Dolgarrog Cinema/theatre - 2/1/2010

[5erenaur]

Ok, so this is my first report and I haven't seen it done on here before so here goes! I don't have any flashes for my camera yet so I'm kind of restricted to bouncing on camera flash and long exposure shots and this place was much darker than the pictures make it look!

Well I've wanted to get into this place for a while now, I used to live in the village but the cinema was always boarded off but a recent trip to the parents house revealed a board that had been removed by someone so I didn't hesitate to return with my camera! I can't find much of anything by the way of research on this place other than a paragraph on an old local residents website:

I saw Dolgarrog cinema being built when I was in the junior part of the Central School. It seemed to us as kids to be a massive and modern building, and in its day I suppose it was.

When completed it became a venue of many aspects of Dolgarrog. Every Saturday night it was the 'Dance Hall', it also doubled as the venue for visiting concert parties, and of course, the cinema every Tuesday and Friday evening. On a Sunday afternoon it became our Sunday School where I was taught initially by 'Dick R'ingan', Mr. Richard Jones, the engine driver of the works factory railway engine. He was a kindly elderly man who aways called me John !!!

It stands empty now and has been boarded up for years, I don't know if there are any plans in store for it but there's to be some regeneration in the village soon so perhaps it'll be utilised then?

Anyhoo, I didn't get any shots of outside as it was thrashing down with rain and hail so it's straight in there with the interior shots I'm afraid.

Entrance door:



Ticket booth:



Ladies toilets showing some signs of local kids being there before me!:

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Windows on the stairs leading up to the (unfortunately empty) projection room:



Projection room wall:



The main hall from the projection room:



Entrance to the main hall from the foyer:



The hall from the stage:



Stage access:



I'd love to go back with some flashes perhaps at twilight but untill then these will have to do!

I also took some posey shots of me with my bass on the stage but that's not really in keeping with the report so I'll save them!