Kings Theatre
This Wetherspoon pub was built as the King's Cinema in 1932. A casualty of the general decline in cinema use in the 1960s, King's Cinema closed down in 1967. Within a few weeks, it reopened to a full house as the Star Bingo and Social Club. The bingo hall survived into the 1990s, and, more recently, was used as the Picture House Night Club. The building re-opened as a Wetherspoon pub on 22 Feb 2000. The above information obtained from LinkExternal link . Wetherspoon have recently converted a former cinema to a pub in neighbouring Kirkby-in-Ashfield - see SK5055 : Kirkby-in-Ashfield - Regency Cinema
Kings Theatre
Sutton-in-Ashfield
An old poster which has the date June 12th but no year. Maybe it will jog someones memories about the shows, or the theatre.
By Pauline Marples
Kings Theatre
Sutton-in-Ashfield
The Kings Theatre opened circa 1904 following demolition of old cottages on the site. It closed in 1931, and after demolition, a new building took over as the Kings Cinema in 1932, it became the Star bingo in 1967. It was also known as the Picture House, and latterly has been changed into Wetherspoons, but still retains the name Picture House
By Marg Thorne
On 19/01/2012
Francis Harris was manager of the Kings from April 1933 to April 1937. I would expect the members of the band to have been local. I think I know where I can obtain the members names if anyone is interested. Francis was involved with many musical presentations at the Kings and the first concert by Sutton and District Orchestral Society was held at the Kings in April 1934. Francis was the conductor of a 30 strong orchestra.
By Trevor Lee
On 07/01/2013
Located in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. Originally on this site stood the New King’s Theatre which opened on 3rd October 1904 and had a seating capacity of 500. It had its entrance on Forest Road. From April 1906, films were being presented as part of the variety show and in 1911 it was known as the King’s Picturedrome. The building was re-constructed in July 1913 and again in 1920 when the seating capacity was for 800. It closed in August 1931 with Lon Chaney in "Phantom of the Opera" and Frank Starsmore in "Three Men in a Cart". The building was demolished to build the new King’s Theatre.
The King’s Theatre had its entrance on Fox Street and was designed in an Art Deco style by noted Nottingham based cinema architect Alfred J. Thraves. It opened on 28th March 1932 with Ronald Colman in "The Unholy Garden". Seating was provided for 926 in the stalls and 333 in the circle.
In the mid-1960’s it was sold to the Star Cinemas circuit of Leeds and soon they were operating it as a Star Bingo Club in winter months and film use during summer months. The King’s Theatre closed on 3rd June 1967 with Walt Disney’s "Lady and the Tramp" and "Ballerina". It was converted into a full time Star Bingo Club from 1st July 1967.
Other operators took over until it closed on bingo in the mid-1990’s. It was then converted into a nightclub, named the Picture House. This only lasted a few years and the auditorium was demolished. The remaining front section of the building was taken over by the J.D. Wetherspoon chain of pubs and on 22nd February 2000 it opened as the Picture House pub.
Contributed by Ken Roe
This Wetherspoon pub was built as the King's Cinema in 1932. A casualty of the general decline in cinema use in the 1960s, King's Cinema closed down in 1967. Within a few weeks, it reopened to a full house as the Star Bingo and Social Club. The bingo hall survived into the 1990s, and, more recently, was used as the Picture House Night Club. The building re-opened as a Wetherspoon pub on 22 Feb 2000. The above information obtained from Link . Wetherspoon have recently converted a former cinema to a pub in neighbouring Kirkby-in-Ashfield
The Tivoli Cinema
The Tivoli Cinema, Outram Street, Sutton in Ashfield Pre 60's when it was rebuilt .
This cinema had a three rotation schedule
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 2 or 3 different films
Thursday, Friday and Saturday again 2 or 3 different films
Sunday The special film day
Now from what I have heard nearly all the films were Western type films as my Aunty Harriet went 3 times a week every week
I once worked in cinemas and theatres all over the UK and most of them have a 'resident ghost'. They're big and spooky when you're in one on your own.
I was a member of the Silver Lining Club at the Tiv and went there a lot as a young hopeful.
Later, I worked in the Tivoli building after it was converted to shops. I wired up the top floor ballroom which was the John Hayes school of dancing
by Keith Hatton
by Jim on 14-May-2005
The twopenny rush, as we used to call it, on Saturday afternoons was brilliant, although I seem to remember it was 3d downstairs and sixpence on the balcony. We used to queue down the side of the cinema. For some reason they didn't let us use the main entrance on Outram Street. Happy days!
MRS W. STRINGFELLOW - 25/01/2006
Life-long local resident Mrs Winnie Stringfellow (91), a resident of The Beeches Residential Care Home, Mansfield Woodhouse, and formerly of Heathcote Court, Sutton, was cremated at Mansfield after a service at the crematorium chapel, Born and educated at Sutton, Mrs Stringfellow started her working life at the Tivoli cinema on Outram Street, Sutton. She then moved into the hosiery trade and at one time all four members of her family worked together at Mansfield Hosiery Mills
Located in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. The Queens Palace was opened on 21st July 1913, and was built for and operated by Sutton & Kirkby Picture Palace Co. Ltd. who had opened the Kings Palace in nearby Kirkby-in-Ashfield in 1912. It had an attractive stone front topped by a pediment, and the centrally placed entrance had a concave half-dome, with the paybox on the street. Designed by architect L. Dodsley, who also designed Kirkby’s Kings Palace, it had a seating capacity for 1,000 in stalls and circle levels. There was a 25 feet deep stage, which was used for variety acts in the early years and into the 1920’s.
In 1929 it was taken over by Aleph Entertainment, who operated the cinema for most of its life. It was closed for redecoration and the installation of a Western Electric(WE) sound system in April 1930, re-opening as the Tivoli Cinema on 23rd April 1930 with Morton Downey in “Mother’s Boy”.
The Tivoli Cinema was closed on 2nd April 1960 with “Where the River Bends” and “Abbott and Costello in the Navy”. It was never equipped with CinemaScope.
The building was purchased soon after closing and the façade was removed and it was converted into an arcade of shops. By 1991 it was in use as a furniture store on the ground floor and there is a function suite/bar in the former circle.
Contributed by Ken Roe
The Portland Cinema
The Portland Theatre opened on 22nd February 1937 with Will Hay in "Windbag the Sailor". It was located on Station Road on a piece of land between Portland Road. It was purpose-built as a dual use live theatre and cinema. The stage was fully equipped and was 21 feet deep x 58 feet wide and had a safety curtain, orchestra pit and dressing rooms were provided. Seating in the auditorium was provided for 714 in the stalls and 333 in the circle and the seat covering was in an orange coloured material.
A Pantomime was staged every January for many years and stage shows were presented into the late 1950’s. The theatre was equipped for screening 3D films and Cinemascope format films in the mid-1950’s. Occasional wrestling matches were staged as well as pop shows in the 1960’s.
The Portland Theatre was taken over by the Star Cinemas circuit of Leeds in 1967. It re-furbished was re-named Savoy Cinema from 26th August 1968 with a Grand Gala evening, screening of Robert Shaw in "Custer of the West". The Savoy Cinema closed on 2nd September 1978 with Jodie Foster in "Candleshoe" and Walt Disney’s "Alice in Wonderland".
The building had been sold and was quickly converted into a Kwik Save supermarket. In 1990, the Portland/Savoy building was demolished for the site to become a car park for a new store which had been built nearby.
Contributed by Ken Roe
The Portland / Savoy
It became the Kwik Save Supermarket
which was demolished after a fire.
In it's place is now a shoe shop, a frozen food shop and a large car park for Halfords
The Portland Theatre opened on 22nd February 1937 with Will Hay in "Windbag the Sailor". It was located on Station Road on a piece of land between Portland Road. It was purpose-built as a dual use live theatre and cinema. The stage was fully equipped and was 21 feet deep x 58 feet wide and had a safety curtain, orchestra pit and dressing rooms were provided. Seating in the auditorium was provided for 714 in the stalls and 333 in the circle and the seat covering was in an orange coloured material.A Pantomime was staged every January for many years and stage shows were presented into the late 1950’s. The theatre was equipped for screening 3D films and Cinemascope format films in the mid-1950’s. Occasional wrestling matches were staged as well as pop shows in the 1960’s.The Portland Theatre was taken over by the Star Cinemas circuit of Leeds in 1967. It re-furbished was re-named Savoy Cinema from 26th August 1968 with a Grand Gala evening, screening of Robert Shaw in "Custer of the West". The Savoy Cinema closed on 2nd September 1978 with Jodie Foster in "Candleshoe" and Walt Disney’s "Alice in Wonderland".The building had been sold and was quickly converted into a Kwik Save supermarket. In 1990, the Portland/Savoy building was demolished for the site to become a car park for a new store which had been built nearby.Contributed by Ken Roe
THE OLD PORTLAND CINEMA IN THE 40'S,
MANAGER ALBERT HALL.
I REMEMBER A SINGLE LEMON BEING RAFFLED OFF THERE TOO SUPPORT THE WAR EFFORT,
ONE OLD PENNY A TICKET, I REMEBER IT WAS A JOHNNY WEISSMULLER TARZAN FILM THAT WAS SHOWING
HALFORDS FOR SUTTON? Published: 01:00 Tuesday 03 April 2001
A PRIME site in Sutton town centre is to be redeveloped for retail use. Members of Ashfield District Council s planning committee last week granted conditional planning permission for work on the former Kwik Save site on Forest Street. Two buildings one expected to be occupied by Halfords will be constructed, with each providing around 697 sqm of floor space. One unit will be built in the same location as the old Kwik Save store, which was destroyed by fire, the other in place of the former Portland Cinema with 61-car parking spaces provided between the two units.ADVERTISING Applicant Metropolitan Development Group has imposed a covenant restricting the retail sale of food from the site with not more than 465 sq m of food allowed to be sold. Introducing Ultimate On Demand Get brilliant Sky Box Sets and Netflix together in one place. Join with Sky Entertainment and Ultimate On Demand for £30 a month. Promoted by Sky The company has also suggested the second unit could be split to form two separate retail outlets. Local residents had expressed concern with the original planning applications and amendments have been taken on by the applicant. They said the yard at the rear of the former Kwik Save had been used as a meeting place for drug users and feared a repeat if the area was left open for public access again. Other concerns included fears of noise pollution, loss of light and fire risk. Paul Stone, development control manager for Ashfield District Council, said: We believed we've addressed the issues raised by the residents and that they re happy with the amendments. Planners also asked the applicant to improve the appearance of one of the units originally described as stark and uninteresting .
Located in Sutton-in-Ashfield near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The Town Hall was opened in 1876 with a performance of Handel’s “Messiah”. There were retail units on street level, with the hall upstairs on the first floor. It screened its first film in December 1896. It operated as a full time cinema from 18th November 1908. It was operated by Ralph Pringle. The Town Hall Cinema was closed on 25th October 1924 with Eddie Polo in “The Dangerous Hour” and Episode 6 of the serial “The Santa Fe Trail”.
The building was totally refurbished and converted into the Palais dance hall which opened 19th November 1924. The Palais was closed in 1930.
On 24th August 1932 it opened as the Rialto dance hall, operated by Herbert Elton of Nottingham. The stage had been redesigned to resemble a ‘Mother of Pearl’ band stand. Still open in 1937, it had closed by 1944. In 2016 a dance studio operates in the former Town Hall Cinema, which retail units still operating at street level.
Contributed by Ken Roe