Report - State Cinema, Grays August 2023

[mookster]

I am going to put my neck on the line here and say, even in it's current condition, the State Cinema is the best example of a derelict cinema in the country, a position it seems to have always held ever since the early 2010 reports surfaced of an unbelievable space.

Be under no illusions, it's no longer looking like it did in @Speed and the other early pioneer's photos from well over a decade ago. Time hasn't been kind to it, the failed conversion into a Wetherspoons which was canned when the pandemic hit has resulted in the auditorium and restaurant no longer having a ceiling, all the seats being unceremoniously piled up haphazardly, and a worker's welfare suite constructed from OSB plonked on the stage. However, despite all that, it is still an incredible space and with probably the best projection room in the country, and a wonderful amount of late Art Deco/Modernist details left behind.

The building itself was designed by architect F. G. M. Chancellor who had been bequeathed Frank Matcham & Co., from Matcham upon his death in 1920. Chancellor also owned Frederick's Electric Theatres Company. The State Cinema was built at a cost of £100,000 and twenty houses in George Street were demolished to make room for it. It became one of the largest cinemas in Essex, and featured air conditioning and an illuminated Compton Organ. It also had full stage facilities enable it to change into a fully functioning theatre or live entertainment venue. The cinema opened its doors at 7:30pm on Monday 5 September 1938 showing the film The Hurricane.

In the 1970s the first signs of possible closure reared its head, the stalls were closed off, cuts to staffing were made and the organ fell silent. A campaign was launched to keep the cinema open and the then owners, Mecca Leisure Group, decided to spend £20,000 on improvements to bring audiences back to the old cinema.

In 1982 work began to restore the old organ by a group of volunteers who later became known as "Friends of the State", eight weeks later music was again heard in the building and a series of Sunday afternoon concerts were held, many of which were attended by recording enthusiasts who wanted to capture the sounds of the unique organ.

The building remained unaltered throughout its life as a cinema, perhaps due in part to its location or not demanding further screens. Once again falling audiences, possibly due to the development of multi-screen cinemas and the rising popularity of video film rental saw the State threatened with closure in the mid 1980s. Owners Mecca eventually left the building, a closing night event was held on 5 September 1988 and the film that opened the cinema 50 years ago to the day was shown once more.

The land and the cinema were earmarked for redevelopment and bulldozers were soon brought in, however a preservation order was quickly sought and the State became a Grade II listed building preventing its demolition.

After the closure the cinema was handed over to a small independent operator who in 1989 rebadged the building "The Grays State Theatre". Films continued to be shown and organ concerts were once again a feature of the programme as was the £1 entry ticket. Alas, the business model didn't provide enough income to sustain the cinema and it closed again soon after.

In 1991 the building again came back into use, this time as a wine bar and nightclub called Charlestons. It opened at 8:30pm on Thursday 28 January and included live music from The Merseybeats and Dave Berry and the Cruisers. More live music, a number of variety and film shows plus several boxing matches were held at the venue, and the club also saw the return of the Sunday organ concerts. The club lasted for seven years before closing in 1998.

The local council received a planning application in August 1998 from the Peniel Pentecostal Church to establish a church in the now disused building. The application was dismissed early the following year as was the subsequent appeal.

In February 2000 the Thurrock Heritage Forum approached English Heritage to suggest that the listing on the cinema be upgraded and on 28 June 2000 the building was reclassified as Grade II* to preserve the art-Deco interior.

The same month Thurrock Council gave planning permission to supermarket chain Morrisons to build a store on the State's old car park after purchasing the site for £10 million. Promises were made to Thurrock Council that Morrisons continue the upkeep of the cinema and restore the old building; to that end after an inspection in June 2001 revealed some water damage Morrisons sealed the leak to prevent any further damage.

In 2003 Morrisons conducted a survey of the State and found the cinema still to be "structurally in sound condition and built to a good standard." The report continues "of major concern however, is the damage being caused to the building by water ingress through defective roof covering and through the walls due to a defective rainwater drainage system and cracked or missing mortar caps to walls" and "many of the internal fixtures and fittings are also suffering decay due to the water ingress." The report concludes "whilst alternatively it may be possible to patch those areas of the roof which are suffering most acutely, the problem will tend to progressively develop elsewhere as other areas of the roof finishes perish" and "on the auditorium roof repair of the gutter linings alone is not considered sufficient as leaks are also occurring through other areas of the roof."

The building ceased to be part of Morrisons plans once the supermarket was complete and was sold in October 2006 amid criticism about its upkeep. The new owners, TSP Properties Ltd, purchased the State for £550,000 and although the company stated that it wouldn't be used as a cinema again they wished to redevelop it into a new leisure hub. The following year the gutters outside were replaced temporarily to prevent further water damage however it was discovered that the roof was desperate need of repair.

Several campaigns have taken place over recent years to highlight the state of the cinema and to kick-start a restoration. The most recent campaign pressured the current owners to release a statement to BBC Radio Essex on 11 February 2008 claiming that they had worked with English Heritage and the building was now watertight, dry and clean inside and the organ had been fully restored.

However more recent investigations by members of the Save the State campaign have found that the roof does in fact still leak (as of March 2008 when a council inspection was undertaken) and that although the organ works to a certain extent, it has not been "fully restored". The organ is now in a very poor condition after a burglary in July 2011 in which most of its original metal pipes and fittings were stolen.

The property is now owned by development company London Developments Global after being bought in early 2023, although it appears to be back up for sale again going by the signs on the hoarding.

The famous Compton organ has been removed, and the whereabouts is currently unknown, it doesn't appear to have been broken apart as there is no trace of it in the entire building, so I reckon it's in some warehouse somewhere after Wetherspoons removed it during their ownership. Will it surface again one day? Who knows.

The explore

I suggested we swing by here after having a disappointment nearby, as I could remember seeing some recent photos on social media. It turned out to be a great decision and we were soon standing in the auditorium taking it in. We spent way longer than I thought we might inside, the building is vast with photo opportunities everywhere even in it's current perilous condition and I was determined to see every nook and cranny of the place. The single massive auditorium is an amazing space, it's so refreshing to see a cinema of this vintage that managed to avoid either being 'tripled' or bingoed, or both, over the years, and this is one of the reasons why this place is so special. Even the exterior aspects of it are stunning, the Art Deco style facade and tower looming ominously over the centre of Grays like a behemoth. We began upstairs, before working down to the lower levels, covering everything as I knew I probably wouldn't get a chance to return.

We spent longer in the pigeon pit projection room than was probably advisable, however to see one this complete is such a privilege nowadays. It was also cool to me to see film canisters marked Denham Laboratories, as that's another place I explored a number of years ago.

Moving down to the part which became Charlestons Piano Bar

And down into the lobby and rest of the ground floor.

Overall, in terms of cinemas I've explored, I would say this one rightfully takes top favourite spot away from Port Talbot's Plaza Cinema, even though it's in a bit of a state now (pun unintended).

Thanks for looking ​

 

[Mikeymutt]

Superb mate. Cheers for the tip off, it was definitely worth me making the effort. My entry was not as graceful as the one you had ha ha. I just looked at speeds report and it’s worlds apart, like totally different.

 

[JakeV50]

Thats a nice one, I like that.

 

[mockney reject]

The organ went away to be restored as it very rare. However it seems to have been lost.

 

[mookster]

The organ went away to be restored as it very rare. However it seems to have been lost.

I'd imagine Wetherspoons may have had plans to reinstall it in the building when it was converted, as a centerpiece being the famous organ it is. But when their plans fell through it fell through the cracks. Hopefully it's out there somewhere and can be brought home at some point.

 

[mockney reject]

That was exactly their plan

 

[Wastelandr]

Nice pics, I was pleasantly surprised by this place, expecting it to be a bit of a rotten ol derp. Some seriously good Art Deco architecture still to be seen and the collapsed hole in the roof sheds some lovely light in there. Still decayed a lot since the older reports on here.

 

[jtza]

Top dollar

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Shame that, IMO the only thing decent there now is the projector room. Oh & Drew Pritchard would like them lamp shades on the floor

 

[dweeb]

The organ is with an organ society, who took it upon themselves to remove it when it was clear the Wetherspoon plan was lagging due to covid etc.

It's a pity the spoons plan didn't come to fruition as it was a commercially viable way of saving it... they tried to keep it open as a cinema since the mid 80s and it failed so I thought it was a good outcome. Sadly its another "Could have been". Grays has turned into a bit of a craphole and the council are so skint I think the bailiffs will he round to repossess the tele soon so I don't think there is going to be a happy outcome for the State.

 

[dansgas1000]

So many lovely original features. That projector room really is something else, great pics.

 

[Mikeymutt]

Shame that, IMO the only thing decent there now is the projector room. Oh & Drew Pritchard would like them lamp shades on the floor

I still think the whole thing is worth seeing. But the projector room alone is worth it.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

I still think the whole thing is worth seeing. But the projector room alone is worth it.

Oh yeah dont get me wrong still a very good explore, but I still prefer the deco in the tameside hippo myself but maybe Im just weird

 

[dweeb]

The beauty of the state is it was never tripled or savagely bingo'ed. I'd agree that it I'd one of the best out there, despite it being a shadow of what it was when Speed and Squirrel did it years ago.

 

[Mikeymutt]

Oh yeah dont get me wrong still a very good explore, but I still prefer the deco in the tameside hippo myself but maybe Im just weird

I have only ever done one cinema and that was the one in Birmingham. So was nice to see another and that projector room.