Early 20th century cinema, The Savoy, 28-30 Trinity Street (EHER 80248)

28-30 Trinity Street is a former cinema opened in 1916 built on the site of the Railway Bell Inn shown on the 1878 1:500 OS map. In June 1916 the Colne Valley Cinema - later re-named 'The Savoy' was opened in Trinity Street. It was built of steel and concrete. It closed in 1963 and the front part was used as a Chinese restaurant. The auditorium was left intact and apparently had 364 seats. In 2009 the building was converted to a Kids Cafe Play Area but never opened due to planning issues. The building was assessed for listing in 2010 but did not meet the required criteria.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: February 2010. Listing consideration. The Savoy Cinema is located on the junction of Trinity Street and King's Road Halstead. It was constructed in 1915 by George Grimwood and Sons of Acton Square, Sudbury, who also built the Gainsborough Cinema, Sudbury (1913) which is listed at Grade II. The cinema replaced the Railway Bell Public House, and as building materials were scarce at this time, many parts of the public house were salvaged and re-used in the construction of the new building which opened in June 1916 as The Colne Valley cinema. The building originally incorporated a sliding roof which could be opened to provide ventilation, although this eventually had to be roofed over in order to address the problem of leakage. In 1960 part of the stalls was converted to a coffee bar which operated until the early 1970s. In more recent years this part of the building has been used as a Chinese take-away. The building is no longer used as a cinema and is currently in use as a children's soft play area with a cafe at ground floor. The building is a purpose-built cinema. The main building materials are brick with steel roof components, and stone detailing to the principal façade. The building has a rectangular plan-form which tapers slightly to the north, and is three bays wide and three storeys tall. The façade is symmetrical and is composed of debased classical forms that include square pilasters and an open pediment which frame a central arched window at the first floor that has voussoirs and a broken pediment. A stone facia over the central window bears the word 'Savoy' and above this is a keyed oculus. There are sash windows with stone surrounds, either side of the central arched window at first and second floor, and balustrade detailing at roof level. A set of half-glazed doors form a central entrance at ground floor. Internally, at ground floor level is an entrance foyer with a glazed partition which separates it from the main floor space that contains a children's play area, a café with seating area, and toilets. Flights of stairs on either side of the foyer ascend to the first floor landing, beyond which is a balcony, or formerly the circle, now used as a seating area. The remainder of the space is given over to a children's soft play area. At second floor level the curved steel roof beams with intermediate ribs are left exposed as are the steel wall brackets to which they are attached. The projector room is said to remain in situ. Other than this, internal architectural detail is minimal and there are no other remaining historic fixtures and fittings. The Selection Guide for Entertainment Buildings states that given the large numbers of cinemas that were built, selection is required. Architectural quality, completeness and level of alteration will be key considerations when assessing post 1914 cinemas for designation. The survival of internal fixtures and features such as organs and pay booths is also a key factor in assigning special interest. There are approximately 245 listed cinemas, the majority of which date from post 1914 up until the mid-20th Century. Those examples of a comparable date to the Savoy Cinema, such as The Academy cinema, Bristol (1914), Regent Theatre, Chelmsford (1915) and the Tower, Kingston Upon Hull (1914) all listed at Grade II, have special interest because of their architectural quality which in many cases includes ornate and finely detailed exterior decoration which has been skilfully crafted using high quality materials. Many of these examples also have original interiors and fixtures and fittings that survive intact, despite the fact that in many cases they are no longer in use as cinemas. Although The Savoy Cinema is of a relatively early date for a cinema, it has been much altered and interest is confined to the front facade. Whilst the central window and its surround, and the capitals to the pilasters with their loose interpretation of Corinthian order, have a certain theatrical exuberance, the treatment otherwise is mechanical. The interior of the Savoy Cinema has been comprehensively refurbished to accommodate the most recent change of use, which has compromised the original plan form. There are new lavatories and a cafe to the rear of the building at ground floor and all the seating has been removed to allow for a children's soft play facility to be installed. Much of the internal joinery, including doors skirting and coving is new and none of the original interior features survive. It is suggested that the projection room survives on the roof. Although falling short of the tests for national special interest, the building's facade does make a positive contribution to the street scene; its inclusion within a Conservation Area offers an appropriate level of protection. <1> 2016. Building survey. 28-30 Trinity Street is a former cinema opened in 1916 built on the site of the Railway Bell Inn shown on the 1878 1:500 OS map. In June 1916 the Colne Valley Cinema - later re-named 'The Savoy' was opened in Trinity Street. It was built of steel and concrete. It closed in 1963 and the front part was used as a Chinese restaurant. The auditorium was left intact and apparently had 364 seats. In 2009 the building was converted to a Kids Cafe Play Area but never opened due to planning issues. The building facade is built of red bricks laid in English bond in hard lime mortar with rusticated quoins. The facade is divided into a central pediment and two side towers with concrete balustrades. Large windows which light the stairwells have Georgian style architraves with keystones all applied in cement and in the centre is a Georgian style oculus window. The site elevations and rear were built within a concrete reinforce frame of which most has been rendered in hard cement. The interior contains an auditorium which has a flat floor and no original features. The cinema was laid out with a ground floor seating area, a balcony and an upper balcony (often called the gods). None of the seating remains and the balcony has been altered to accept the play frame. The main entrance lobby would have formed the Ticket Hall so that customers could come in to purchase their tickets for the performances. On either side are straight concrete staircases that lead to the balcony. The central room up in the roof (lit by the oculus window) would have been the projectionist’s room. It seems likely that the concrete box was added very shortly after the construction of the building perhaps to keep up with the technology of the times and provide more storage or power for the huge projectors. <2>