODEONs at Exeter, Weston-super-Mare and Glasgow Quay.)
According to the book ‘The Cinemas of West Wales’, written by Alan Phillips and published in 2017, the Palace was first equipped with a hand-cranked Kalee projector, later replaced by a motorised version. The seats were basic wooden benches. Films were shown nightly from Monday to Friday, with two changes of programme each week. He says the Palace closed in 1928/29 – as Editha suggests, most likely when faced with the coming of sound.
Alan says the building is in retail use, and the cinema frontage remains. However, on a visit to Aberaeron in June 2018 I was unable to locate the building. I subsequently e-mailed Alan courtesy of his publishers, but received no reply.
I then contacted Frances Owen, of the local history society. She canvassed her members and, although no one could recall this cinema as such, one member did find a reference in a brief report in the Welsh Gazette of 2nd March 1916, which said that entertainment needs in the town are now being met by “Mr Cheetham’s Cosy Cinema in Market Street, where bright and entertaining programmes help to counteract the gloom occasioned by War and Worry”. No further address details were provided, but this must surely be the same building. Although the licence was issued to “The Cinema”, this indicates it opened as the Cosy. Assuming it adopted the name Palace later on, this could have been following a refurbishment or, possibly, a change of ownership.
I will report further as and when more information comes to light!
A second screen, seating 41, backing on to the original auditorium, opened on 31st August 2018.
It is a great shame that this splendid cinema is not used for regular screenings. However, when I visited, in August 2018, the Hospitality Manageress was only too pleased to open up the auditorium, so at least I got to see it. You will notice, in the photos I took from the stage, the black curtain pulled halfway across the stalls. There is a matching curtain on the other side; these are used to produce a more intimate atmosphere when the full capacity is not required.
I visited on 11th August 2018 and saw “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” in the splendid Screen 1. Seating capacities are: Screen 1:756 (569 in the stalls + 187 in the VIP lounge [circle]); Screen 2:63; Screen 3:63 and Screen 4:55.
I visited Filmstaden Sergel on Saturday 11th August 2018 to see “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”, starring Tom Cruise, in Screen 1. I was intrigued to note the side slips down both sides, presumably a legacy of its theatre origins. Seating capacities are: Screen 1:512 [reduced from the 700 quoted in the Overview]; Screen 2:63; Screen 3:196; Screen 4:55; Screen 5:225; Screen 6:72; Screen 7:51; Screen 8:109; Screen 9:89; Screen 10:104; Screen 11:77; Screen 12:99; Screen 13:49 and Screen 14:140.
By August 2018, the building had become home to a ‘gastronomic paradise’, with a number of restaurants and cafes. Thankfully, the magnificent interior remains intact.
Great news! It was announced on 11th August 2018 that the Columbia is going to undergo an extensive renovation, so by summer 2019 the city hopes to re-open it as a visitor center, a 50- to 75-seat theater for classic and contemporary films and it will also house the relocated Laurel & Hardy Museum that is the city’s biggest tourist draw.
Residents got a glimpse of what’s planned at a public meeting, during which they were shown the condition of the building and what needs to be done.
Mark Lorah, the Augusta structural engineer assigned to the project, said only the bottom floor of the three-level building will be restored as part of this project. The other two levels will be preserved, for renovation later. This decision was made largely “in deference to the budget” he said, which for now is $1 million. He added that some parts of the theater are in better condition than others. The original trusses are in good shape, and parts of the roof were replaced several years ago, soon after the city bought the building in 2005.
Seating capacities are: Screen 1:450, Screen 2: 131 and Screen 3:131. The very plain Screens 2 and 3 are virtual mirror images, in the former circle area.
Rather confusingly, the manager told me this cinema opened in 1996! Hopefully another correspondent will be able to confirm the year of opening! Seating capacities range from 140 to 390.
During a visit to Cincinnati I crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky on Thursday 12th July 2018 to see “The First Purge”, starring Marisa Tomei, at the AMC. Newport on the Levee is a large multi-purpose entertainment destination, with restaurants and shops and also office accommodation. The AMC occupies Level 3 of the main building, which is adjacent to the Newport Aquarium.
Seating capacities are: Screen 1:146, 2:58, 3:49, 4:59, 5:62, 6:76, 7:88, 8:59, 9:190, 10 (DOLBY):213, 11 (IMAX):349, 12:190, 13:59, 14:89, 15:76, 16:62, 17:59, 18:57, 19:59 and 20:146.