regal cinema

Regal Cinema St Leonards-on-Sea 1937 – in colour

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Supplied by Leigh Kennedy https://www.facebook.com/leigh.kennedy.545

Leigh Kennedy… A nice colourised photo of the Regal Super Cinema taken in 1937.

Reid McDuffie… Where was the regal and what’s there now?

Claire Lonsdale… Reid, it was on London Road where that horrible Heron house is.

Reid McDuffie… Really? Wow, it would be wonderful if it was there now. An Art Deco gem

Kevin White… It’s actually a bit further down towards the sea where Ocean house is , just above Warrior Square Railway Station, there’s a footpath, just out of sight,on the left side of the building that leads down to it and Kings Road

Andy Maby… The tall red bricked building above St.L Warrior Sq starion Reid… (was once Gundolphus House or Ocean House)

Trevor Spears… Went to Saturday minors there in the dim and distant past!

Jacqueline Marsh… Walked past it every day to school at Christ Church, and one of my class mates called Stella lived in a flat in one of the houses by it. I remember the Saturday minors also.

Peter Ellingworth… If you remember the footpath led down to just by the old GPO sorting office at the end of King’s Road, and the Warrior Square station concourse.

Linda Gowans… With an old Anderson shelter visible part-way down on the right, if I remember correctly.

Lynda Whatley… Saturday Minors comes to mind – lovely days – used to attend Christ Church School back in the day

Graham Matthews… Our infrequent trips from the countryside into Hastings or St Leonards, was usually a school holiday trip on the bus with Mum. This was often a Cinema trip here or Norman Road and a meal in a Café by Skinners Garage, run by a family friend, Councillor Eric Duck, and a look around Kings Road, exciting times as a youngster.

Jacquie Hinves… I remember it so well! When at St Richards School our wonderful form teacher Mr Jose Santos took the whole year on two double decker buses there to watch “ The Prime of Miss Jean Brody” and “A King for all seasons” Wonderful and very happy memories.

Peter Brazier… I remember watching it being pulled down! Such s pity as inside (from what I could see anyway) was classic theatre architecture with ornate balconies and theatre Box’s etc, Nothing like that in Hastings anymore

Sid Saunders… I saw Max Miller there.

Douglas Palmer… My brother Brian Palmer worked there in the early 50’s. I think he was a projectionist.

Peter Bridger… I remember it stood derelict for years. There was still a tatty poster outside for the last act there “Syncopating Sandy”

Sid Saunders… Peter, I was there when he was playing the piano non stop on the stage. 1956.

Peter Bridger.. Wow, that poster was there for a long time!

 

 

Regal Theatre – St Leonards-On-Sea Eddie Calvert and Billy Cotton 1950’s

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eddie eddie-calvert billy-cotton billy-cotton-record

adverts supplied by Nick Prince – Cinemas & Theatres Of East Sussex Facebook page.

Nick Prince…  Eddie Calvert was Monday 25th July, 1955 for entire week and Billy Cotton was Monday 8th August, 1955, for entire week. Some of the big names that appeared during the final year of the Regal, London Road, St Leonards. Just imagine who may have appeared there had it survived into the 1960’s Over the years the greatest stars of the era appeared on its stage, among them were Louis Armstrong, George Formby, Gracie Fields, Vera Lynn and Duke Ellington. The Regal closed on 8th September, 1956, when owned by ABC. It has dubious claim to fame of being the first cinema in the country to blame television for its closure. Ocean House now occupies the site.

Mick Knights… Now I do remember my folks taking me to see Eddie Calvert at the Regal, no idea how old I was, probably eight or so, which must also means he was the first ‘named’ artist I ever saw!!!!

Charles Bryant… Was interested to see where the old Regal theatre once was in Hastings (Ocean House) as I have just aquired from a local table sale, three old Regal programs from the 1950’s and was interesting to see that Morcambe & Wise appeared there in 1952.

Gordon Armstrong… Cliff Richard and the Shadows played at the Regal Cinema

Alan McCann… Gordon, Cliff Richard and the Shadows appeared at the ABC (Ritz), Cambridge Road . The Regal closed in September, 1956.

Regal Cinema St Leonards-on-Sea Mid 60’s

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shared  by Chris Perrior. Photo: Nick Prince

Chris Perrior… this image comes courtesy of Nick Prince and cinema treasures web site,it shows the Regal cinema mid 1960’s a decade after it closed ,demolition began 1973 and the office block that replaced it was known as Gundolphus house and then ocean house, in the foreground is the tin building that was the sorting office for Royal mail, with a glimpse of the station forecourt

David Fussell… I remember the empty cinema in the seventies before it was knocked down.

Roger Simmonds… Me too such happy memories!

Mick Knights… I have no idea why but I remember my parents taking me there to see Eddie Calvert. (aka the man with the golden trumpet)

Mick O’Dowd… The building bottom left was the GPO sorting office that my Dad was based at.

John Busbridge… I remember going there!

David Kent… We lived just up the road from here. There was a poster on the front of the cinema that said “Tonight, Syncopating Sandy will attempt to play the piano” – or something very much like it.

Patrick Turner… The Flea Pit in my day

Nigliv… Went there often in the 50s: remember seeing the marvellous ‘Forbidden Planet’ (1956) there. At that time, we also had the Curzon, Roxy Continental, Gaiety, Orion, Ritz, De Luxe.

Kev Perry… I started my job as a postie in that old tin hut,great memories