Golden age Plymouth cinema set for revamp

The venue once hosted The Beatles

Exciting new plans have been outlined to reinvent an Art Deco cinema in Plymouth where bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones once graced the stage.

The Reel Cinema at Derry’s Cross closed in 2019 but was once known as The Royal and is one of the remaining ABC picture houses built by WR Glen which are said to be of national importance.

Last year it was designated as an asset of community value and now a group set up to preserve it has submitted a fresh pre-application enquiry to Plymouth City Council laying out its vision to create a vintage cinema-viewing-experience alongside a sophisticated in-house bar and café/restaurant and six boutique bed and breakfast rooms with all the glamour of the golden age of Hollywood.

The Plymouth Royal Cinema Community Benefit Society and its predecessor (Plymouth Royal Cinema Trust) have amassed a significant following of supporters including both local people and celebrities, say planning documents.

A 2017 change.org petition to save the building, which includes the former bingo hall and Lozenzos restaurant, attracted 5,149 signatories.

The society says it is working with three partners in developing a bid for funding to implement the regeneration plan for this “independent, community-owned cultural hub” which will “inject energy into the city’s cultural scene and ignite local pride”.

Included in the plans are flexible event spaces that can cater for 300 seated music fans or 800 standing, a cafe and exhibition space to replace the current Screen 3 and a rooftop cocktail bar which will repurpose currently unused spaces above the projection room, transforming a series of external roof terraces into a unique high-quality city centre destination.

There are also backstage areas, a media arts centre and education spaces proposed.

The venue was purpose built for an audience of 2,400 people. In 1963 it hosted The Beatles, in the 1970s The Rolling Stones. Elton John and Cliff Richard and comedy duo Morecambe and Wise were the last to play there in 1976.

The planning documents to the council say that following multiple nightclub closures in the early 2000s, and the loss in more recent years of the Cooperage (capacity 450), White Rabbit (capacity 350), and The Hub (capacity 450), the city’s live- performance ecosystem has been “significantly undermined”. 

“A number of pubs and small venues still provide live music in small-scale intimate settings in the city (The Nowhere Inn, The Underground, The Junction) but from there the capacity jumps to 800 at The Depo (foremost a successful nightclub but with the ability to host live acts), with the next step up being the 4,000 capacity Plymouth Arena (Pavilions).

The society says it is in discussions with Plymouth Arts Cinema, Plymouth Athenaeum, The Depo and Nudge Community Builders and others to develop a new live music venue network.

It is also hoping to cater for local theatre groups so they can perform in a large enough space to profit from their shows.

The Royal Cinema, built in 1938, is one of the only three structures that survived The Blitz. The other two are Derrys Clock (1862), and The Bank (1889) which are both listed buildings.

A £1 million Crowdfunder fighting fund for The Royal was launched last year and so far 74 supporters have raised £2,835.

If the project comes to fruition it is expected to provide eight full time jobs once complete.

Plymouth City Council is currently refurbishing the Guildhall with the aim of returning it to its former glory as a premium music venue in the city and Plymouth Athenaeum is also hoping to reopen as an arts and culture centre in the future if it can raise enough funding.