Palace Cinema

In Merthyr Tydfil, it is not known when the Palace Cinema first opened. It was not listed in the 1914 Kinematograph Year Book, but it was in the 1923 edition. By that time, it was owned by Merthyr Palace Ltd. and the resident manager was H. Jones. There were two changes of programme each week.

By 1932 a British Acoustic(BA) sound system had been installed. By 1934 Associated British Cinemas (ABC) had taken over. A British Thomson-Houston(BTH) sound system was installed, only to be replaced by a Western Electric(WE) system after only a few years. The ABC entries in the Kinematograph Year Books listed 500 seats - but then, from 1937, the Palace Cinema was acquired by Mrs O. M. Gale (of the Coliseum, Aberystwyth - see separate Cinema Treasures entry), who listed 750 seats.

She did not keep the Palace Cinema very long. By 1939 it had been acquired by D. Bell and D. Noan - who listed 897 seats! Then, by 1942, Belnor Cinema Ltd had taken over - and listed 912 seats, rising to 940 by the 1950s!!

(It is known that seating was arranged in stalls and balcony, but it is not known whether at least part of the apparent increase in seating capacity was due to the balcony being added later on.) There was also a café upstairs.

The final listing for the Palace Cinema in the Kinematograph Year Books was in 1961.

Following closure as a cinema, the building became a dancehall and finally Sands, a nightclub and casino.

It was subsequently demolished. The site, next to C. H. Flooks, goldsmith and silversmith, is now a car park.

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