The Cecil Cinema opened in 1955. The building including a restaurant and bar and had the largest CinemaScope screen in the country at the time of its opening. In the 1970s, it became a cinema and bingo club operated by Mecca Bingo and in the 1980s was taken over by the Cannon Cinema chain before being taken over by Take Two Cinemas. The cinema closed in 1997 and the building was converted into a snooker club with bingo continuing to take place as well. The theatre organ, shown in the photograph, had an electrical lifting mechanism which would lift it from beneath the centre of the orchestra pit.
This is part of the Series: NWC01/01 Norman Walley: Series of slides; within the Collection: NWC01 Norman Walley Cinema Collection
© Historic England Archive
Photographer: Walley, Norman
Organ, Mid 20th Century Cinema, Music And Dance
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