Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
This film is part of Free
Cinemas in Faversham and Sittingbourne
Enjoy this visual record of three cinemas in Kent as filmed by Alan Stingemore in the 1980s
From the collection of:
Overview
We start in Faversham's Market Square where we see the New Royal cinema, bingo hall and social centre. Built in a mock-Tudor style, the building blends in well with its surroundings. The decorative plasterwork gives a clue to the original owner. At Preston Street we see a baroque-style shop facade that was once the Gem Cinema before we end at the Cannon Cinema in Sittingbourne with its Moderne-style frontage. A couple at the entrance look at posters before moving on.
Faversham's New Royal cinema was originally opened as an Odeon in 1936. Designed by Andrew Mather in a mock-Tudor style it blends into its medieval surroundings. The cinema was altered in 1974 to include a bingo hall before it finally closed in 1992. Plans to demolish the cinema were opposed by pressure groups and a local film society now uses the cinema to show a variety of films. The 'Gem', opened in 1912 and originally called the Gem Picture Palace, lasted until 1935 when a modern cinema called the Argosy opened a few doors away. The final cinema seen in the film was also originally opened as an Odeon in 1937. After various changes of owner, it is today partly a cinema and partly a bingo hall.
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