Hippodrome

A former wooden built skating rink at the rear of premises in Wood Street was converted into the Cinema de Luxe and opened on 24th June 1912. It was operated by Sydney John Dickinson, who later in 1912 built and opened the Picture House. A good sized stage and a proscenium arch was installed in the Cinema de Luxe and live variety performances were presented as well as films.

It became known as the Hippodrome in 1913, and operated until 1914, when the building was abandoned. Cinema use was re-introduced in 1926 after the nearby Picture House was converted into a temporary live theatre for the Shakespeare Company after the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was destroyed by fire. The Hippodrome continued as a cinema until it closed in 1932.

In 1934 it was converted into the Hippodrome Ballroom, and roller skating was re-introduced. It went over to multi-purpose use and ended its days as a bingo club before being demolished in 1971. A new multi-storey car park and shopping precinct was built on the site

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.