Premier Cinema
Reigate Road and Moore's Road,
Dorking,
RH4 1SG
Reigate Road and Moore's Road,
Dorking,
RH4 1SG
No one has favorited this theater yet
Related Websites
Dorking Halls (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Percy W. Meredith
Functions: Movies (First Run)
Styles: Art Deco
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
440130.688.1717
Nearby Theaters
Part of the Dorking Halls complex of 3-halls, built in 1930. The Premier Cinema opened on 27th June 1997 with 250 seats in what was originally the Masonic Hall. The Great Hall had 900-seats (today 801 seats) and is used for occasional one night screenings and a summer film festival.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Dorking Halls in 1990 photo here:–
View link
The Dorking Halls contains two cinemas, the Premier is full time and housed in a lovely old style auditorium with retractable seats,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/3336781427/
and the Great Hall is used for one nights and a summer film season seating 801
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/3337611462/
The council owned complex is currently (early 2009) under the threat of closure in a cost-cutting exercise. There is no other cinema within the town. The building is very well maintained and also contains the Martineau Hall, plus the usual bars and catering facilities.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/3336781695/
The architect for the building was Percy W. Meredith. Built for the Leith Hill Music Festival, it remained in their custody until WW2, when the building was acquisitioned by the Armed Forces and the Meat Marketing Board. A major sponsor of the building was composer Ralph Vaughan Williams who’s statue can be seen outside of the Dorking Halls today.
There are three halls within the complex: the Grand Hall can seat 900, the stage was large enough to have 300 singers and a full orchestra. The main floor is also a fully sprung dance floor. The Martineau Hall still remains, as does the Masonic Hall, which is the full-time cinema today.
After WW2 came to an end, the complex was left in very poor condition, so the Leith Hill Musical Festival sold the building to the local council for £15,000, who brought the building back into use from 1946.
Always intended as a multi-use community venue, the Dorking Halls still fulfills that criteria today. The Halls underwent a major refurbishment between 1994 and 1997 to make it the modern, fully-equipped theatre, cinema and conference centre that it is now. Further improvements to the bar and foyer areas to reflect the buildings Art Deco heritage were undertaken in 2017.
Despite concerns over costs in the past to the council, the complex is thriving, popular, and, importantly, profitable.