The Ritz
So what? Literally a few meters down the road from probably the biggest cinema in Essex is another cinema... Built the year after the State we bring you Grays part 2 - The Ritz. :P
Grays had the Regal, State, Ritz and the Empire... Unfortunately 3 have been demolished but a few years after seeing the epics of the State Cinema become revealed to us in Grays center we've had a good go at seeing it for ourselves with little success. But! We have our own little State we've had some fun with. The Ritz.
You'll have to excuse the mess of poorly scanned and exposed film brought to you by the finest Expired Kodak Gold ever to see the light of day. But that's all I had as the poor Sikon met it's demise at Harperbury a few weeks back. Luckily I now have a new one but at the time my "Praktica" and my phone was all I had to hand.
(Please tell me If you know anywhere that will scan better! I'll rescan and get them up here)
Not only do I apologize for the quality but also the lack due to a another roll of 35 that disintegrated inside my camera yesterday. That had a few of the front windows from inside but you'll have to excuse this just imagine you're back in the 80's or something... I quite like them but anyway...
But anyhow, I liked this place a lot, although converted to Mecca or whatever for a good few years everything seems to have been retained including the bar and all sorts of original 30's features. Yeah we missed out on a fair chunk of the place, the circle, project room, that weird tower thingy on the roof, but we got out because we were hearing someone on the phone inside the place. Yeah, weird... Me, MrStewie and Oakley took a trip after seeing it had closed in July and had a good run about here mixing it up with some Xibalba, Story so far, beverage and some other higher things in the town. Funny as night as usual!
History
The Ritz Cinema opened on 25th November 1940, unusual, as Britain was already over one year into World War II and non-essential buildings were not being built.
It was built for the small Lou Morris chain of cinemas and in July 1941 was taken over by Frederick’s Electric Theatres (Abraham’s Consolidated Co’s. Ltd.) who already operated the nearby State Cinema. Designed by architect E.H. Parke, the exterior has a brick faced tower feature over the corner entrance. Seating in the auditorium was provided in stalls and circle levels and the decorative scheme was a streamline Art Deco style with picturesque details. The proscenium was 41 feet wide and the cinema was equipped with a 2Manual LaFleur (Hammond) organ which was opened by noted theatre organist Florence De Jong, who was the wife of Lou Morris.
Abraham’s operated the Ritz Cinema for the remainder of its cinematic life and it closed on 1st February 1976 and was converted into a bingo club. Initially operated as an independent bingo club, it became part of the Mecca Bingo Club’s chain in 1979. The Mecca Bingo Club was closed on 15th July, 2015.
The Ritz Cinema is a Grade II Listed building.
Credits and much thanks to cinema treasures: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/22456
It is now undergoing some work, We're not sure what but there are tools etc. in the place. Can't find much on the place.
Pictures
Excuse the scans!
Mmmmmh Curvy deco
From the stage
Wingsss
This one was exposed and scanned fine, but the pic was poorly composed...
So annoyed this metered to the lights rather than the ceiling, you can't see it here because I took a second pic on the dead roll to show the lights and they look so good...
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And just to finish look at this golden gem of a picture
Hey, cheers for looking, sorry about the pictures but what can i do!
So what? Literally a few meters down the road from probably the biggest cinema in Essex is another cinema... Built the year after the State we bring you Grays part 2 - The Ritz. :P
Grays had the Regal, State, Ritz and the Empire... Unfortunately 3 have been demolished but a few years after seeing the epics of the State Cinema become revealed to us in Grays center we've had a good go at seeing it for ourselves with little success. But! We have our own little State we've had some fun with. The Ritz.
You'll have to excuse the mess of poorly scanned and exposed film brought to you by the finest Expired Kodak Gold ever to see the light of day. But that's all I had as the poor Sikon met it's demise at Harperbury a few weeks back. Luckily I now have a new one but at the time my "Praktica" and my phone was all I had to hand.
(Please tell me If you know anywhere that will scan better! I'll rescan and get them up here)
Not only do I apologize for the quality but also the lack due to a another roll of 35 that disintegrated inside my camera yesterday. That had a few of the front windows from inside but you'll have to excuse this just imagine you're back in the 80's or something... I quite like them but anyway...
But anyhow, I liked this place a lot, although converted to Mecca or whatever for a good few years everything seems to have been retained including the bar and all sorts of original 30's features. Yeah we missed out on a fair chunk of the place, the circle, project room, that weird tower thingy on the roof, but we got out because we were hearing someone on the phone inside the place. Yeah, weird... Me, MrStewie and Oakley took a trip after seeing it had closed in July and had a good run about here mixing it up with some Xibalba, Story so far, beverage and some other higher things in the town. Funny as night as usual!
History
The Ritz Cinema opened on 25th November 1940, unusual, as Britain was already over one year into World War II and non-essential buildings were not being built.
It was built for the small Lou Morris chain of cinemas and in July 1941 was taken over by Frederick’s Electric Theatres (Abraham’s Consolidated Co’s. Ltd.) who already operated the nearby State Cinema. Designed by architect E.H. Parke, the exterior has a brick faced tower feature over the corner entrance. Seating in the auditorium was provided in stalls and circle levels and the decorative scheme was a streamline Art Deco style with picturesque details. The proscenium was 41 feet wide and the cinema was equipped with a 2Manual LaFleur (Hammond) organ which was opened by noted theatre organist Florence De Jong, who was the wife of Lou Morris.
Abraham’s operated the Ritz Cinema for the remainder of its cinematic life and it closed on 1st February 1976 and was converted into a bingo club. Initially operated as an independent bingo club, it became part of the Mecca Bingo Club’s chain in 1979. The Mecca Bingo Club was closed on 15th July, 2015.
The Ritz Cinema is a Grade II Listed building.
Credits and much thanks to cinema treasures: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/22456
It is now undergoing some work, We're not sure what but there are tools etc. in the place. Can't find much on the place.
Pictures
Excuse the scans!
Mmmmmh Curvy deco
From the stage
Wingsss
This one was exposed and scanned fine, but the pic was poorly composed...
So annoyed this metered to the lights rather than the ceiling, you can't see it here because I took a second pic on the dead roll to show the lights and they look so good...
And just to finish look at this golden gem of a picture
Hey, cheers for looking, sorry about the pictures but what can i do!
