Penzance

The auditorium of this building was originally the Victoria Hall.
The cinema opened on 29 November 1912 as Picture Theatre,
with a new frontage that we see today. This facade was very
similar to that of the Picturedrome. There was originally a shop
on either side of the entrance. There were 2 dressing rooms and
seating for 450. It is said that it was the first cinema in Cornwall
to install sound, BTP: British Talking Pictures Ltd, later BTH:
British Thomson Houston. The probable architect of the
conversion to cinema was Frederick Drewitt. By the 1920s Robert
Thomas of Penzance Cinemas Ltd, had taken over, a company
that operated most of Penzance cinemas. At this time just
known as The Cinema.

In 1937 Gwyther Eastlake Prance took over the cinema and renamed the
cinema Savoy and his circuit in tern was taken over in 1942 by Albert Jackson
Withers of Cardiff, and became part of the large Cornwall Circuit, installing BA,
British Acoustic sound. By the 1960s CinemaScope had been fitted with a
screen measuring 26' 9" by 12' 6" within a 28' proscenium.

The cinema was taken over by Geoff Greaves, who operates Merlin Cinemas on
1 June 1990. The cinema was tripled in 1993, screen 1 having 200 seats, using
the old front stalls with original stage and tabs. Screens 2 and 3 have 50 seats
each in the old rear stalls. The new projection box is situated in the old circle
with a new bar. Direct projection is achieved to screen 1 while screens 2 & 3
are supplied by periscope projection from the single circle box. The old
projection box is now the managers flat. The Savoy reopening with
Cliffhanger on all three screens.

Situated at 16 Causeway Head in the busy heart of the town this is a very
modern cinema operation. The frontage has been restored, and 12 double
sofa seats added to screen 1. There is a restaurant and bar over the foyer
and Dolby Digital in screen 1.

This grand looking building on Penzance's Promenade, built of
Cornish Granite was opened in 1912 as The Pavilion by Frederick
Drewitt, with a restaurant, theatre and ballroom. Films soon
became a regular feature at the Pavilion, in the 1920s ran by Robert
Thomas of Penzance Cinema Ltd. The seating capacity in 1927 was
436 and in the 1930s sound was installed, BTP: British Talking
Pictures Ltd. The cafe was not part of the cinema operation.

In 1937 the building was sold to Walter Ellis Slack who operated the
Pavilion from 15th December 1937 until 1939. Then the building was
requisitioned by the Ministry of Health. In more recent times it has
become Cornwall's largest amusement arcade. Some original plans are
on view in the building. The building is in an excellent state of
repair.

This building represents a difficult set of structures to
understand. It is believed that the Royal Theatre used to stand
on this site, and it seems likely that the substantial stone facade
dates from that building. However at the beginning of 1930s a
new entertainment centre appears here known as the Winter
Gardens. The entrance and auditorium block can be seen on the
above photograph to the left of the stone facade, positioned on
a side street from Alexandra Road.

Opening on 27 July 1936 the Ritz, Queen Street provided Penzance
with a modern large cinema. Part of the Union circuit the architect
was A H Jones FRIBA, London. Seating for 1000 and standing room
for 60 in rear gangway. The sound system was Western Electric. As
with most Union cinemas it featured an organ. The instrument was
a 2 manual 4 rank Compton Organ set on a lift in the orchestra pit,
and had a melotone and rainbow illuminated console. The
proscenium was 40' wide. It passed to ABC in October 1937 when
ABC took over Union. It closed as a cinema on 17 July 1965 and has
operated as a bingo hall ever since.

Ironically for a mid 1930s cinema the plans reveal a simple structure,
reminiscent of the very early cinema halls. The entrance is nearest
the town centre, and has a small square single storey foyer leading
to a rectangular auditorium with a shallow raked floor. The
projection box is placed on top of the foyer, and no circle, simple.
The decoration scheme was described as "tempered reds, speckled
over in metallic gold" with entirely concealed lighting.

The organ was played by Harold Ramsey for the opening and the first
week. During this week he met Dudley Savage a local man of 16 who
had won a prestigious organ competition. Dudley would start his
career as an organist at the Ritz and later became famous as the
resident organist at Plymouth ABC Royal.

This building is set in a quiet narrow street. Its auditorium side
exposed, running parallel to the road finished in a cream washed
mortar. Almost entirely plain, the frontage has an art deco entrance
with a narrow fin tower positioned between two sets of slit
windows over the entrance canopy. The auditorium featured
decorative grilles either side of the proscenium.

The Picturedrome was another cinema operated by Robert Thomas's Penzance Cinemas Ltd. It opened on
5th December 1910 in the Central Hall. The Central Hall, attached to the Central Club, was a conversion of
a former Baptist Chapel of 1836.

Plans approved in July 1914 suggest a reconstruction of the hall with a facade facing onto Market Place.
Access was along a narrow vestibule as the auditorium was set in New Street. This new auditorium was
very grand, with fine decorative plasterwork and a curving balcony front and seating to improve sight
lines. Boxes were set at the corners of the balcony front. The external facade and interior decor appear
very similar to that of the Savoy.

The cinema seated 443 and sound was installed in the early 1930s, BTP: British Talking Pictures Ltd. In
January 1936 the name was changed to Regal and in 1937 the cinema, along with other cinemas owned by
the company passed to Gwyther Eastlake Prance of Plymouth. In turn they came under the control of
Albert Jackson Withers of Cardiff by 1942. The cinema ceased operating by 1960s.

Plans were drawn up for Mr Robert Thomas by R S Griffiths & Partners, Tonypandy. The cinema was
substantial and decorative. The plan shows 742 seats, 403 in the circle. The plot was rectangular 62'6" by
125', with the long side of the building exposed on Morrabb Place. No other facade was included as
existing buildings fronted onto Parade Street and St Mary's Terrace. The name on the plans vary between
Savoy and Regal and may have been intended as a purpose built replacement of one or both of the
existing cinemas of these names, operated by Mr Thomas. Or perhaps this plan was just to frighten off
Union and their plans for a cinema in the town.