Emlyn Hall

In the small west Wales town of Newcastle Emlyn, local engineer J.R. Parkington designed a generator that supplied power to the town, operating from turbines using water from the River Teifi, which began in 1909.

A few years later he built the Central Hall, which opened as a cinema in 1914. When sound arrived he built a projection box to house two 35mm projectors. These were operated by James Rees. Shows were restricted to Fridays and Saturdays. They continued through the war until about 1950, when safety issues were raised about the hall,

The projectors were moved into storage, but film shows resumed in 1952, now presented by Mr. Bliss of Aberporth, using a single long-play 16mm projector. Meanwhile, James Rees was building the Castle Cinema. Once that had opened in 1954, the uneaqual struggle led to the closure of the Central Hall in 1955.

In 1960 Mr. Parkington sold the hall and it became the property of the town, financed by public donations and a grant. After refurbishment, it was re-opened by Lady Edmund Davies as the Emlyn Hall on 30th September 1961. There was a small stage for concerts.

Another refit took place in 1992 and films were shown again for a while in 1993 (the Castle Cinema having long since closed) but attendances were poor and they didn’t last long. By 2010 the hall had become the Apple Dance Studio. However, in 2012 high winds damaged the roof, and it was forced to close. It has remained in a dilapidated state ever since. Thus far, attempts to obtain grants to enable it to re-open have not met with success.

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