Regal Cinema

Located in the east London district of Bow. Originally on this site was the Three Cups public house which had a 300 seat hall built at its rear in 1855, known first as Bow Music Hall, then from 1889-1892 as Marlow’s Music Hall.

It was rebuilt in 1892 as a 1,044 seated theatre, known as Eastern Empire Theatre. Seating was provided for 484 in the orchestra, 260 in the balcony and 300 in the gallery and there was standing room for 1,034. It It was taken over by the Macnaghten Vaudeville Circuit in 1899, and operated as the Palace Theatre from 1903 until 1917, then was briefly re-named Tivoli Theatre from 1917 until 1918.

In 1923 it was rebuilt to the plans of cinema architect George Coles of the architectural firm Adams & Coles, and re-opened on 12th November 1923 as the Bow Palace Cinema. Rebuilt again in 1935, this time in an Art Deco style by architects Leslie Kemp & Frederick Tasker, with interior decoration by Mollo & Egan. It was re-opened by Lou Morris as the Regal Cinema on 26th September 1935 with Jack Buchanan in "Brewsters Millions" and Wallace Beery in "West Point of the Air".

Closed by German bomb damage during World War II, it was repaired and re-opened on 16th October 1947 with Sally Gray in "They Made Me A Fugitive" and "Big Business".

The Regal Cinema was closed on 11th January 1958 with Tyrone Power in "The Sun Also Rises" and Tom Trout in "A Gun In His Hand". The building was demolished in 1960 and the site redeveloped. Currently a modern housing development sits on the site.

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