Essoldo Cheltenham
391 High Street,
Cheltenham,
GL50 3HU
391 High Street,
Cheltenham,
GL50 3HU
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Essoldo Circuit (Contol) Ltd.
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Ritz Theatre, Ritz Cinema
Nearby Theaters
Located some distance from the main town centre. The Ritz Theatre was opened on 18th September 1937 with Errol Flynn in "Green Light". It was designed by its operator, a Mr. A.S. Walters. Seating was provided on a stadium plan, with a raised section at the rear instead of a balcony. The proscenium was 30 feet wide.
The Ritz Cinema was taken over by the Essoldo chain in around June 1947. It was modernised for CinemaScope and re-opened as the Essoldo on 31st May 1954 with Richard Burton in “The Robe”. The Essoldo was closed on 25th April 1964 with Todd Armstrong in "Jason and the Argonauts". It was converted into a Legalite Bingo Club, which by 1998 was operated by Mecca Bingo Clubs. In 2011, it operated as the ACE Bingo Club, which closed in the mid-2010’s. Planning permission was approved in 2014 to convert or demolish the building for flats which led to demolition in 2019 and they had been constructed by 2020.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
There is a picture of the former Essoldo as the ACE Bingo Hall at the bottom of this webpage: View link.
The bingo operation closed sometime ago, and planning permission to demolish them eyesore building’ as the local newspaper describes it has been approved. The building’s future looks bleak.