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Report - - Glenroyal Cinema , Shipley 09/04/10 | Theatres and Cinemas | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Glenroyal Cinema , Shipley 09/04/10

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Squirrell 911

28DL Regular User
Regular User
I have driven past this place a few times feeling the need to explore this place and an opportunity arose so I was in.


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The Shipley Picture House Company (later to become Glenroyal Cinema Company) built this showpiece super-cinema in 1932, the 1200-seater Glenroyal in a prime position in Briggate and only a few yards away from the old and now defunct Shipley Picture House. The building was designed by the Manchester architect Ernest Dawson, LRIBA, FSI, AMSA, originally from nearby Windhill who also designed and owned the Western Cinema in Park Road, Bradford. It was the idea of Shack Hyde as this was to become the flagship of his A.S Hyde Circuit and built at a cost of 25,000 GBP with over seventy percent of the work done by local labour and materials supplied by local tradesmen.

The Glenroyal closed as a cinema on Saturday 8th December 1962 with the final films:


"The Loudest Whisper" - USA 1961 B/W 107 mins.
Starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley Maclaine and James Garner.
and
"Gun Street" - USA 1961 B/W 67 mins.
Starring James Brown, Jean Willes and John Clarke.

The building was now owned by Eckhart's Star Cinemas of Leeds who converted it into the Glen Casino, with manager Vincent Gallagher, for bingo together with "Fast, Exciting, Thrilling legalite Roulette direct from the Continent" opening on Thursday 8th January 1963. Star retained the Glen part of the name though that was later changed to EMI Bingo and Social Club in 1974 and lasted until the premises closed in 1982. A suspended ceiling was put in at front circle level right across to the stage area.

A new owner re-opened the premises this time as Walkers Bingo and in 1990 the freehold building was bought by King's Leisure as King's Bingo and Social Club until its demise in January 2005.

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Upper circle.

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Very cosey.

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Going up to the projector room.

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And finally the projector room.

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Including an arc rectifier bulb.

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Thanks for looking.
 
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