ABC Brighton
75-79 East Street,
Brighton,
BN1 1PP
75-79 East Street,
Brighton,
BN1 1PP
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Screen 1 just sat empty for a decade. It was only after the whole site was closed that a conversion to a casino took place.
I don’t know when the screen was split, however the larger screen 1 was closed in 1990 when the marina cinema opened. Therefore for the last 10 years of operation it was only a 3 screen cinema.
I worked from this cinema as a relief projectionist for the southern area of EMI, which meant I covered the ABC Hayward Heath, ABC Hove, ABC Brighton and Astoria Brighton as part of my job. The ABC Brighton was built with two projection boxes one on the roof but the rack was to great to be used and was never finished. The second was built into and under the circle.It was also planned to be a theatre but the stage was never finished as the Astoria was used as a theatre instead. It is also the only cinema I know of that had a car park under it.
I only remember this cinema when it was 3 screens, however, it was a good place to watch a film and always seemed to be busy. I understand that the owners found it hard to make it pay its way, but it was a loss to Brighton when it closed. We need another cinema and an operator should be found to re-open the East Street section of the building again as a cinema.
Like the Forum in Liverpool, the initial designs for the Savoy and the Forum cinemas were by F C Mitchell who was Savoy Cinemas architect.
The exteriors of both cinemas are substantially as designed by Mitchell.
The Promenade facade of the Savoy is a twin of the curved corner of the Forum, as drawn by Mitchell on the first plans of the Forum.
A shot as the Cannon Cinema here:–
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4859017863/
Here is a link to a photograph of the Savoy Cinema in 1930 and a potted history of the building:-
http://www.terramedia.co.uk/brighton/Savoy.htm
Another exterior here :–
View link
i really need some info about the night club in Unit 5 (floor 1 and 2, east street) — Toppers? —
cllr roy pennington
More photo’s of the Brighton ABC (under Cannon) here:
Exterior:-
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/374503284/
Screen 1:-
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/374503282/
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/374503280/
Restaurant or Dance Hall:-
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/374503278/
A photo of the main (East Street) entrance here – after conversion to a pub.
View link
Here is a 2005 photograph by woody; It shows the secondary entrance that gave prominence to the building on the sea front Promenade:
View link
The ABC was quadrupled in 1975 and had an 850 seat cinema in the former circle and 3 screens in the former orchestra stalls which seated 346, 284 and 231. The main screen in the former balcony closed in May 1991. The 3 smaller screens continued until they were closed on 20th January 2000.
I was based at this cinema as a zone relief projectionist, the chief at that time was a Mr John Eaton. My job was to give single man cover for staff shortages, illness and holiday etc. Though it turned out there was a little more to it than that. It turn out I was there to easy the transitions from multiple manning of the companies projection boxes to single manning working both single and double shifts. As has been said this cinema had two fully fitted restaurants and a cafe, a ballroom and a under ground car park. What as not been said was that this cinema had a full size stage and dressing room which were never fitted out. It also had two entrance, one on Brigton sea front and one in East Street. It also had something I have only seen in modern cinemas a passager lift. When this cinema was built, it was built with two projection boxes, one was built into the roof and was never completted, the other was built into and under the front of the circle. I alway found it funny that no one ever finished building parts of the cinema yet on the other hand no finished taking it apart. IE the restaurant they simple closed them and boarded them up and left them as they were for nearly twenty years. The ballroom become the managers flat from some time. The running cost’s of this cinema meant who ever owned it found it hard to make it pay it way, which lead to it’s being closed down for good.