Ritz Cinema

In Market Drayton, Shropshire, it is not known when the Town Hall Cinema opened. It was not listed in the 1923 Kinematograph Year Book, but it was in the 1928 edition, the next one I have access to. At that time, it was operated by Cambria and Border Cinemas, based in Wrexham.

As the name suggests, it was situated inside the former town hall. One source says it was first leased to Walter Wright, “a well-known cinema operator”.

By 1945 Sydney T. Collett was the proprietor, and there were 500 seats. F. C. Leatham, of Wolverhampton, took over by 1950, and renamed it the Ritz Cinema.

He was succeeded the following year by S. L. Hillman. By 1957 the seating capacity had reduced to 460.

It is not known when the Ritz Cinema closed. It was not listed in the Kinematograph Year Books from 1961, but made a surprise reappearance in the 1967 and 1968 editions, albeit with just the cinema’s name and address shown. It was not listed from 1969. So the indications are that it closed in the early-1960s.

The building was subsequently demolished.

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