Queen's Cinema
High Street and Bell Road,
Sittingbourne,
ME10
High Street and Bell Road,
Sittingbourne,
ME10
1 person
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The Queens was indeed renovated in 1958. It was very popular in school holidays when we queued along the alley from the High Street to see the first Carry On films and TV spin-offs and adventures like Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Ray Harryhousen’s Mysterious Island. Saturday morning pictures introduced us to Will Hay whose films were so funny. When no films were being shown in the former Odeon across the road, the Queens had the pick of the films. Advance booking was necessary for The Sound of Music.
Watchester Cinemas renovated the Queens ten years earlier than stated. A wide proscenium for scope was installed. I enjoyed very many films here for fifteen years as the Queens had the ABC release e.g Cliff Richard in the Young Ones. That film and others played to full houses. I was a part-time projectionist there when it closed in May 1973. A few weeks before, Cabaret was doing excellent business. Classic bought the Queens and transferred its bingo club to their Vogue bingo club in the former Odeon across the road where they had created two cinemas above the bingo hall.
Happy memories of seeing 2001 and Planet of the Apes here in 1968.
John Clancy in “The Long- gone cinemas of Swale” (2003) says the porch was added between the wars. His books contains extra photos including interior.