Wetherby’s Cinema, Caxton St, Wetherby, W Yorks, UK - Blue Plaques on Waymarking.com

The site on Caxton St was originally occupied by cottages. The cottages were demolished in 1914 and a cinema constructed by George Crossley. Crossley sold the cinema to Raby Picture House Ltd in 1915. The cinema was shortly afterwards requisitioned for billeting troops going to the First World War.

In 1944 Raby Picture Houses was bought out by Star Cinemas who changed the name to the Rodney after the name of the son of one of the directors. With the decline of cinema audiences the cinema became the Rodney Bingo and Social Club in 1965. The bingo hall continued until 1993. The building reverted to a cinema in 1994 and became known as the Wetherby Film Theatre.

The plaque reads

“Opened in 1915 as the ‘Raby Picture House’ to entertain the troops billeted in the Town, and named after the Town’s Perpetual Curate. In 1945 it was purchased by the Star Cinema Group and changed its name to the ‘Rodney’ after the son of one of the owners. It continued to show films until 1964 when it was sold and became a Bingo Club. It re-opened as a Cinema in 1993 and changed from film projection to digital projection in November 2012.”

Blue Plaque managing agency: Wetherby Civic Society Individual Recognized: Wetherby Cinema Physical Address: Caxton St Wetherby, W Yorks UK Web Address: [Web Link]

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