Exmouth

The building that houses the current Savoy cinema in Exmouth opened on
10th August 1877 as Exmouth Public Hall. The building had been designed
by J Johnson ARIBA of London at a cost of £3,500.

The elegant facade on Rolle Street had three entrances. The central
entrance led to the cloakrooms and a small inner hall able to
accommodate 200 and measuring 23' by 43'. There was also access to the
upper stories. The other two entrances gave access to the main hall at
the rear of the building. The cinema today uses the right hand entrance
that used to lead to the stage end of the hall. The other entrance is now
a takeaway. The main hall measured 50' by 62'3" and could accommodate
700 chairs. The hall was 35'6" high with a 20' deep stage. The stage was
45' wide with footlights, two traps and two dressing rooms. The
proscenium width was 24'.

Records show film shows were taking place here from at least 1910.
Fromm 1914 Mr F W Headington leased the hall for films and by 1920 Walter
Bayley was running the operation still known as Public Rooms. Mr Bayley
would install Cinephone sound and rename the cinema Capitol. Seating
for 850 (by this time a balcony had been fitted).

By 1936 the operation was run by J E Brooks for Messrs Crews & Son and
the name changed to Savoy. BTH British Thompson Houston sound was
installed and a balcony had been added. After the war the operating
company Savoy (Exmouth) ltd was formed by the Hedges family who then
operated all the Exmouth cinemas. Cinemascope was fitted, a Western
Electric sound system fitted and seating reduced to 639. The cinema was
run leased by Mayfair Circuit and Compton Cameo before being leased by
Charles Scott from 1962.

The cinema closed in 1983 on expiry of the lease and became an
amusement arcade. During this time the hall suffered a serious fire. In
1987 East Devon District Council purchased the building and spent
£200,000 on repairs before asking Peter Heare of Charles Scott cinemas to
reopen the cinema, opening on 24th July 1987 with two screens one in
the stalls, 230 seats opened with The Living Daylights, second screen on
stage 110 seats opened with Superman 4. A third screen seating 70 was
opened 22nd July 1994 in the former café (probably the old second hall).
It is believed the former balcony remains unused.

The cinema remains popular and has the advantage of a large student
population.

The New Picture House was a conversion of Thorn's
Commercial Coffee Palace of the Temperance Hotel. The
lane off the Parade down the side of the building still bares
the Palace name.

Initially run by Mrs N S Field from around 1921 the cinema
could seat just over 500. By the late 1920s L B Thomas was
running the show and soon Western Electric sound was
installed. After the war the cinema came under the same
management as the other three cinemas in Exmouth and was
registered as Forum (Exmouth) Ltd, the name having been
changed in 1939.

The cinema closed around 1959 and became a bingo hall. The
bingo operation ceased March 2000 and a nightclub has now
moved in called The Matrix. It is said that internally the
building has a fine Edwardian auditorium with proscenium
and balcony.

Beside the tranquil Manor Gardens was built the Manor Theatre on St
Andrews Road. This multi-use building has seen many changes over the
years but the name can still be seen painted on the front and rear of
the building.

The building was built by Charles H Palmer and became a cinema run by
him from the early 1930s. There was seating for 625, a 20' deep stage, 8
dressing rooms and the proscenium width was 28'. The sound system
was BTH British Thompson Houston. Some live shows were also put on.

After the war the cinema came under the same management as the
other three cinemas in Exmouth and was registered as Regal (Exmouth)
Ltd. It appears that this building retained its flat floor, as throughout
the 1950s it operated as a ballroom, but was still registered as a cinema.

Originally a Wesleyan Chapel, the building was enlarged by the Church of England and became St Margaret's
Church on Exeter Road. After use as a church the building became the King's Hall around 1921. Shortly
afterwards it became King's Theatre with a 17' deep stage with a 28' proscenium. The theatre could seat 500
and was run by the Olden Brothers initially then in 1923 by Arthur Phillips who changed the name to King's
Picture Theatre and would install BTH British Thompson Houston sound being the first cinema in Exmouth to
show a sound film, The Singing Fool January 13-18th 1930. Cinema Services Ltd, an Oscar Deutsch company
provided booking services for this cinema in the 1930s.

By 1937 the cinema was run by Charles H Palmer who also ran the Regal. He renamed this cinema Grand.
After the war the cinema was registered Grand (Exmouth) Ltd. Cinemascope was installed in the late 1950s
reducing the seating to 400 and the cinema was leased by Charles Scott in the 1960s and renamed Royal. The
cinema continued to operate until closure 29th September 1979 with The Erotic Exploits of a Sexy Seducer.
The building was demolished during November 1981.