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Report - - ABC Cinema - Wakefield - Sept 2014 | Theatres and Cinemas | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - ABC Cinema - Wakefield - Sept 2014

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Rincewind

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
History from Wikipedia

The ABC Cinema in Wakefield is an Art Deco building that was designed for Associated British Cinemas by in-house architect William R. Glen and opened as the Regal Cinema on 9 December 1935.

Not as large as some later ABC houses the Regal accommodated 1,594 but had a full stage 26 feet (7.9 m) deep behind the 43 feet (13 m) wide proscenium. The interior was rather plainer than many of Glen's cinemas with concealed lighting under the balcony and at the rear of the ceiling and pendant fittings casting light upwards towards the front of the cinema.

It was renamed ABC in 1962. In 1976 it was divided into three screens with Screen 1 seating 532 in the balcony using the original screen and projection suite and Screen 2 (236 seats) and Screen 3 (170 seats) in the rear stalls area. In this form it reopened on 11 November 1976. In 1986 ABC's cinemas were sold to The Cannon Group. In December 1996 Cineworld opened a multiplex in Wakefield and in 1997 the ABC closed.

Explored with forum members JaneEyre and ACID- REFLUX.

A bunch of teenagers entered the building very loudly prior to us making our way in, no idea where they vanished to, we didn't see or hear them again the entire time we were there was however a definite smell of our friend Mary Jane when we walked in.

One of the Foyer areas
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Remains of the air-handling unit
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What is left of the stalls including piles of carpet and seat mechanisms. This area is covered with water, basement level must be underwater.
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Stairs up to the balcony seating area, surprised that the handrail is still there.
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As seen from the front of the balcony, the screen has seen better days
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Looking up the balcony area, sadly the seating has been ripped out
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Full view of the cinema from the rear of the balcony section
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Some kind of heating element?
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We went in the projector room but it is now full of pigeons and not much else to see but lots to smell (JaneEyre ran off gagging)

JaneEyre taking a picture of a rat that was posing, she named it Arthur after a patron in our local who always hits on her
IMG_8822.jpg



Corridor and stairs on our way back out
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Thanks for looking :)
 

Fudge

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
All that wood stacked prime for a spliff-sparked bonfire.

Nice one, never seen this before.
 

JaneEyre

The clumsiest explorer in Yorkshire!
28DL Full Member
Really impressed how these came out, it was pitch black in there! Head torch and handheld job for definite! x
 

ACID- REFLUX

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Nice ones mate :thumb

Come out ok considering the zero light & that cats Eye you call a torch :D

Sure i lit some of these ;) gonna have to charge in future mate lol
 

Rincewind

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Cheers. Yeah I definitely nicked some of your light :D I think me and JaneEyre are going to have to invest in a couple of decent torches :)
 

jj north

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
not be long til this is either locked back down or burnt to a crisp . the access is THAT visible
 

ACID- REFLUX

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
There"s not much left to actually burn TBH apart from the extensive wooden walkways etc in the roof section. All the other stuffs mostly piled up & is saturated by the flood water.As the structures all Concrete formed it tends not to burn too well, which i imagine has annoyed certain people ;)

Nothing like discussing access to interest the local Chavs & Pikey"s
 

Plaza1914

28DL Member
28DL Member
The screen that looks to have seen better days is right at the back of the stage, with a recess (horn chamber) behind it. It would have been the original screen location; they were set well back behind multiple tabs and drapes. When CinemaScope came along in the mid-1950s, the wide screen had to be at the front of the stage, otherwise people in seats to the sides wouldn't be able to see the full width. It looks like ABC erected a CinemaScope screen and didn't bother removing it's predecessor.

I'd wager that the "electric heater" is/was a motorised lights dimmer/rheostat.
 
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