4th November: ‘It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce that we will not be able to reopen Stafford Cinema. We have done our level best, we have carried out many works to rejuvenate the building and update the facilities, but unfortunately after being turned down for a BFI grant 3 times, the closure during covid and now there are many other issues with the building itself which makes it impossible to keep throwing money at it. We thank you for the time we were open for supporting us. Hopefully this won’t completely be the end for the story of Stafford Cinema, but certainly for now the doors have to close.’
Up for auction on 12th February, with pre-application advice received by the council for a multi-storey mixed-use conversion comprising ground floor retail and residential above. Is this cinema of sufficient originality to be put forward for listing?
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/weve-put-lot-work-place-3799413
A cannabis factory indeed…. I guess it has kept the wrecking ball at bay for a while. Looks like a wonderful Art Deco cinema, some glimpses of the interior here, but it’s difficult to see the deco for the draw!!
Closed on 28th February 2019. The future looks very uncertain again for this lovely Art Deco cinema :–(
AJH Cinema Limited took on the historic venue after it closed at the end of 2017. Trevor Harris, whose son Anthony ran the cinema, said: “We were in discussions with the landlord for weeks but at the end of the day the facts and figures just didn’t add up. There was no way we could keep going, we just couldn’t sustain the losses anymore."
“We lowered the price of tickets to £5 and people still didn’t come. Films we were relying on in January went right down the pan, the cinema figures all over the UK are diabolical and the heating system in the old building hasn’t helped.
“We’d like to thank all our customers and those that supported us though and wish the landlord well. It was one of the original Odeon’s built and we hope to see the building back in use as a cinema again soon.”
The building has changed hands recently and is due to be ‘fully refurbished’ into an ‘Asian Wedding Venue’. It is one of the last vestiges of Art Deco in Stoke-on-Trent. The auditorium retains all of the original Art Deco plasterwork, proscenium & indirect lighting features. The cafe is also for the most part unaltered, with original plasterwork cornices & Art Deco leaded glass skylights.
Demolished January 2024
Demolished :-(
Plans have been submitted to ‘partially demolish’ the former Odeon, and for flats to be built on the site :-(
4th November: ‘It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce that we will not be able to reopen Stafford Cinema. We have done our level best, we have carried out many works to rejuvenate the building and update the facilities, but unfortunately after being turned down for a BFI grant 3 times, the closure during covid and now there are many other issues with the building itself which makes it impossible to keep throwing money at it. We thank you for the time we were open for supporting us. Hopefully this won’t completely be the end for the story of Stafford Cinema, but certainly for now the doors have to close.’
Demolished August 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3mtQuZlwog
Now demolished :-(
Demolition now imminent: https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/o2-abc-demolition-vermin-sewage-18175997
Up for auction on 12th February, with pre-application advice received by the council for a multi-storey mixed-use conversion comprising ground floor retail and residential above. Is this cinema of sufficient originality to be put forward for listing? https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/weve-put-lot-work-place-3799413
A cannabis factory indeed…. I guess it has kept the wrecking ball at bay for a while. Looks like a wonderful Art Deco cinema, some glimpses of the interior here, but it’s difficult to see the deco for the draw!!
https://youtu.be/n22Onpu9Tag
Closed on 28th February 2019. The future looks very uncertain again for this lovely Art Deco cinema :–(
AJH Cinema Limited took on the historic venue after it closed at the end of 2017. Trevor Harris, whose son Anthony ran the cinema, said: “We were in discussions with the landlord for weeks but at the end of the day the facts and figures just didn’t add up. There was no way we could keep going, we just couldn’t sustain the losses anymore."
“We lowered the price of tickets to £5 and people still didn’t come. Films we were relying on in January went right down the pan, the cinema figures all over the UK are diabolical and the heating system in the old building hasn’t helped.
“We’d like to thank all our customers and those that supported us though and wish the landlord well. It was one of the original Odeon’s built and we hope to see the building back in use as a cinema again soon.”
Demolition has commenced – the last surviving cinema in Newcastle Under Lyme will soon be gone.
A report with some photos from an urbex'r here : https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/metropolis-nightclub-newcastle-under-lyme-october-2016.105721/
I’m sorry to report the cinema has now closed. It has been placed on the market for £750k. The future doesn’t look good.
The building has changed hands recently and is due to be ‘fully refurbished’ into an ‘Asian Wedding Venue’. It is one of the last vestiges of Art Deco in Stoke-on-Trent. The auditorium retains all of the original Art Deco plasterwork, proscenium & indirect lighting features. The cafe is also for the most part unaltered, with original plasterwork cornices & Art Deco leaded glass skylights.