Regal Cinema

The photo isn’t labeled but I’m guessing by the locations of some of the switching that this is the forward wall of the projection room. Very sad to see it in this condition. Projecting a nights entertainment for so many people (around 3000 assuming two full showings) was an art in itself with a lot of pride among the projectionists in doing it well. There was a lot that could go wrong and many small ways to make the entertainment a more professional presentation.. Selecting the right sort of lighting and music to match the mood of the film for example, the ‘Tabs’ (curtains) at the Regal took 33 seconds to close so we marked the film to give us the exact time to begin the closing to ensure that they closed exactly as the film faded out..reels were 2000 ft spools requiring a ‘changeover’ between two projectors every twenty minutes, arc-lamps required constant adjustment to maintain a consistent light.. plenty of things could go wrong and projectionists were very critical of the presentation when visiting other cinemas.. it was easy for a cinema to gain a reputation of being sloppy. Nowadays I believe it’s just a question of throwing a couple of switches. Many fond memories of my time there in the early ‘60s.