Cornwall Cinema Gazetteer

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BODMIN

Turret Kinema ~ Palace Theatre

The Turret Kinema was the idea of the Pellow brothers Thomas, William and Reginald, all local businessmen in 1920.  They formed the company The Turret Kinema, Ltd.  The Prospectus proposes the building of a, "Kinematograph Theatre on a magnificent site in Bodmin, bounded by Fore and Crockwell Streets"  it continues "to supply Bodmin with a long-felt want in a large, comfortable and up-to-date Kinema Theatre"

Photograph of the original Palace facade circa.1980s Photo: Cinema Theatre Association

The seating is noted as 350 in the stalls and 150 in the balcony.  The cinema plans of 1919 show that the front of the balcony was to be decorated and that there would be very little provision for stage facilities.  The facade was quite ornate, and decorative round windows dominmated the side of the building.  The architects and the exact date of opening is not known at present. The Turret installed Edibell sound and the first sound films appeared in 1930.   By 1932, was taken over by Rowland Clifford Hill, of Truro and renamed Palace Theatre.  At this time BTH - British Thomson Houston sound was fitted, changing to RCA after World War II.  Mr Hill leased his cinemas to Duchy Cinemas Ltd from the 1950s, the Palace now had 400 seats and in 1968 part-time bingo was introduced. The closing of the Palace in the early 1980s left the once County Town of Cornwall without a cinema until this day.  The building can still be seen although a very poor new facade has been built at the front.  The round windows can still be seen at the side.

1969 programme for the Palace

A 1950s advertisement for the Bodmin Palace

The 1920 prospectus for The Turret Kinema, Ltd

Gone but not forgotten:        Picture Theatre

The Picture Theatre, was Bodmin's first cinema.  The plans show it was a very basic hall with an operating box at the back, almost on the street and had a slight rake down a long narrow hall, with a low ceiling.  It seated around 300 and opened in 1911.  The operator was Walter Ellis Slack run by Bodmin Picture Theatre Ltd.  Although it continued to operate after the arrival of the Turret it ceased around 1924.

Gone but not forgotten:        Foster Hall Cornwall Mental Hospital

Operated for the benefit of patients and staff at the hospital, this cinema operation appears to have started in the silent days and was still in operation in 1949 when the hospital was taken over by the government.  Operated in the hospitals Foster Hall seating was for 600.  It is not known how regularly films were shown.  It was common for mental hospitals to show films.  The hospital later became St Lawrence's Hospital and was recently closed.  The hospital was built as a mental hospital in 1820.  The site is currently being developed for housing, incorporating some of the existing hospital buildings.  It is not believed the Foster Hall is still standing.

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