The Regent Cinema was a

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, England. It was opened by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres on 27 July 1921 and was one of that company's first super cinemas. It was demolished in 1974.

Design

The building was designed by architect Robert Atkinson in the

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style, with interiors by Walpole Champneys and murals by

Walter Bayes Walter John Bayes (31 May 1869 – 21 January 1956) was an English painter and illustrator who was a founder member of both the Camden Town Group and the London Group and also a renowned art teacher and critic. Biography Early life Bayes was bo ...

. The proscenium was designed by Lawrence Preston of

Brighton College of Art Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. There was one screen, with 2024 seats.

Location

The Regent Cinema was located on Queens Road in Brighton, on the site of the historic Unicorn Inn (which was built in 1597 and demolished in 1920.)

History

In 1923 the building expanded with a Georgean

Restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

with orchestra, Ship

Cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

and upstairs

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...

. In January 1929, the cinema was closed for 18 months due to fire damage on the stage end and auditorium. In July 1967 the ballroom was converted to a

bingo hall Bingo is a game of probability in which players mark off numbers on cards as the numbers are drawn randomly by a caller, the winner being the first person to mark off all their numbers. Bingo, also previously known in the UK as Housey-Housey, ...

. The cinema closed on 14 April 1973, with the final showing being ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

''. It was demolished in 1974, the site being occupied by a department store.

References

External links

Photograph of the main entrance
from March 1971, retrieved fro
Odeon Cavalcade
at Brightonfilm.com Buildings and structures demolished in 1974 Former cinemas in England Buildings and structures in Brighton and Hove Demolished buildings and structures in England {{UK-theat-struct-stub