This is an unmissable local landmark, still known to many locals as ‘The Regent’ from its days as the town’s leading cinema. The Regent Cinema opened on 6 October 1930. The auditorium was decorated in a ‘modern French’ style, with seating for 650 in the stalls and 500 in the circle. Renamed the Essoldo, in 1961, it was converted into a bingo hall four years later. Part of the old building reopened as The Regent in 1988 and as the Cineplex in 2004.
A plaque documenting the history of The Regent.
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The plaque reads: This Wetherspoon freehouse is the former Regent cinema, which opened on 6 October 1930 and was converted into a bingo hall in the mid-1960s. the modern French style auditorium, seated 650 in the stalls and 500 in the circle. The Regent was designed by Alfred J Graves, who designed several other eye-catching cinemas in the area. The entrance to the former Regent stands on the site of the once well-known Wightman’s butcher shop.
These premises were refurbished by J D Wetherspoon in January 2013.
An original seat plan for the Regent cinema.
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This photo shows the balcony known as the circle, that could seat up to 500 people during its days as the town’s leading cinema.
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A copy of the contract that allowed the Regent to screen The Dam Busters.
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A photograph of the staff of the Regent cinema, 1934.
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A copy of the contract that allowed the Regent to screen Moulin Rouge and The Stranger Left No Card.
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A photograph of the Regent cinema, 1933.
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This photo shows the interior of the Regent in 1986 after its transformation from a cinema into a bingo hall named The Essoldo.
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An original poster for Madame Lupino’s dance classes held at the Regent.
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External photograph of the building – main entrance.
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If you have information on the history of this pub, then we’d like you to share it with us. Please e-mail all information to: pubhistories@jdwetherspoon.co.uk