Regent (Hinckley)

• Theatre ID
  162
• Built / Converted
  1929
• Dates of use
  • 1929 - 1968: (closed as a cinema)
• Current state
  Extant
• Current use
  Bingo
• Address
  Rugby Road/Lancaster Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, England

Details

The Regent was built in 1929 to accommodate films, variety and orchestral concerts. It opened with a live show given by the local Operatic Society, but seems to have become a full time cinema soon after. It closed in 1968 as a cinema and reopened as a bingo house. The building lies parallel to Rugby Road. It is brick faced in two storeys, with the entrance set in a row of shops. The height of the stage house does not reach the apex of the main roof, so it can hardly be said to have a fly tower in the ordinary sense. Conversion to bingo has made access difficult to some parts of the house. The stalls floor still has a good rake. A false ceiling has been inserted at the level of the top of the balcony front, allowing the plaster ornament to be seen. From the now isolated circle the top of the proscenium is visible, with lattice and rose ornament. The wooden grid does not extend to the full depth of the stage. There is no evidence of a safety curtain (which may have been of roller type). It would not be impossible to return the Regent to live performance use if the need arose, but the existence of a better equipped theatre, the Concordia, albeit with a smaller stage, makes this unlikely.

---

Hide further details

• Other names
  Gaumont, Classic, Zetters, Rainbow Club
• Events
  • 1929 - 1968 Use: (closed as a cinema)
  • 1929 Design/Construction:
    • H G Bradley (Birmingham) - Architect
  • 1929 Design/Construction:
    • F Foster (Nottingham) - Consultant: Decorative Artist
  • 1929 Owner/Management: Hinckley & Dursley Theatre Ltd, proprietor; A D Orchard, managing director
  • Owner/Management: Odeon (Rank)
  • 1967 Owner/Management: Classic Cinemas
  • 1980 Owner/Management: Zetters
  • 1980 Owner/Management: Coral
• Capacities
  • Current: c.920
• Listings
  • Grade Not listed
• Stage type
  • Flat
• Dimensions
  • Stage dimensions: 1929 Depth: 30ft Width SL: 30ft SR: 30ft
  • Proscenium width: 1929: 34ft 8in x 30ft high
  • Height to grid: c.25ft
  • Inside proscenium: 47ft