Devon Cinema Gazetteer

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TIVERTON

Electric Theatre

Like many early cinemas, there is no evidence of this building being purpose built.  Looking at the bulky auditorium, these days exposed to view, the building may have been a religious structure at some time, although said to have been a drill hall.  The facade is equally misleading consisting of a row of three Victorian three storey houses.  As with cinemas such as Cullompton Regal, entry to the cinema would probably have been through a passageway on the ground floor of the central house, the auditorium being in the back gardens. At some stage, probably in the 1930s, the facade was improved, to compete with the modern Tivoli.  The three houses were given a uniform plaster coating and balanced to give emphasis to the entrance at the centre, now enclosed to create a foyer.  There is the slight hint of modern art deco influence here.  However the chimneys and the 4 original drain pipes give away the underlying structure.

Situated on the edge of the towns market in Newport Street the building became a cinema on 10.10.1912  and was soon ran by the prolific operator A O Ellis of Torquay.  With the coming of sound and the Tivoli cinema, Mr Ellis made improvements to the whole building inside and out.  Picturetone sound was installed and seating in the stalls and balcony reduced from around 800 to 550. Plans drawn up to repair the theatre in 1946 by architect David E Nye reveal details of the interior.   There were panels on the walls framing woven fabric and a decorative frieze ran around the hall.  The front of the balcony had a fibrous plaster cornice.  The foyer panelling, stairs and doors were in oak.   There was a 50' long passageway to enter the front stalls.  One of the houses at the front is described as a cottage while the other is noted as containing the Managers and Caretakers flats.  There was a neon display on the facade.  The projection box was entirely rebuilt. From 1951 the building was owned by The Electric Theatre (Tiverton) Ltd  run by Mr L G Vearncombe who installed a CinemaScope screen measuring 30' by 19', within a 40' proscenium.  The auditorium was reseated at 398 with a Zeiss sound system.  By the 1970s Mr Vearncombe also held the lease on the Tivoli so decided to close one of the cinemas.  Films ceased 22.5.1976 and it became a bingo and snooker hall which it remains today.

Tivoli

Many cinemas were built behind existing facades, but few compare to the Tivoli.  With a wide entranceway onto Fore Street with delightful neon signs you can see the cinema in the distance within its own courtyard.  The cinema itself has a simple but pleasant art deco facade which continues into the well preserved spacious foyer.  The cinema has a single screen and has always been independent and is now mainly run by volunteers.

The cinema opened in 1934 and the architect was George Saunders.  The owners were Eastmond & Hamlin Ltd who ran the cinema until the 1970s.  They also owned and ran other Devon cinemas such as the Savoy South Molton and the company still exists today, and is still based in Tiverton but no longer runs cinemas. The cinema had a slightly raked auditorium seating 500 and used a British Acoustic sound system.  The proscenium was 25' wide and there were basic stage facilities.  A fire in the 1950s brought about improvements including GB Kalee projectors and the proscenium was widened to 36' to allow a 30' by 15' screen to be added.  A rear stadium seating area was installed and capacity reduced to 400. The cinema continues to operate, now using the projectors from the closed Electric down the road and has Dolby SR.   They have not been tempted to divide the large auditorium now down to 304 seats,  making the Tivoli one of the best places to see films in Devon.

Visit the Tivoli website www.tivoli-tiverton.co.uk

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