Durham’s Palladium Theatre and Cinema opened on 18th March 1929 as the second cinema in the city centre, and first featured Rex Ingram’s film, ‘The Garden of Allah’, which starred the famed Alice Terry; Ingram’s wife. Although the Palladium was constructed to also allow for the provision of theatrical possibilities, by affording a stage and seating in stalls and circle levels, the site only ever exclusively operated as a cinema; although it was the first cinema in Durham authorised to function on Sundays – as approved by the Bishop of Durham and the Chief Constable. On the 16th January 1934 the Palladium Cinema, however, was damaged considerably by a fire, causing the premises to close temporarily; although it was entirely refurbished and reopened on 5th March, in the same year. The opening film was titled ‘It’s a Boy’, with Leslie Henson. The Palladium Cinema was later renovated once more, towards the end of 1967, and reopened soon after with the film titled, ‘The Bible In The Beginning’. By the 1970’s though, the public clientele had declined considerably as other larger cinema developments were emerging in other towns and cities within the region. The Palladium ceased trading as a cinema in 1976 and, like most other small theatres and cinemas during that period, it reopened as a bingo hall. By 1982 the Palladium became a church and operated up until 2004. Interestingly, although the Palladium Cinema’s function was altered considerably over the years, the projection room was left largely untouched until 2004. Since then time, weather and vandals have had an unbelievable effect on the projection room and to the rest of the building’s internal décor and the various items that were forgotten.
Although we’ve been in and out of the Palladium numerous times curiosity brought us to return once again. Having been away from Durham for a while it was good to return. Sadly the Palladium has seen better days as the water damage has worsened and items have evidently gone missing. Unfortunately we were unable to get the lights working again on this visit; perhaps the bill payer has finally clicked on as to where the mystery bill was coming from? Still, it remains an interesting explore and it was well worth revisiting as I expect that it certainly won’t be around forever. For anyone else planning a visit, watch the floorboards in certain places…
1: Projector Room and Old Projectors
2: Old Film Projector
3: Old Film Reels
4: Main Staircase
5: Double Doors - Entrance to Balcony Seats/Bar Area
6: Looking into the Bar
7: A View From Inside the Bar
8: The Preserved Room
9: Record Player
10: Bingo and Slot Machines
11: The Palladium from the Stage
12: Stage Curtain
13: The Main Stage and Curtains
14: Bottom of the Main Staircase
15: Durham's Palladium Cinema
16: On the Edge of the Balcony
17: The Balcony - Rear View
18: Looking Down Towards the Stage
19: Control Room
20: Projector Room
21: The Back of a Projector
Although we’ve been in and out of the Palladium numerous times curiosity brought us to return once again. Having been away from Durham for a while it was good to return. Sadly the Palladium has seen better days as the water damage has worsened and items have evidently gone missing. Unfortunately we were unable to get the lights working again on this visit; perhaps the bill payer has finally clicked on as to where the mystery bill was coming from? Still, it remains an interesting explore and it was well worth revisiting as I expect that it certainly won’t be around forever. For anyone else planning a visit, watch the floorboards in certain places…
1: Projector Room and Old Projectors
2: Old Film Projector
3: Old Film Reels
4: Main Staircase
5: Double Doors - Entrance to Balcony Seats/Bar Area
6: Looking into the Bar
7: A View From Inside the Bar
8: The Preserved Room
9: Record Player
10: Bingo and Slot Machines
11: The Palladium from the Stage
12: Stage Curtain
13: The Main Stage and Curtains
14: Bottom of the Main Staircase
15: Durham's Palladium Cinema
16: On the Edge of the Balcony
17: The Balcony - Rear View
18: Looking Down Towards the Stage
19: Control Room
20: Projector Room
21: The Back of a Projector
