In Pictures: Memories of derelict Bacup Regal Cinema

The Regal Cinema and Bingo Hall opened in 1931 but has been derelict since the turn of the century after the building closed for good in 1999 and was sold in 2005.

Plans have been submitted for a complete demolition and the application is under consideration with Rossendale Council deciding the fate of the building.

A photographer and historian, aptly named The Tourist Historian, shared photos of the Regal Cinema and Bingo Hall prompting many to reminisce on their fond memories of the building’s past.

The stage inside the Regal Cinema (Image: The Tourist Historian)

The cinema opened on September 7, 1931, under the name ‘New Regal Super Cinema’ which had 960 seats split between stalls and balcony.

Designed by local architect Harry Cropper, the building replaced the Bacup Public Hall which opened in 1878.

In 1946, the cinema changed its name to ‘The Regal Cinema’ before the decline of independent cinema caused its closure, and so it was reopened as a bingo hall named ‘The New Embassy Bingo Club’ 20 years later.

An iron bar or barrier to the rear of the upstairs balcony terrace seats which would have had a row of large seats behind (Image: The Tourist Historian)

One woman named Mary shared her ‘heartbreak’ over the sad state of the building.

She said: “I started going to the Saturday Matinees in 1960. Such a splendid place back then.

“It was all very plush inside then, although as a kid you don't take in all the details, but certainly a magnificent sight seeing the inside for the first time.

"The when I was old enough going and sitting up in the balcony for the first time to, it felt so high up.”

“I used to use my pocket money when I went every week,” said Anita.

The sunrise above the main stage (Image: The Tourist Historian)

Commenting on a photo of the sunrise above the cinema screen, or the stage area as it stands today, one man shared that his dad painted the Japanese rising sun because “nobody else would go that height”.

The outer wall of the projectionist room (Image: The Tourist Historian)

The Tourist Historian captured a photo of the brick wall which was the outer wall of the projectionist room.

The wall contains seven square holes in the brick work which is where the projectors would present the film onto the screen.

One man knew this view all too well, commenting: “I spent a lot of time up there when I was six and seven-years-old watching my dad who was the projectionist in the 50s and 60s.”

The main cinema staircase (Image: The Tourist Historian)

The Tourist Historian shared a photo of the staircase inside the cinema where one man used to frolic.

Clifford said: “I used to sneak through that back door and up the stairs avoiding Florrie, she was called, who worked on the front.”

Janet commented: “So sad to see it in such a state. I used to go there in my younger days. I always adored the beautiful stairs.”

Another woman said: “I went as a child to the matinee and then as an adult to the cinema. I saw the late Queens wedding at the Regal. It was lovely.”

The wooden steps on the balcony section (Image: The Tourist Historian)

The Tourist Historian said: "The brick supports on either side along with a fascinating raised platform provides a great ghostly image of a dilapidated section that once held the footprints of many generations who visited this cinema."

The look back into Bacup’s past left many feeling nostalgic. Neil grew up in Bacup and shared his feelings over the building’s transformation over the years.

He said: “All those pictures are amazing yet so very sad to see at the same time.

“As a child me and my brothers and friends would go to the Saturday matinees and loved sitting upstairs in the balcony seats.

“It was a mother and daughter who ran it at the time. Great childhood memories. Yet very sad to see the state of the building now.”

You can view more photos of The Regal Cinema and other local buildings on The Tourist Historian Facebook and Instagram @thetouristhistorian.