Regal Cinema

The Christie organ from the Regal is now installed at Paul Kirner’s Music Palace near Porth in S Wales.

Sundown was a great venue for live music saw Steve Marriott with Humble Pie fantastic concert also remember the Faces Dr John Heavy Metal Kids.The Disco was great too Will always remember Love Train And people laying on the floor around those circular dance platforms first girlfriend kisses cuddles etc great memories thanks whoever posted the photo inside it was just as I remembered. The DJ was a great guy funny and always twirling his Mike haha magic days

I remember the Regal. My mother used to take me there to see films as well as live shows, I remember going with friends to see Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Wee Willy Harris, Joe Brown,and my favourite at the time,Cliff Richard. My nephew remembers seeing Rod Stewart and how he was kicking footballs about during rehearsals. I remember too the Saturday morning pictures as a child….6d to get in and 6d to spend !!! On your birthday you got a free entry and “Uncle Ernie” ( Ernie Hurry) wished you a happy birthday from the stage.I remember the Wurlitzer Organ….oh those were the days. It got replaced by “The Sundown” disco then was eventually demolished ( so sad ) and Safeway Supermarket took over. Safeway was later replaced by Lidl supermarket which is still in situ. The Regal was a magnificent building with a fabulous ballroom.It had 2 entrances with a small parade of shops between the entrances….Oh those were the days….sadly all gone..

The Christie organ from the Regal was re-installed in the Memorial Hall, Barry, Wales, but had to be removed in 2010 and is now in store awaiting a new location. The large Christie organ from the Regal, Marble Arch, was rescued in 2009 by organist Richard Hills and some colleagues, and is also in store awaiting a new home.

I remember the Regal in the great days of the 50s. Jerry Lee Lewis, the pop concerts, The London Festival Ballet, Pantomimes etc. I also worked there in the 1960s. I remember Mr Hurry so well. He was a fantastic man. He was much respected and loved by the staff and affectionately known as ‘The Old Man’ a term also used for the captain of a ship. He ran the place like clockwork. I can see him now in evening dress and smoking a cigar! He was the spitting image of Billy Cotton. I often wondered what became of him.

Robert

Hi cinefan,
Good to know that the memoriy of this fine theatre lives on, I always thought that the demolition of the theatre was rushed through, visited in the early 1980`s and was surprised and gratified that everything in the projection room was still kept in good working condition(normally all the unused equipment is ripped out) but reading the comments above I now understand why, anymore memories of this fine theatre would be appreciated.
kind regards AndyJG

I remember the Regal from my childhood in the 60’s and can remember being taken to see my very first film there – Mary Poppins. Saturday morning pictures was a highlight of our week and you always had to get there early to be sure of getting in, it was so well attended. I also remember going to the Sundown disco, which was eventually closed because of all the trouble caused by local yobs at closing time. I believe somebody got stabbed there once – quite a rare event in those days – and it became something of a no-go area for a while.

I still live in the Edmonton area and recall something of a scandal when the site was demolished in order for the Safeway store to be built. It was reported in the local papers that the local council had placed a caveat on the planning permission, in that the facade had to be retained. There were rumours that the building had listed status, though I don’t know if that was true. Of course, the builders simply bulldozed the lot – whether by accident or design, I have no idea – but I gather they had to pay a hefty fine. (The same thing happened to our local Town Hall. It worked out cheaper for the builders to pay the fine than to preserve the building the way the Council wanted.)

I pass the Regal site every day now and, contrary to the last paragraph in the main entry above, the building now houses a Lidl supermarket. Shame.

The Regal was built on the site of my Grandfather William Cushing;s Timber yard. My father Albert Curnock who lived opposite the site was one of the Trustees who leased the site to Mr Abrahams. My mother was a daughter of William Cushing. I have recently come across an Invitation from Mr A.E. Abrahams to my parents inviting them to the opening of the Regal. If you would like a copy please contact me at .uk
Regards
Tony Curnock

The large Christie was sold to a stange man who lived in Cornwal. I once visited his house while working for a firm of organ builders. In his house he had a Compton organ installed along with a strange collection of other instruments. The Christie was stored with a Wurlitzer in very poor conditions, in a large wet and damp old barn in the middle of nowhere. The metal pipe work had mostly crushed itself as it had been stacked on top of each other, and the wooden pipework was rotten beyond repair. As for the console, it was just a heap. The man was very possesive about the organ. I understand he is now dead. The organ died a long time ago. As to his estate, I know not. He did have children but I fear the whole place will have just been buldozed. If anybody knows any different, please let me know.

OOOPPS, Sorry, here are the correct links to the two I posted above:
View link
View link

Hi Ken;

Yes, the London chapter is to be commended for saving this magnificent organ. A pity the bigger Christie from the Regal Marble Arch could not have been saved by either this chapter or the Cinema Organ Society http://www.cinema-organs.org.uk/ Both Regals Marble Arch and Edmonton were widely recorded by Sidney Torch and Quentin McClean. The Marble Arch organ fell into private hands and was not stored under the best of conditions and is probably now all but lost.

In addition to a solid 37 rank unit specification, the Regal Marble Arch also had a complete tower carillon of 30 some bells (not the usual “cathedral chimes”!) This was a complete carillon that was, at least, recorded by the late George Blackmore in the mid 1960s before the organ was removed.

The 4/15 Christie organ was removed by the London and South of England Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society.

For more information on the present location and installation of this fine Christie organ, please see View link
or for the regular website of this chapter, please see http://www.atos-london.freeserve.co.uk/

A 1971 exterior photograph of the Regal, Edmonton here:
View link