Savoy Cinema

Located in Spalding, Lincolnshire and adjacent to the Prince’s Cinema. The Savoy Cinema opened on 10th June, 1937 with Irene Dunne in “Theodora Goes Wild”. The seating capacity was 1,500, with 1,040 in the stalls and 560 in the circle levels. It was built by George Aspland Howden for his Spalding Picturehouse Co.

The architect for the Savoy Cinema was Alfred J. Thraves who designed the grand Streamline Moderne style building with a fine Art Deco interior. It was built to replace the original 1912 Spalding Picture House.

At the time the cinema was built, it was the largest purpose built cinema in Lincolnshire.

By the early-1960’s, its cinema audience’s had declined rapidly, and the popularity of bingo became apparent and the Savoy Cinema by now was only showing film two nights a week, with bingo on other nights.

The Savoy Cinema closed on 3rd July 1970 with Burt Lancaster in “Castle Keep”. It became a permanent bingo club, known as Regent Bingo Club. The Regent Bingo Club now has now been operating bingo from the building for over 50 years, much longer than it being a cinema.

Sometime during the 2000’s, to save heating costs, a false ceiling was inserted in the auditorium, with the circle partitioned off.

In the early hours of the morning Saturday 15th May 2021, a fire (possibly an electrical fault?) badly damaged the building. It was due to re-open as a bingo club on Monday 17th May when Covid-19 restrictions were being lifted. The owners Majestic Bingo Ltd. have said “they hope to reopen as soon as possible”. By 2024 that had not happened, and the building was standing vacant, with the false ceiling removed and the bingo equipment removed.

Recent comments (view all 2 comments)

Ian on September 7, 2015 at 1:27 am

The Regent Bingo Club was taken over by Majestic Bingo Ltd around two years ago, and who plans to restore the building. Photos taken September 2015 here:–

REGENT EXTERIOR

REGENT ART DECO WINDOW

REGENT BINGO – STALLS TO STAGE

REGENT BINGO PROSCENIUM TOP

REGENT BINGO – BALCONY

Biffaskin on October 26, 2024 at 7:11 am

Unfortunately the building still stands unused and forlorn. The fire/smoke damage is apparent, the bingo equipment has been stripped out, the false ceiling removed, and a start made on redecoration, but sadly that has stopped abruptly.