Palace Cinema

In the Bradley Green area of Biddulph, a small town situated between Stoke-on-Trent and Congleton, Staffordshire, Barber’s Picture Palace opened on 6th June 1910 with a programme headlined by the biblical story “Belshazzar’s Feast”. The ‘official’ opening came a little later, on 26th June, and was performed by Dr Craig, whose practice was in the town. The building work was by Mr W. Tipping of nearby Tunstall.

The 1914 Kinematograph Year Book lists 580 seats, split between stalls and balcony (with its double seats), with the cinema operated by Barber’s Pictures Ltd (headed by George H. Barber).

At some stage, certainly before the late-1920’s, Mr Barber sold the cinema to a group of businessmen, Messrs Crookes, Turner and Shemilt. Mr G. Crookes managed the cinema, which was renamed simply the Palace Cinema. (It has also been referred to as Crooke’s Picture Palace, but this appears to have been a rather more informal name.)

When the ‘talkies’ arrived, a Kamm sound system was installed. Around this time the seating capacity was reduced to 500.

The Palace Cinema closed in 1947. It had reopened by March 1959 and was still operating in May 1962. It is not known what happened to the building in the meantime, but at some stage it was demolished, and a TSB Bank was built on the site.

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