The Regent Cinema was a cinema in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, England. It was opened by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres on 27 July 1921 and was one of that company's first super cinemas. It was demolished in 1974.

Design

The building was designed by architect Robert Atkinson in the

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style, with interiors by Walpole Champneys and murals by

Walter Bayes Walter John Bayes (31 May 1869 – 21 January 1956) was an English painter and illustrator who was a founder member of both the Camden Town Group and the London Group and also a renowned art teacher and critic. Biography Early life Bayes was bo ...

. The proscenium was designed by Lawrence Preston of

Brighton College of Art Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. There was one screen, with 2,024 seats.

Location

The Regent Cinema was located on Queen's Road in Brighton, on the site of the historic Unicorn Inn (which was built in 1597 and demolished in 1920.)

History

In 1923 the building expanded with a Georgean

Restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

with orchestra, Ship

Cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargil ...

and upstairs

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

. In January 1929, the cinema was closed for 18 months due to fire damage on the stage end and auditorium. In July 1967 the ballroom was converted to a bingo hall. The cinema closed on 14 April 1973, with the final showing being ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

''. It was demolished in 1974, the site being occupied by a department store.

References

External links

Photograph of the main entrance
from March 1971, retrieved fro
Odeon Cavalcade
at Brightonfilm.com Buildings and structures demolished in 1974 Former cinemas in England Buildings and structures in Brighton and Hove Demolished buildings and structures in East Sussex {{UK-theat-struct-stub