And Here's Number Four

After yesterday's little diversion I'm returning to the theme of Ilkeston's cinemas and architecture for today's posting. This is the last of the four that I remember from my youth as operating as a cinema. It was built in 1903 and over the years was variously known as the Theatre Royal, The Coliseum and Vint's Picturedome but I remember it as the New Theatre. Although primarily a cinema, I have a vague recollection of pantomimes being staged there and it more recent years it became a Bingo Hall until 1982.


Like the other cinemas in the town it was architecturally impressive but after 87 years of standing on Lord Haddon Road it was demolished in 1990 having been used between 82 and 90 as both a religious building and a carpet warehouse. Although it is always sad to lose a building of character, a redeeming feature of the Haddon House nursing home that now stands on the site is the fact that it was designed to complement the features of the exisitng buildings in the area.

There are a number of images of the New Theatre in its various guises on the Picture The Past site (http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/).