Regal Cinema
London Road,
Northwich,
CW5 9HD
London Road,
Northwich,
CW5 9HD
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Cheshire County Cinemas
Architects: Seager Owen, William Owen
Styles: Art Deco
Nearby Theaters
The Regal Cinema was built for the Cheshire County Cinemas circuit and opened on 28th January 1939 with Vivien Leigh in "Storm in a Teacup". The auditorium was in a stadium design (with no overhanging balcony) and had a seating capacity of 1,059. Decorative scroll-work was on the walls and the ceiling contained cove lighting. An unusual feature of the building was that it was built on piles, due to subsidence from former salt mines which are underneath the town.
In the 1970’s a second screen was built adjacent to the main one and this seated 200. By this time seating in the main original auditorium had been reduced down to 927.
The Regal Cinema was closed on 6th January 2007 with a charity presentation of "Grease" starring John Travolta. Later, all contents of the building were auctioned off. Shortly after closure the building was used as a location shoot for the horror film "Dead City" which is set in an abandoned cinema. The Regal Cinema was demolished in Spring of 2013.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
Projection equipment at the Regal was Westar with Orcon xenons. Sound was Western Electric. For many years Peerless arcs provided the light.At the time of closing towers were in use and there were still two projectors in the main box.The Regal was part of Cheshire County Cinemas, run by the Godfrey family. For many years the head office of this small chain was based at the Empress Runcorn, which closed in 1973 and was demolished to allow for road improvements.
Before Orcon xenons were employed the light source was provided by the Peeless Magnarc carbon arc.
There is a project to try to reopen this theater.
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The Regal Community Cinema Trust is in the early stages of development. Our aim is to preserve for the benefit of the public, the locally significant Regal Cinema building, Northwich, which has been in the same ownership since it’s construction in 1939, and operated continuously until January 2007. And to promote and encourage interest, learning and enjoyment of the British Cinema Experience (particularly through the medium of film) for the residents of Northwich and the surrounding area. More information can be found at View link
The closed-down Regal Cinema, photographed in March 2009:
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Internal photos from December 2009
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The Regal was equipped with Simplex projectors when it opened, later changing to Westar.
I have seen pictures on Flickr that show this cinema being demolished.
Just uploaded a couple of pictures showing the demolition of the cinema.
Is David who posted these still on here ?