Regent Cinema

About

Regent Cinema, Marple is one of a very few surviving independent cinemas in the UK providing latest movies at an affordable price.

Story

Marple's first regular film shows were held at the Shepley Hall, now the Conservative Club, on Church Lane. A cinematograph licence was granted to James Rolmaz in July 1911, and the hall was later run by Henry Lawrence. In August 1915 Lawrence moved from the Shepley Hall to new premises in Church Lane, which he called the Gem cinema. The Shepley Hall was later used for occasional film shows. By all accounts the Gem was a primitive, mostly wooden structure, with the seating consisting largely of wooden benches. The Gem survived until the arrival of talking pictures under a number of proprietors. These included Messrs. Morris and Ryden of Hollins Lane, Marple, with N.Cooper acting as resident manager, and Walter Stott, a well known figure in Manchester cinema circles.

In February 1931, when an application was made to extend the opening hour from 10.30 p.m. to 10.45 p.m., the Gem was described as shabby by the police, and the clerk to the magistrates warned that unless the cinema was put into a presentable condition the licence might be in jeopardy. In October Harold Wright, the then licencee, applied for a dramatic, music and dancing licence in respect of the cinema. "The Talkies have come
into vogue", he said, "and as the place is not large enough to install a talkie apparatus, we
intend to run performances by dramatic societies and concert parties". The new policy began on Monday 20 October 1931. The building was later used as a meeting hall.

Early in 1932 a plan was approved for the conversion of the Union Rooms, and three adjoining houses on Stockport Road into a cinema. The Union Rooms had been built by Thomas Carver, owner of Hollins Mill in Marple, as a chapel, coffee room, library and reading room for the destitute. Later it was used by the Congregational Chapel. The original plans, drawn up by William Thornley (architect of the Plaza, Stockport) for Waiter Stott, entailed clearing the site and building an entirely new cinema to be called the Rialto. In the end the cinema, the Regent, was a conversion of the existing buildings. It was designed by architect R. N. Sampson, of Sheffield, for the Marple Cinema Co. Ltd. The managing in Sheffield. Fitted with British Thompson Houston sound equipment, the cinema seated about 500. The same company had also taken over the Arts Theatre in New Mills in 1930, and reopened it as a cinema early in 1931.

The Regent survived into the 1960s in a poor state of repair; it was run by manager Ray Taylor, a well-known local character, and later, in its final days, by manager, projectionist, boilerman and caretaker Lawrence Corbett. It was closed on 3 August 1968, and put up for sale. In December an application was made of the U. D. C. for the use of the building as a bingo hall, but this was refused. The U.D.C. then planned to issue a compulsory purchase order for the building, but it was finally reopened as the New Regent cinema in June 1969, by David Lillis.
David Lillis had previous experience of cinema management with the ABC circuit, and with the help of his father, almost completely renovated the cinema. The circle seating was replaced with Pulman seats, new stalls seats installed and the interior redecorated and recarpeted. The cinema now seats 252. Until four years ago they also ran a twin cinema in Matlock, but now concentrate on running the Regent. In line with national trends attendances have been up during the last two years, but some films can still perform poorly. The Regent has excellent projection and sound facilities and general standards matching the best in the area.