Palace Cinema
Carmel Street,
Abertillery,
NP13
Carmel Street,
Abertillery,
NP13
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Jackson Withers Circuits
Functions: Nightclub
Previous Names: Central Hall
Nearby Theaters
Probably the better of Abertillery’s many cinemas, the Palace Cinema, which was opened in 1914, continued to operate for some years while other valley cinemas were closing or switching to bingo. By 1962 this was the town’s sole surviving cinema.
The small exterior entrance boasted a narrow canopy with still displays on narrow boards outside of the cinema. By 1971 films were showing 5 days a week with bingo replacing the films for the remaining two days. The venue converted to full time bingo during 1976. The original seating arrangements increased from 900 to 1,263, although there is no confirmed date of when this took place. Following it’s closure in 1971, films were screened at the "STUDIO" cinema, previously the town’s old library.
During a general inspection of the venue in 1998 the exterior was in pretty bad shape. Part of the building at the time was being used as a nightclub while the original cinema entrance was bricked up. Clearly a sad site for any lover of cinemas, especially those who have fond memories of the Palace during it’s prime.
Contributed by
JMBRIGHTON
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
Sadly, the former Palace Theatre/Cinema on Carmel Street was acquired by the local authority following closure of the nightclub and failure to sell or let the venue. The cinema was demolished in 2015 and is now used as a car park. Another old venue lost.