Cornwall Cinema Gazetteer

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HAYLE

Public Hall ~ Picturedrome

The Picturedrome, in Foundry Square was originally the Public Hall.  The cinema operated from 1912 by Mr H Burrows West of England Cinemas Ltd.  The hall was on the first floor with a stage 28' by 14' for occasional variety.  Closing soon after World War I. Today the first floor has been removed from the building which is now a bank.

St George's Hall ~ Palace

Originally built as St George's Hall in 1914 by G Bond Esq, as a public hall situated in Market Square Copperhouse.  An operating box was included in the design and protruded out the front of the building, with small balconies on either side, accessed via large windows. The building was converted to a cinema, under its original name, and in 1929 renamed The Palace cinema, closing in the late 1970s.  The cinema entrance remained the original narrow hall entrance, set to the left of the frontage.  The building was equipped with a 21' deep stage.  The proscenium width was 27'.  The screen was only ever 20' wide.  The cinema seating capacity was 320.  Sound was installed in early 1930s as Edibell, changed by 1935 to Morrison and later Western Electric. The cinema was at first floor level, the blocked up windows of the hall in view on the side walls.  The facade was a very fine decorative tiling.   In 1938 S Rowland Esq replaced the small freestanding operating box with a  large projection box, in a simple style with an elegant set of curves and two round windows.   This dominates the frontage and hides the two large windows and most of  the original tile design.  It certainly made the building stand out and may have given the impression of a modern cinema.  It certainly provided a canopy.  Curiously the plans show that to the right hand side of the auditorium was a spiral staircase leading to the managers office. There were so many changes of ownership over the years that they cannot all be listed here.  In the 1920s H L Pool operated the cinema, then Rowland Clifford Hill who operated the Palace Theatre Truro.  Then Percival Richard Slater.  By WWII Cornwall Cinemas (Newquay) Ltd were operating the cinema, then Associated Lyndhurst Theatres, based at  the Plaza Lyndhurst.  In the 1950's a company called Constellation Cinemas had a go. . . . The cinema became part time and closed in 1983.  Today several of the ground floor shops are disused, as is the hall itself.  It is situated away from the centre of Hayle.

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