Explored with Speed and OT.
A very good history of the cinema on this dedicated site.
Empire Cinema Neath | Film Programmes
If at first you don't succeed, try try again. Speed and I have looked at this many times and it was always rather tight. Well persistence paid off and on our forth or fifth time looking we found the cinema to be open. Perhaps it's impending demolition has made others fancy a look inside too...?
Well the inside was rather disappointing I must say. The lower floor had been used as a snooker hall, and the top "top ten bingo". It seems that the building has had a new roof at some point, and this has pretty much wiped out all the plasterwork and features. Even our patented technique of rooting in wall spaces and under floors did not yeild any finds at all!
The projection room was quite intact, although missing it's projectors. The extraction pipes and a couple of bits were left in situ, along with some paintings and pin ups stuck up on the wall by projectionists of old.
Anyway, I'm pretty chuffed we got to see inside before it comes down.
Oh, dont take photos of the Viva outside, it gets you shouted at
A very good history of the cinema on this dedicated site.
Empire Cinema Neath | Film Programmes
If at first you don't succeed, try try again. Speed and I have looked at this many times and it was always rather tight. Well persistence paid off and on our forth or fifth time looking we found the cinema to be open. Perhaps it's impending demolition has made others fancy a look inside too...?
Well the inside was rather disappointing I must say. The lower floor had been used as a snooker hall, and the top "top ten bingo". It seems that the building has had a new roof at some point, and this has pretty much wiped out all the plasterwork and features. Even our patented technique of rooting in wall spaces and under floors did not yeild any finds at all!
The projection room was quite intact, although missing it's projectors. The extraction pipes and a couple of bits were left in situ, along with some paintings and pin ups stuck up on the wall by projectionists of old.
Anyway, I'm pretty chuffed we got to see inside before it comes down.
Oh, dont take photos of the Viva outside, it gets you shouted at
