Royal Cinema

In Nuneaton, Warwickshire, popular local playwright and entertainer E. A. Shute branched out into the new field of cinematography and opened the Royal Cinema on August Bank Holiday Monday in 1910. Some sources suggest this was a conversion of a chapel, and the building does have that look about it, but this has not been confirmed. There were approximately 300 seats.

By 1930 the Royal Cinema had been leased to P. J. MacDonald, who installed an AWH sound system (which, apparently, could be heard out on the street!). By 1934 B. G. Hetherington had taken over, and the seating capacity had been reduced to 260. The proscenium was 22ft wide, while the screen was 16ft by 10ft.

By 1939, R. W. F. Sankey was the lessee but, during the war, the building went over to War Ministry use.

The Royal Cinema never re-opened. From 1949 the building was being used by Newdegate Printers. In the late-1980’s it was demolished in a redevelopment scheme, and replaced by shops.

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