New Coliseum Cinema

The Avenue Theatre was opened on 3rd August 1903. It was built by and operated by Thomas Payne with his two sons Frank & William. It operated as a live theatre and showed films as part of its programming. It was closed in 1910 and converted into a roller skating rink which was a short lived venture.

Following redecoration it re-opened as the Coliseum Cinema on 7th November 1910. Live theatre with films were again programmed, using a new projection box which had been built at the rear of the stalls. Frank Payne died at the end of 1928, but following a brief closure, it re-opened and continued as a silent cinema for the next two years.

In August 1931 it was taken over by Jack Sherwood and a new projection box was built at the rear of the circle and it was equipped with a British Talking Pictures(BTP) sound system. It re-opened as the New Coliseum Cinema on 3rd August 1932 with the play “Bird in Hand”. In the early hours of the morning of 6th April 1937, the building was destroyed by a fire. The films playing that week were Robert Young in “Three Wise Guys” & Gene Autry in “The Singing Vagabond”.

The remains were demolished and the Savoy Cinema was built on the site, opening on 21st May 1938 (It has its own page on Cinema Treasures).

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