ABC Mansfield
Leeming Street,
Mansfield,
NG18 1NG
Leeming Street,
Mansfield,
NG18 1NG
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Showing 17 comments
surf digby Have put comments on your picture of the exterior.
If anyone from the the church can show me around my contact e mail is
Hi i would love to see the old cinema parts of the building and take pictures is there any way i could?
Hi guys, official church opening is 21st September 6pm for refreshments, 7pm start. You’re welcome to join us. Downstairs has been transformed!
Hi Andi. I too am a great fan of the Grand. Have been in a couple of times since it closed as Rileys. Did all floors……in the dark, with a torch. Would love to join you if you are visiting again. A beautiful building that has been saved.
Hi Andi, I would love an opportunity to tour the rest of the building. I have been in the projectionist room (and had my first “scary pigeon” moment in there), but missed out on the fly tower due to my comically underpowered torch.
anyone got a time machine? would love to see it in all its theatrical glory! Imagination is almost as much fun though! We found out that General William Booth came to Mansfield and spoke at The Grand! (circa 1908).
@ andirichardson.. Those pics bought back memories.. When I did Relief Management there. I had to go on the stage to go to the Managers Flat to collect the theatre keys. The Stage Tabs when I was there was a proper Theatre flying set.. and The Drenchers.. The Lighting bars where still in place..
hey surf_digby, just missed you the day you came, thanks for the photo’s. Been in today and got a few pictures of the fly tower, thought you might like to see them. The place is pigeonsville at the mo! By the way, been way up right into projectionist room. Have you ever been up there? Although a miss, there are a few nostalgic items up there. By way of thanks, if you want a tour, let me know, best via facebook. The film-reel cupbaords are still there too. Would they be of interest to you cinema buffs?
UPDATE: The former Grand will be staying with for a few more years yet. It was bought in auction a few weeks ago, and is being turned into a church. The Pastor is a local man with as much nostalgic appreciation for the building as I, so won’t be ripping everything out, and has plans for Screen 2 to be refitted back into a small cinema (not that 300+ seats is considered small these days).
There is one photo on Flickr of Screen 2, seemingly taken just after the 1978 tripling. http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldcinemaphotos/3334701547/
Other than that one – and a photo of the staff taken in the foyer – I’ve not seen any other photo’s of the interior that were taken when the cinema was still alive.
Regarding the removal of the cladding, the architectural plans relating to the metal covering reads “Profile of projecting cornices and band courses to be cut back to line of pies(?) faces”. From poking my head through the windows, the stonework does not appear to be in particularly good shape. The balustrade on top of the curved section has been removed and replaced with brick. If the metal cladding were to be removed, the front of the building probably wouldn’t look too pretty. The bricking up of windows and cementing was not done with much consideration of asthetics.
@ andirichardson. There should be some internal. They where taken after the ABC 1960’s ferub.. I have been searching.. I loaned a number of photos out some years ago and they where never returned.. The Cladding would come off. Might have to do repairs to the bolt areas and the front pediment
@surf_digby @Mike_Blakemore Hi guys, great comments. Do you know where I can get any internal photo’s from when it was still in use as a cinema? Still a great building, wondering if that cladding could ever come off?
@ surf_digby. Very good pictures.. I used to do Managment Relief there in the 1970’s I spent many happy hours investergating the building. If you see what I mean. This Theatre would have been better being taken over and used as the local Theatre instead of the one they have..
I have an extensive collection of photographs “mapping” the interior, taken in 2012. Downstairs, there’s not much left, but the circle, offices and staircases, and backstage are still there.
A vintage photograph of the ABC triple screen in 1977:
View link
The former Grand Theatre/ABC photographed in May 2008:
http://flickr.com/photos/14936165@N00/2586091273/