Royal Cinema

The Royal Picture Palace was a small cinema on Robinson Street, off Hebrew Road, in an area of dense, poor, terrace housing on the north side of Burnley. Prior to World War II, the owners did not spend on advertising in the local newspapers, except for a couple of occasions of joint announcements with other cinemas. Examples would be a number of cinemas advertising their regret at having to raise admission prices; or cinemas participating in giving charity presentations on a nominated Sunday (in the days when cinemas were closed on the Sabbath!).

The Royal Picture Palace is listed oddly in the Kinematograph Year Book (KYB) for 1914 as the “Royal Pic. Palace Co.” on Robinson Street with a capacity of 500 and owned by the Burnley Pic. Palace Co.

On“Christmas Day 1914 a police inspection found 46 patrons standing in the aisles at the Royal Picture Palace. They also found a reel of film left exposed on a bench in the operating room. Both matters contravened the Cinematograph Act 1909. On 20th January 1915 the Royal Picture Palace Co. Ltd. and Arthur Proctor (proprietor and licensee) were prosecuted and fined 20 shillings and costs. (It is interesting that cinemas had to stay closed on Sunday, but could open on Christmas Day!).

There was another prosecution on 3rd July 1918 when the Royal Picture Palace Co. Ltd. was fined an eye-watering £50 and special costs, and Arthur Proctor (company secretary, cinema manager and licensee) fined £10 and costs, for evading paying Entertainment Tax. A police inspection one evening found there were more patrons in the hall than tickets issued. At the hearing, the capacity was given as 520; and the prices were 2d, 3d and 4d, with the tax additional.

In April 1920, the licence passed from George Henry Knowles to Knapton Fulton. I cannot confirm that Knowles had received it from Proctor.

The Burnley Express of 19th February 1921 reported the annual licensing magistrates’ inspection of cinemas with: “ROYAL PICTURE HALL – Robinson-Street. – Accommodation for 650, all on the ground floor. There are four exits besides one which may be used in case of emergency. The committee suggest that the licensee should be required: (1) To put in an electric fan, (2) to securely fasten down all seats, and (3) to re-arrange seats so that there should be at least 2ft 2ins between the various rows of seats.” Patrons watched in a stuffy atmosphere whilst perched on wobbly seats with no leg room!

Joseph Bradley acquired the licence from Knapton Fulton in April 1924.

In KYB 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1931 the proprietor is Joseph Bradley (owner of the Empress Cinema and Temperance Hall amongst other cinemas). The 1931 listing indicates that the Royal Picture Palace was still showing silents. On 24th September 1931 Bradley received permission from the licensing magistrates for sound installation work at the Royal Picture Palace and the Temperance Hall: Burnley’s last two cinemas to wire for sound.

The KYB entries for 1935 to 1942 indicate New Empire (Burnley) Ltd. as the owner. Re-named Royal Cinema, it had 600 seats and BTP (British Taking Pictures) sound.

The entire KYB 1942 entry was an error; because in February 1942, the Chief Constable’s annual report to the licensing magistrates mentioned that the number of licensed cinema halls had fallen by two. In November 1941 the Palace Cinema had reverted to live shows; and in August 1941 “the Royal cinema ceased to function for the purpose of public entertainment in consequence of the building being taken into other use.” There seems to be no newspaper record, at the time, of the building being requisitioned or the purpose to which it was put. The explanations come later.

Consequently, the Royal Cinema is not listed in the KYB editions for 1944 to 1948.

In 1950, the Burnley Express of 1st March carried the following: “ROYAL CINEMA TO RE-OPEN: Requisitioned during the war for munitions production, the Royal Cinema, Robinson Street, Burnley, owned by Mr H. Bradley, is soon to be re-opened. A new floor has been installed, the interior is being decorated, and modern seating and apparatus will mean a much-improved cinema. The capacity will be between 400 and 500". Six months later, on 14th September Harold Edgar Bradley was granted a Sunday licence for the cinema which was to re-open shortly “following reconditioning” after closure during the war. The Royal Cinema still held its original six-day licence but, in the closure period, other Burnley cinemas had received their Sunday licences. The Grand Re-opening was on Monday 25th September with Betty Grable in “When My Baby Smiles At Me” and Universal News.

Unlike the pre-war situation, the re-opened Royal Cinema advertised regularly on the cinema entertainments pages of the local paper.

Why KYB 1949 had listed the Royal Cinema as open, is a mystery; though it correctly named its new owners as Northern Operators Ltd., a small local circuit whose offices were at the Pentridge Cinema. Perhaps the company anticipated a 1949 re-opening but were delayed by the post-war shortages of materials and labour for restoring and re-equipping the building.

KYB 1950 and 1954 add nothing more to the picture.

Finally, KYB 1957 simply has: “Royal Cinema – (Closed)”. Parts of the Robinson Street area still stand (2015), but most has been demolished, the Royal Cinema included.

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