Supreme Cinema
Cefn Road,
Old Colwyn,
LL29 9PN
Cefn Road,
Old Colwyn,
LL29 9PN
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The origins of this venue are somewhat obscure. What is known is that in 1922 Old Colwyn Picture Theatre Ltd. was registered with a capital of £2,000, but was this to build the cinema or to re-open it? The reason for this question is that in January 1922 Old Colwyn Picture House Ltd. was formed with a capital of £9,000. Did this company lapse or did they build the venue and afterwards fall into dificulties that caused them to sell at a knock down price?
What is certain is that the venue existed in 1923, with a proscenium of 45 feet in width and a seating capacity of 470 patrons at prices ranging from 6d to 2/-. Shows were once nightly with matinees on Saturdays.
It was the first in the area to install sound with a Syntox sound system in late-1929. This was a decidedly inferior system with lots of problems and had to be relaced by a Western Electric sound system as early as 1931. The venue was now taken by Supreme Cinemas Ltd. who changed the name to Supreme Cinema, but did little else. In 1938 the ownership changed again to Advance Cinemas Ltd., but whether they purchased the venue or leased it is unknown. Prices actually decreased to 6d to 1/3d and seating increased to 480 patrons at this time and matinees were now shown on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
At some time prior to 1951 Mr. W.T. Arnott gained control with prices rising to 9d to 2/3d and the Monday matinees were dropped. CinemaScope was never fitted, the owner not considering it viable to spend the minimum cost of £4,000 to install it and in 1956, when the supply of non-wide screen films ran out, the venue closed. It became a Kwik Save supermarket and is now a Co-Operative supermarket
Contributed by
Alun Turner
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
I was brought up near The Supreme Cinema in the 1950’s. My mum and dad used to take me sometimes on a week night as we had no television. Saturday mornings it was crowded with children. I think we paid 6d sixpence to go in. I remember a Mr. Buckley was the manager. My fathers sister my Aunty Betty was one of the ushers there. There have been some photos of the exterior on facebook. When it closed it was bought by a Mr. Coathup who made it into a Diamond Stylus Factory during the 1960’s. They moved to a new and larger factory around the 1970’s. I think it then became a Kwik Save supermarket and later a Co-op Supermarket.