I have been targeting an explore of this cinema since i originally started looking for them in early 2009. In fact it's fair to say it's been near the top of my list of 'wants' for most of that time too so im delighted to have finally managed to tick it off. Like many cinemas the building has always been quite tight but it was originally explored by Snappel and friends in 2007. In his report little had changed since closure with the building retaining its 'tripled' layout with modern screens in the stalls. It looked epic back then and was largely untouched since closure, it even had popcorn left in the machine! After those guys got in a number of years passed and i didn't really see much more of inside. Rumors floated around that the building had been stripped out and when we did eventually see another report earlier this year from @Gone he also described it as pretty empty..
Projection Rooms etc. - There was a replacement projection booth at the rear of the circle that still contained a fair few interesting bits. We also headed up to the original booth and although there wasn't too much left it was still quite an interesting mooch around a right warren of a building. We eventually popped out into the loft which was 'can rich' to say the least!
Front of House - The Foyer and Circle bar areas have been modified slightly over the years with the addition of partitioned offices and kitchen areas but overall it's quite intact. That popcorn is still there too! The walls are covered in a kind of 'speckled' paint effect and on the ceilings this includes some kind of glitter making it sparkle
My original list of cinemas is getting a bit thin now but i will take time to mention one other that is currently in dire need of some explorer attention. The Futurist is just across the road from the Forum and it looks like demolitions is imminent with asbestos removal guys working in the same row of buildings preparing them all for demolition. Please dont let that one get away as there is next to no pictures or information on the inside to be found old or current. Consider it a challenge!
These rumors had put my expectations down quite a bit, i knew the auditorium remained relatively untouched but i was expecting it to be devoid of anything much more than that, a one room wonder if you like. Oh how wrong i was! (i should know better!) The place is still brimming with interesting bits. Theres the obvious niceties but every part from loft space to basement contained items of interest. We ended up spending 3 or 4 hours inside and even then our hangover eventually forced us to leave without all the desired photos taken and cubby holes raked.
theatrestrust said:
cinematreasures said:
Auditorium - This really is stunning, one of the best ever infact! I'm not really happy with my photos, i should have taken the time to adjust the site lights to get more light on the ceiling but was keen to get round the whole place and didn't even manage that in the end so i guess i will have to go back again. The circle has had some water damage that has been cleaned up but you would hardly know the thing was once two screens, great condition!
Projection Rooms etc. - There was a replacement projection booth at the rear of the circle that still contained a fair few interesting bits. We also headed up to the original booth and although there wasn't too much left it was still quite an interesting mooch around a right warren of a building. We eventually popped out into the loft which was 'can rich' to say the least!
Front of House - The Foyer and Circle bar areas have been modified slightly over the years with the addition of partitioned offices and kitchen areas but overall it's quite intact. That popcorn is still there too! The walls are covered in a kind of 'speckled' paint effect and on the ceilings this includes some kind of glitter making it sparkle
Backstage - The last bit we checked was the backstage areas, this part appeared to have been essentially abandoned for many years before the 1998 closure as it would have been hidden behind the alterations for the second screen. The most interesting find was the remains of the lift and equipment rooms for original Compton organ system but there was also a boiler room, fan room, central vacuum system and a number of dated bathrooms and store areas that had been unused for years
