When i first started exploring cinemas in earnest the Theatre Royal was right near the top of my list as far as 'potential' goes, at the time however i didn't put much effort in to exploring it as it was well looked after by a group of local enthusiasts and back then i tended to give those kind of 'semi live' threatres a wide berth, not only were they already well documented i didn't feel it appropriate to be upsetting the genuinely good people who were looking after them.. Over the years a few people got permission visit tours and a few people managed to slip in the back door unnoticed but the few times i did check on it there was no easy way in. At some point work started up in the building stripping out the old temporary screen built on the stage. im not sure exactly why that happened but I was a bit disappointed id not seen it by that point as i think thats when a lot of its 'intact charm' was lost. I should have probably made more of an effort i guess! In 2016 things got worse when the building was sold to a local islamic group, Trying not to be too racist here but i have to say my experience of islamic groups and historic buildings does not really fill me with confidence that this cracking cinema has somehow been 'saved', quite the contrary in fact! The change of use to a mosque has removed a lot of the legal protection that the building did have and the new owners at the time of my visit had done little more than erect a tent in the building. The one glimmer of hope was the repairs to the roof that have been undertaken. how much choic they had in the matter i dont know, it is listed after all but I guess no one wants a wet prayer mat now do they!
So yeh it was the works on the roof that caught our eye. We were up in the area one day and stopped off for a look. It was a bad time really as one of those Islamic festivals was going on and the town was filled with brown men in robes scurrying between the various mosques that now line the streets of this once very British suburb. Strangely the theater itself didn't appear to be open but with the streets full of its potential congregation finding the right moment to get up there and have a look if there was a way in took some patience. In fact it was so busy there was no way there was going to be a window for all four of us to get in so i volunteered to go alone and see how the land lied.. After a while of slithering about on the roof i found a way in and called the others to see what was going on.. They had given up! The streets were once again filled with our Asian friends and they had escaped to one of the towns few remaining pubs. I had instructions to hurry up so that i did, i had a good run round and snapped a few photos for the collection. Thankfully the circle areas were pretty much untouched. just left as they were. The ground floor was stripped to the brick and contained said tent. i didnt spend much time down there. It was just a bit depressing, if not a bit creepy.
I have to say, even considering its fate it was still a 9/10 explore for me. What is left there untouched is simply amazing its just a shame its not as good as it once was. Hopefully its new owners prove me wrong and restore the place to its former glory!
So yeh it was the works on the roof that caught our eye. We were up in the area one day and stopped off for a look. It was a bad time really as one of those Islamic festivals was going on and the town was filled with brown men in robes scurrying between the various mosques that now line the streets of this once very British suburb. Strangely the theater itself didn't appear to be open but with the streets full of its potential congregation finding the right moment to get up there and have a look if there was a way in took some patience. In fact it was so busy there was no way there was going to be a window for all four of us to get in so i volunteered to go alone and see how the land lied.. After a while of slithering about on the roof i found a way in and called the others to see what was going on.. They had given up! The streets were once again filled with our Asian friends and they had escaped to one of the towns few remaining pubs. I had instructions to hurry up so that i did, i had a good run round and snapped a few photos for the collection. Thankfully the circle areas were pretty much untouched. just left as they were. The ground floor was stripped to the brick and contained said tent. i didnt spend much time down there. It was just a bit depressing, if not a bit creepy.
I have to say, even considering its fate it was still a 9/10 explore for me. What is left there untouched is simply amazing its just a shame its not as good as it once was. Hopefully its new owners prove me wrong and restore the place to its former glory!
cinematreasures said:
