This was built in 1888 as the Queens Jubilee Hall and Opera House. After being gutted by fire in 1927, it was re-built with one balcony as a cine-variety theatre. The facade became shops in 1963 and a new entrance created in a side passage, for what had now become a bingo hall.
Disused after September 2004, the building is quietly mouldering away, masked by the surrounding shopping development. There is a lot of water ingress, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse and an overall feeling of damp.
A planning application was submitted in March 2010 for demolition and replacement by 9 retail units and 15 apartments. A protest group was formed to try to save it and the planners gave it a 3 month reprieve, to see what transpired.
I could not get an exterior view without attracting too much attention!
Neither could I find access to the projection room, except by going across the bird infested roof, - possibly unsafe!
The understage bar
The sunburst ceiling decoration
A winner!
Old and new-er!
The roof shot
Safety curtain windlass in the fly tower
Gantry above proscenium, safety curtain behind it.
Up in the flies
Ice cream tray
Finally, the place was littered with dead fruit machines!
Disused after September 2004, the building is quietly mouldering away, masked by the surrounding shopping development. There is a lot of water ingress, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse and an overall feeling of damp.
A planning application was submitted in March 2010 for demolition and replacement by 9 retail units and 15 apartments. A protest group was formed to try to save it and the planners gave it a 3 month reprieve, to see what transpired.
I could not get an exterior view without attracting too much attention!
Neither could I find access to the projection room, except by going across the bird infested roof, - possibly unsafe!
The understage bar
The sunburst ceiling decoration
A winner!
Old and new-er!
The roof shot
Safety curtain windlass in the fly tower
Gantry above proscenium, safety curtain behind it.
Up in the flies
Ice cream tray
Finally, the place was littered with dead fruit machines!
