Classic Brighton
129B Western Road,
Brighton,
BN1 2LA
129B Western Road,
Brighton,
BN1 2LA
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Classic Cinemas (UK)
Architects: James Morrison
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Electric Bioscope, Queen's Electric Theatre, Queens Picture Theatre, Picturedrome, Scala Cinema, Regal Cinema, Curzon Kinema
Nearby Theaters
Opened in converted shop 1909 as Electric Bioscope with 50 seats. 1910 renamed Queen’s Electric Theatre when it was enlarged to 250 seats. Renamed Queen’s Picture Theatre 1915. Renamed Picturedrome 1919. Renamed Scala 1922. It was remodeled and enlarged in 1926.
Renamed Regal Cinema 1932. Renamed Curzon Kinema 1936 after an Art Deco remodel by London based architect James Morrison. In the mid-1960’s it was taken over by the small Ace Cinemas chain, along with the Gaiety Cinema in Brighton. Taken over by the London based Classic Cinemas chain and renamed Classic in 1975, it was closed and demolished in 1979. A Waitrose supermarket was built on the site.
Contributed by
R H Scott-Spencer
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
The street address of the Classic Cinema is 129B Western Road, Brighton.
It was modernised into an Art Deco style in 1936.
It closed as a cinema on 31st August 1979 with the films 2The Spaceman & King Arthur" + “The Warriors”.
The last time I visited the building, about 5 years ago, it was use as an amusement arcade.
I think you may be confusing the Curzon / Classic with the Embassy further up the Western Road but across the border into Hove. The Curzon was totally demolished around 1979 and has been replaced by the Waitrose supermarket. The Embassy, part of the Miles Byrne circuit of cinema closed as a cinema in the early 1980’s, became the Black Cat bingo hall, then a pine furniture shop and has more recently become an amusement arcade.
Thanks Ian,
You are correct. The current status of the Classic Cinema should be ammended to Demolished. I believe a supermarket was built on the site.
Here is a link to a page with several vintage photographs and a potted history:
http://www.terramedia.co.uk/brighton/Curzon.htm
I saw a few films there; I remember it being called “The Scala” although when I saw “That’s a good girl” with J. Buchanan and Elsie Randolph it must have been “Regal” Nice little cinema. Saw “Blonde Bombshell” there.On the corner of Western and Montpelier Roads. I passed it every day on the bus to Brighton Grammar School
Now I think of it,there was a labour exchange on the corner next to the cinema.I remember the line of men described as “being on the dole”, a sad picture in the mid-thirties,