Image by phill.d

The Glenroyal Cinema in northern England is an abandoned relic from the glory days of Art Deco picture houses.  After closing in 1962, the Glenroyal became a casino and bingo hall before falling into abandonment.  But this rare behind the scenes tour reveals some hidden treasures of its cinema heyday.

Images by phill.d

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The Glenroyal Cinema in Shipley, West Yorkshire, opened on September 5, 1932 with a screening of Emma, the latest American comedy/drama, introduced by a live jazz band.  The cinema was state of the art at the time, with 1,200 seats and ultra-modern sound and projection technology – the blue ray of the day!

Image by phill.d

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

But all good things come to an end, and the Glenroyal closed in 1962.  Its doors re-opened again the following year as a casino, before ultimately becoming a Kings Bingo.  An unflattering false ceiling was installed at this time, which must have left patrons – and thankfully vandals too – with little idea of the grand Art Deco fixtures that lingered on untouched and forgotten in the higher reaches of the building.

Images by phill.d

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

In the shadowy gloom beyond the false ceiling, the old upper circle remains frozen in time, virtually untouched since the Glenroyal Cinema’s last showing almost half a century ago.  The plush “lovers’ seats” (above), upholstered by Trinity Chair Works of Scarborough, have happily collected dust ever since, while the original paintwork peels from the walls.

Images by phill.d

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Incredibly, the American Kalee projectors remain intact, albeit rather grimy.  Old film reels sit beneath decades of dust.  Perhaps they could be the last films ever shown here – “The Loudest Whisper“, starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley Maclaine and James Garner, and “Gun Street“, starring James Brown, Jean Willes and John Clarke?  And what abandoned cinema tale would be the same without a good ghost story?  Rumours abound of a ghostly woman seen hurrying to the front of the auditorium where the screen used to be… But where is she running to, or from?

To find out more, check out phill.d’s write-up and pictures of the Glenroyal Cinema.

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