Campaign to save historic Coventry cinema from demolition

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A campaign has been launched to save a Coventry cinema from being demolished to make way for flats.



The Theatre One building, on Ford Street, was built nearly 100 years ago, but films have not been shown there since 1998.

An arts group named Through The Wall Project is calling for the building to be revived as a cinema and arts venue.

The group that owns the cinema said they were willing to listen to "sensible" offers.

'A question of timeframe'

James Birkin from the Through the Wall Project said: "There is a small chance we can save this building. We have a lot of support from The Coventry Society.

"It's simply a case of raising the money. The owner has been really helpful and is quite considerate of our plans for restoration.

"It's a question of the timeframe now. The demolition is meant to start soon."

A representative of G&K Groundworks, which owns the site, said the plans for a £2.2m redevelopment of the site had been in place since 2006.

He said the group was willing to listen to offers for the building but, otherwise, would proceed with the demolition.

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From cinema to nightclub - what's next for the theatre?



THE best part of a century before the stereoscopic blockbuster Avatar hit cinema screens, Coventry's Alexandra Theatre was experimenting with 3D films.

The first were shown in the 1920s and in the 1950s, the projectors and screen were adapted for the latest type of 3D films.

The audience viewed the screen through polarised glasses.

In 1955 the projectors and screen were further adapted to show CinemaScope, complete with stereophonic sound.

It wasn't the first CinemaScope film to be shown in Coventry (that honour went to the former Gaumont, later the Odeon, in Jordan Well), but the Alexandra was, for many years, the only cinema in Coventry with full stereophonic sound.

The cinema, originally the Alexandra Picturedrome, was opened in 1917 by Elijah Strong, previously landlord of the General Wolfe Hotel in Foleshill Road.

The front of the building was formerly a coffee tavern in which the first meeting of Coventry Labour Party was held, with the cinematograph hall added behind.

At first the accompaniment to the silent films was just a piano, but as audience tastes became more sophisticated, the piano gave way to a small pit orchestra.

During the 1920s, a widening, panoramic screen was installed and in 1929, 'the talkies' arrived.

When Elija Strong died, the Alexandra was acquired by Harold T.A. Philpot in 1934/'35 as part of his Philpot Circuit.

The cinema was damaged in the air raids of 1940 and Philpot sold the theatre to Hugh Orr. Government restrictions meant that the building could only be made weather-proof, but seats and projection equipment were acquired from other bombed cinemas and the Alexandra reopened in January 1941.

After reopening, it was run with the Opera House (which Orr had also acquired after it was damaged in an air raid) as Coventry's Intimate Theatres.

In 1968, the cinema closed for complete modernisation and reopened in 1970 as Theatre One.

Two years later it became a twoscreen cinema, then in 1974, a third auditorium was added putting Theatre One among the first triple-screen cinemas in the Midlands.

In 1978, the independent Theatre One scooped major cinema chains (then EMI and Rank) to get the first Coventry run of Star Wars.

Later that year, a fire, thought to have been started by arsonists, severely damaged the foyer area.

After the death of Hugh Orr in 1979, the cinema was taken over by its manager, Brian Saunders, who, with three other city businessmen, formed their own company, Welondale Entertainments Ltd.

By October 1982, the company was forced to go into liquidation, but Brian was able to form another company and buy back Theatre One from the receiver.

His small cinema went on to benefit from a new scheme in which it got one in eight new releases and also enjoyed a boom after the Cannon (formerly the ABC) cinema, in Hertford Street, closed in 1988.

A year later Brian gave the place a pounds 65,000 facelift, the most extensive since his takeover, which included redecorating the entire building, replacing hundreds of seats and laying down more than 800 yards of gold and brown carpet.

Ageing green tiles were replaced with silver and black ones to match the aluminium pillars which covered part of the building.

But in 1991 he sold the cinema and it was turned into the Mustard nightclub, which later folded.

Brian, who also owned former Busters nightclub in Coventry, went on to become the star of Channel 4's documentary series A Place in Greece in 2004 when he was filmed starting a new life in Crete with partner Andrew Sutton.

Meanwhile the future of Theatre One is now the subject of a public consultation.

A full history of Theatre One/Alexandra can be found in Coventry Picture Palaces by Coventry cinema historian and former Telegraph columnist the late Gil Robottom, published by Mercia Cinema Society.

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Demolition-threatened Theatre One cinema could reopen, says former boss



A FORMER city centre cinema earmarked for demolition could be run successfully again, according to former owner Brian Saunders.

The Alexandra Theatre, later renamed Theatre One, on the corner of Cox Street and Lower Ford Street, first opened 93 years ago.

During the era of independent cinema the venue enjoyed huge success – epitomised by the six-month run enjoyed by the first Star Wars film.

But the emergence of giant multiplex cinemas, specifically the Showcase in Walsgrave, spelled the end for Theatre One which closed in 1998.

Since 2007 developers have been looking to demolish the building and replace it with student flats, but in 2008 an application was refused.

Now a new application has been received by Coventry City Council which again outlines plans to demolish the theatre and build student accommodation.

It’s led to Theatre One’s former owner Mr Saunders, best known recently for starring in Channel 4 show A Place in Greece, to suggest that with a bit of TLC the popular old venue could be resurrected.

“I would love to have a look inside,” the 61-year-old said. “To see if there’s any chance of returning it to its former glory or to fondly remember the good times we had there.

"I was back in Coventry on Boxing Day and we had a look at the outside. It just looks sad and uncared for.

“If you look at some of the pictures of when we had it you’ll see that we spent a lot of money, and ran a great theatre, as well as having a lot of fun.”

As well as owning Theatre One Mr Saunders was also well known for running Busters nightclub.

In 2003 he and his partner sold off all their assets and moved to Crete.

Together they ran a taverna but when the recession started to bite they were forced to sell up and return to the UK. The couple now live in London.

Mr Saunders said: “The project just really came to a conclusion. We never intended to be buried over there.

“We also found it extremely difficult to make a living. After XL (tour operator) went bust the season was ending in August instead of October.

“We realised we couldn’t carry on and put the taverna up for sale.

“I’m sure one day we’ll be back in Coventry. I love the city, it’s my home and has been since I was three years old.”

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“I would love to have a look inside,” the 61-year-old said.

Actually, I don't think he would?

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Coventry's Theatre One cinema 'will be demolished'



A campaign to save a nearly 100-year-old cinema from being demolished to make way for flats has failed.

Films have not been shown at the Theatre One building, in Ford Street, Coventry, since 1998.

An arts group called the Through The Wall Project wanted to revive the building as a cinema and arts venue.

But campaigner James Birkin said there was "no chance" the building could be saved as the group had been unable to raise the necessary funds.

"It was the timeframe that was the problem," he said.

"We were unable to raise the money to buy the site in time."

The owners say the cinema will be replaced with a £2.2m residential and retail development.

G&K Groundworks, which owns the site, had previously said they were willing to listen to sensible offers but otherwise, would proceed with the demolition.