The lost cinema …………… the Rochdale series

Now Andy Robertson, never misses an opportunity to capture a bit of our cinema past, and so I wasn’t surprised when he sent over a selection of pictures of the old ABC Regal cinema in Rochdale.

It is now a Weatherspoons and opened as such in 1997, but before that it was a picture house and for a while was a venue for bingo.

The Regal Cinema opened on May 16th, 1938 for the ABC chain with a total of 1901 seats, of which 1,208 were in the stalls and 693 in the balcony.

I won’t be alone in remembering that special “first date” that involved paying extra to sit in the balcony and then as the romance settled down ensured you ended up in the stalls.

I never visited the ABC Regal, but I know that it lasted until 1978 when it closed to reopen with three screens, and a new name.  As the Cannon it lasted till October 1992 and was restored to its original appearance and for a while operated a s bingo hall before being transformed in a Weatherspoons.

Sadly, according to that wonderful site cinema Treasures, the present décor is not unique to the old picture house.

Bit that said at least the building remains.

Location; Rochdale

Pictures; The former Regal Cinema, 2019 from the collection of Andy Robertson

* Cinema Treasures, http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3340