New Princess Palace
321 Newtownards Road,
Belfast,
BT4 1AG
321 Newtownards Road,
Belfast,
BT4 1AG
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Irish Cinemas Ltd., Rank Organisation
Architects: Robert Sharpe Hill
Functions: Bingo Hall, Cafe
Nearby Theaters
The New Princess Palace opened on 29th July 1912, right across the road from the Princess Cinema that had opened two years earlier!(It has its own page on Cinema Treasures). The subsequent confusion led to the earlier cinema being known as the Old Princess Cinema, while the newer arrival became known as the New Princess Palace. The owner was Ferris Pounds, manager of the Picturedrome. A striking feature was the windmill-like central tower, lined with vertical electric lights. The architect’s drawings show a set of sails attached to the tower, but they were never installed. The cinema had a 30 feet wide proscenium, the stage was 20 feet deep, and there were two dressing rooms.
The New Princess Palace closed on 2nd April 1960. In November 2008, when I photographed it, the windmill tower had been removed and the truncated building was occupied by the Three Two One arcade, cafe and bingo club.
Contributed by
David Simpson
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Opened 29 July 1912, closed 2 April 1960.
Architect Robert Sharpe Hill designed a shelter for the cinema in 1928.
The early history of this cinema is intrinsically linked to the Old Princess Picture Palace on the opposite side of the road. To get a clearer understanding of why there were two cinemas with virtually identical names competing with each other and in such close proximity, readers may find it beneficial to read the entry for the Old Princess on Cinema Treasures.
The New Princess Picture Palace (the word ‘Picture’ was later dropped) was operated by Irish Electric Palaces through its subsidiary City & Suburban Cinemas. The new cinema was overseen by director Ferris Pounds, formerly the manager of the Picturedrome, Mountpottinger Road which had opened in the area in 1911. An experienced manager, James Bowering was brought in from London to take day-to-day charge although later on Ferris Pounds was listed as resident manager in the K.Y.B’s.
It’s been claimed that an estimated 20,000 people visited during its opening week. There were 100 seats at 6d, 200 at 4d, all of which were of the tip-up upholstered type. To separate the cheaper seats from those dearer ones there was a 4ft high barrier, which was supervised by staff. Cheaper seats, for around 800 patrons, were provided on solid wooden benches in the stalls or ‘Pit’; these were priced at 2d each. Access to these seats was through an alleyway at the side of the building. To access the dearer seats a direct entrance was provided at the front of the building, using a wide staircase.
To set the above in the context of the time and place. The Newtownards Road was part of the Ballymacarrett district, a densely populated part of east Belfast. The population, mostly working class, lived in two up, two down terraced houses which lined the narrow streets. Dominating the area was the Harland & Wolff shipyard with its towering gantries and this is where many of the men in the area worked. For three years the world’s largest ship, the RMS Titanic was under construction there. Only a few months before the New Princess opened its doors the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
During the 1930s Irish Electric Palaces became Irish Theatres which would emerge as one of the largest chains in Northern Ireland. In 1955 Irish Theatres was bought by the Rank Organisation. The New Princess remained under Rank’s control until its closure. Readers of the Belfast Telegraph (the leading medium for local cinema advertising) would usually find the name New Princess above its programme details in the classifieds. There appears to be no evidence that the word ‘New’ was ever used on the building’s fixed signage.
The Planet Bingo Club is the current occupant of the building. If there are any remnants of the old building to be seen, these would be at the sides and possibly the rear of the building. The frontage is unrecognisable, having undergone more than one reconstruction over the years. During the 1980s the occupant was the 3-2-1 Bingo Club which was run by Ronnie Rutherford. In 1988 he reopened the Strand, Holywood Road as a 4-screen cinema.