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Last Reel at the Royalty

The Royalty cinema, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne

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NEW! bits & pieces about the Royalty, cinemas, films and anything related in the blog. And you can now post a public comment.

On 30th December 2006 it was 25 years since the Royalty closed.

Now we invite you to meet some of the staff and visit the cinema during its final days, in a brand-new version of the video documentary Last Reel at the Royalty.

Watch the full video (free)

The video runs for 27 minutes. It is split into four parts here. To view, you will need broadband.

Part 1: introduction

The Royalty cinema on Gosforth High Street at dusk

Introduction and brief history. The doors open and manageress Henrietta Eastlake explains why the cinema is closing.

Part 2: meet the staff

Meet the staff. Cashier Mabel Chappelhowe recalls 25 years of working at the Royalty. The interval (time for a hot-dog!).

Part 3: in the projection room

John Tessa, projectionist at the Royalty cinema Gosforth

The final film begins. Projectionist John Tessa talks about 52 years working in cinemas and theatres. Mabel in the ticket office.

Part 4: customers

The film comes to an end and some of the customers give their views. What happened to the Royalty next?

About the video & DVD

We have gone back to the original VHS master tapes and, thanks to digital video technology, the footage has never looked better. Plus we have been able to include some shots that haven't been seen before.

You can watch online free right now. If you would like a copy that you can view on TV and keep, a DVD with many extras will be available to buy soon through this website.

In context

The beginning of the 1980's was a bleak time for Britain's cinemas and its film industry.

Cinema admissions had been in decline for a couple of decades (eventually they hit an all-time low in 1984) and the oil crisis of the 1970's had pushed up running costs. The home video-recorder was big news and no one knew what impact it would have on cinemas in the future.

In 1981, the British film industry made only 24 movies -- the lowest figure since 1914 and one quarter of the number that had been made just two years earlier.

So, it was against this background that many cinemas like the Royalty pondered their future and looked for possible alternatives.

Coming up

Lots more coming here in the future.

Other websites

Cinema World - a gallery of 433 images of cinemas on the photo-sharing site Flickr.

Kencta's Photos - more than 700 photos of cinemas around the world on the photo-sharing site Flickr.

The Smallest Show On Earth - watch the classic film for free online or download. Bill Travers and Virgina McKenna inherit an old cinema -- The Bijou. Also starring Margaret Rutherford and Peter Sellers. It seems that this film is in the public domain in the USA. So freely available there.