Regal Cinema
Burnley Road,
Bacup,
OL13
Burnley Road,
Bacup,
OL13
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Star Cinemas
Architects: Harry Cropper
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: New Regal Super Cinema
Nearby Theaters
Located in a good position very near to the centre of this attractive little Lancashire town. Built on the site of the Bacup Public Hall/Gem Cinema/Kozy Picture House. It opened on 7th September 1931 as the New Regal Super Cinema with 960 seats split between stalls and balcony. It is constructed of stone with a largely white faience facade the circular shield once spelt out ‘Regal’ but has been changed to bingo. It was designed by local architect Harry Cropper and the auditorium side-walls had painted panels of scenic views decorated by Messrs Goodalls of Manchester.
Above the diminutive entrance is a large stained glass window which lights the circle foyer. It has a particularly wide proscenium for a relatively small cinema at 45 feet wide. It was taken over by the Leeds based Star Cinemas chain in around 1959. It was closed as a cinema in the late-1960’s, and converted into the New Embassy Bingo Club, later to be re-named Roxy Bingo Club.
The bingo club closed in the early-2000’s, and the building put up ‘For Sale’ at 45,000 GB Pounds, reflecting the property’s need for upgrading. Despite the estate agents warning, the building is solidly constructed and appears superficially to be sound, but there seems to have been some vandalism inside.
Contributed by
Ian Grundy
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
It is amazing how many theatres are named ROXY in imitation of the once famous name of the New York City panjandrum of the movie palace: Samual Lionel Rothapfel = “Roxy”. His namesake was the famous ROXY THEATRE in NYC, which outlasted him by only 25 years when it was demolished in 1960. The whole story is in that landmark book “The Best Remaining Seats: The Story of the Golden Age of the Movie Palace” by the late Ben M. Hall in 1961. Various editions of it are sometimes available from www.Amazon.com, but only the first edition contains the color plates.
There used to be a Roxy Theatre In Wellington, New Zealand. It was built in 1930 and closed in 1984 then demolished in 1987 to makeway for a highrise office tower.
I have no record of this cinema being name Roxy, it was always the New Regal Super Cinema, later Regal Cinema. It was built on the site of the 1910 Bacup Public Hall/Gem Cinema/Kozy Cinema.
When it first became a bingo hall the Regal was re-named New Embassy Bingo and Social Club operated by the Star Cinema circuit. Maybe it was re-named Roxy Bingo by its last operator?
does anyone know who the agents are for this cinema and if it is still unused and empty?
I visited this cinema in the mid 1960’s when working for the Star Group. I was a group projectionist and the cinema at that time was called the Regal.
Don’t know the current status but the agents were Barton Kendal, 122 Yorkshire Street, Burnley. Tel: 01706 353794.
The Regal was featured in the BBC TV programme “Homes Under the Hammer” on 31/01/07, where it was sold at auction for £181,000 to a property developer. His initial idea was to insert two floors in the existing structure to provide retail space, offices and flats. This work was estimated to cost a million pounds. Four months after the auction, the building still stood derelict and as the planners have earmarked the local area as a regeneration zone, a more financially viable alternative may be to demolish and build on the site. A case of watch this space.
In 2013 the building is still derelict.
BACUP REGAL