Palace Cinema

The New Palace Theatre was originally built as the Corn Exchange. It opened as a cinema on 28th July 1913, with 1,000 seats, presumably on long benches, and the film "Zuma - Queen of the Gypsy’s" plus variety acts on the stage. By 1916 its seating capacity was given as 500. It has a 33ft wide proscenium, the stage is 33ft deep and there are six dressing rooms.

The town’s other cinemas were the Cinema de Luxe which opened in 1920 as an independent cinema by Sidney White, and the County Theatre which opened in 1935 under the same management as the Palace Theatre. Both were equipped with a Western Electric(WE) sound system. By 1937 both the Palace Theatre & County Theatre were being managed by West of England Cinemas Ltd. and the seating capacity of the Palace Theatre was 800.

The County Theatre was closed in the 1970’s and later demolished, but the Palace Theatre continued. Unfortunately, by 1995, the balcony was deemed unsafe and the cinema operated on a ‘stalls only’ policy. A heavy rainstorm in November 1996 caused the evacuation of the cinema, when the water got into the electrics. By the end of 1996, plans were put forward to refurbish the building and create a second screen.

It was taken over by the operators of the Plaza Cinema, Port Talbot and re-opened as the Palace Cinema on 24th May 1998 using the stalls area only. In mid-1999, the operating company went into receivership and its future was in doubt. But the building was saved and the second screen was added in a redundant space in the building in January 2003, leaving the original auditorium intact.

The Palace Cinema was taken over by the operators of the Coliseum Cinema, Brecon in August 2003. Seating capacities in 2009 are 362 and 150.

The Palace Cinema is designated a Grade II Listed building.

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