The New Royal Cinema - Faversham, Kent, UK
Posted by: 
MeerRescue
N 51° 18.948 E 000° 53.488
31U E 353059 N 5687054
This privately operated cinema can be found in Market Place, Faversham, Kent, UK.
Waymark Code: WME6W7
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/11/2012
Views: 5
As with many cinemas in the UK, this one
too has had a chequered history. Built in 1936 in the heart of old town
Faversham, it was decided not give the building the in vogue art deco Odeon
treatment of the day and architect Andrew Mather came up with this mock Tudor
design to fit in with the other medieval buildings surrounding the site. Originally opened as the 'Odeon Theatre' on 9th March 1936,
it was re-named the
'Classic' when that chain purchased it and opened on 10th December 1967. Again a
name change, this time to the 'Royal' on 28th September 1969.
It closed it's doors for the first time on the 1st May 1974 and it's fate looked
bleak. However, on the 21st November 1979 it's doors opened once more with
another new identity, this time as 'Corel Bingo'. Once more a re-naming exercise
took place in 1984 when it became the 'New Royal Cinema/Bingo', but the film
side of the business closed just a year later and it became a full time Bingo
hall until it closed it's doors for a second time in 1992. Fortunately,
this time some protection was in place, it having been given a Grade II listed
building status in March 1988.
The building was purchased and re-opened
as the New Royal Cinema, now a privately operated cinema, in 1994. It seems that the
investment in new equipment and refurbishments by it's owners has seen it's
popularity grow once more.