Hat tip for doing all the recceing/solo leg work with this goes to @Landie_Man , he worked out the way in and sorted everything out so kudos to him for getting things to work. I'm sure he'll have his selection of shots up in due time.
The history below is shamelessly ripped off Cinema Treasures, I'd only be copying it verbatim otherwise:
Somewhat astonishingly the city council want to demolish the building in order to construct a new access road into the adjacent car park, which seems like a criminal waste of a building to me.
The cinema has a relatively unusual shape with a deceptively narrow frontage which leads into a long lobby and a 90 degree turn to the auditorium - below is a photo of it from when it was a Granada Cinema. Going by the text on Cinema Treasures I don't believe there is any access into the upper glass area of the frontage, it's purely decorative.
And a photo from the present day (mine)
Getting in was pretty straightforward despite me getting caught on an errant screw and becoming stuck upside down which wasn't too much fun at all. Inside it's been bingoed by Gala and the previous owners however hidden away it still has a few areas that hark back to it's old days as a cinema. The balcony level seating is all original to the building but hidden from view behind a wooden hoarding, and there are a few other rooms here and there that show it's true age. Sadly despite some in-depth searching the only really retro artifact I could find was an old bingo prize poster stuffed just out of reach in a precarious cubby hole above the stairs. Still, it was an enjoyable wander in a sort of location I don't explore too often.
The power looks to have been cut, although in a few rooms the motion activated lights still work, so we had to make do with the emergency lighting which thankfully is still on. I'm not terribly happy with my photos but I'm always self critical in these things, although I'd have struggled even more if I didn't have my panel light with me now.
The hoarding was added some time after the year 2000, luckily there's an access panel cut in the front and just enough space in front of it to walk along the front of the balcony.
The projection room, unfortunately now home only to a couple of filing cabinets and a drinks fridge.
The lobby, bland and featureless.
Thanks for looking
The history below is shamelessly ripped off Cinema Treasures, I'd only be copying it verbatim otherwise:
Somewhat astonishingly the city council want to demolish the building in order to construct a new access road into the adjacent car park, which seems like a criminal waste of a building to me.
The cinema has a relatively unusual shape with a deceptively narrow frontage which leads into a long lobby and a 90 degree turn to the auditorium - below is a photo of it from when it was a Granada Cinema. Going by the text on Cinema Treasures I don't believe there is any access into the upper glass area of the frontage, it's purely decorative.
And a photo from the present day (mine)
Getting in was pretty straightforward despite me getting caught on an errant screw and becoming stuck upside down which wasn't too much fun at all. Inside it's been bingoed by Gala and the previous owners however hidden away it still has a few areas that hark back to it's old days as a cinema. The balcony level seating is all original to the building but hidden from view behind a wooden hoarding, and there are a few other rooms here and there that show it's true age. Sadly despite some in-depth searching the only really retro artifact I could find was an old bingo prize poster stuffed just out of reach in a precarious cubby hole above the stairs. Still, it was an enjoyable wander in a sort of location I don't explore too often.
The power looks to have been cut, although in a few rooms the motion activated lights still work, so we had to make do with the emergency lighting which thankfully is still on. I'm not terribly happy with my photos but I'm always self critical in these things, although I'd have struggled even more if I didn't have my panel light with me now.
The hoarding was added some time after the year 2000, luckily there's an access panel cut in the front and just enough space in front of it to walk along the front of the balcony.
The projection room, unfortunately now home only to a couple of filing cabinets and a drinks fridge.
The lobby, bland and featureless.
Thanks for looking
