History

1913-14. Designed by C T Ruthen, architect of Swansea for Swansea Electric Cinema Co Ltd; Henry Billings of Swansea, contractors (Cost £15,000). Cinema closed 29 October 1977.

Exterior

Structure of reinforced concrete, steel and brick with facade of Doulton’s White Carraraware. Bronzeware to capitals and bases of columns.

4 storey, 3 bay symmetrical front (painted ground floor) with end towers. Ribbed domes, swags and volutes to drums, scrolled pediments to columned aedicules over wreather bull’s-eye windows. Balustraded and solid parapet over deep dentil and egg-and-dart cornice. Ionic columns in antis to centre bay with semi-dome to giant arched bow window lighting ironwork balconies inside, foliage spandrels.

Three levels of tripartite windows to rusticated sides with squat Doric/Ionic/Corinthian columns, moulded and sculptured decorative panels with dancing putti. Outer ground floor bays have large arched openings (blocked) with panelled pilasters, foliage spandrels and grotesque keyblocks. Recessed modern shop front to centre.

Interior

Ground floor interior retains part of columned treatment to ovoid open staircase at rear of shop (formerly foyer). Rest of interior formerly had plasterwork to gallery front and to the barrel vault at rear of auditorium etc.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29490006

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2