The Palace Cinema
The Palace Cinema
LocationYorkersgate, Malton
Coordinates54°08′05″N 0°47′54″W / 54.1347°N 0.7983°W / 54.1347; -0.7983
Built1846
Architectural style(s)Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameFormer Palace Cinema and Cinema Shop
Designated10 June 1974
Reference no.1220592
Palace Cinema, Malton is located in North Yorkshire
Palace Cinema, Malton
Shown in North Yorkshire

The Palace Cinema is a commercial building in Yorkersgate in Malton, North Yorkshire, England. The structure, which was originally commissioned as a corn exchange, is a Grade II listed building.[1]

History

The building was commissioned as a corn exchange by the lord of the manor, Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam, whose seat was at Wentworth Woodhouse. The site he selected was on the north side of Yorkersgate.[2][3]

The building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was officially opened in 1846. The attendees at the opening included Viscount Morpeth, whose seat was at Castle Howard and his agent, John Henderson.[2] The original design involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing onto Yorkersgate. The central section of three bays featured a tetrastyle portico formed by four full-height Corinthian order pilasters supporting an entablature and a modillioned pediment. There were three casement windows on the first floor, but the outer bays were blind. Internally, the principal room was the main trading hall.[1]

Notwithstanding the completion of the new building, corn traders preferred to conduct their business, as they had done previously, in the open air.[4] Moreover, the use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.[5] However, it continued to be used for public events: speakers included the local member of parliament, John Grant Lawson, in January 1899.[6]

The building was converted for use by cinema audiences in 1914 and re-opened as the Exchange Cinema on 13 February 1915. A more substantial programme of works, involving the creation of a new front entrance with a canopy and a balcony above, and the installation of a proscenium arch and stage, was completed in 1934. The windows were decorated in Art Deco style with stained glass depicting some figures dancing, and a shopping mall was established on the ground floor. After completion of the works, which were carried out by W. Birch and Son of York, to a design by James Brodie of Pudsey, the building re-opened as the Palace Theatre on 7 May 1934.[7][8]

The building closed in 1998, but reopened again, under new management, in July 2002.[9] The cinema was split into two screens in 2006 and then into three screens (with just 12 seats in the third screen) in 2013.[10] The owners invested in full fibre broadband to ensure films could be received on a timely basis in July 2023.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England (1 August 2023). "Former Palace Cinema and Cinema Shop (1220592)". National Heritage List for England.
  2. 1 2 Tindley, Annie; Rees, Lowri Ann (2018). The Land Agent 1700 – 1920. Edinburgh University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-1474438889.
  3. ↑ Page, William (1914). "'Parishes: Old Malton', in A History of the County of York North Riding". London: British History Online. pp. 537–541. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  4. ↑ Sheahan, James Joseph; Whellan, T. (1857). History and Topography of the City of York, the East Riding of Yorkshire, and a Portion of the West Riding. John Green. p. 654.
  5. ↑ Fletcher, T. W. (1973). 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914. London: Methuen. p. 31. ISBN 978-1136581182.
  6. ↑ "Baker's Chronology of Local Events". p. 1. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Malton". Theatres Trust. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Palace Cinema". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "Palace Cinema in Malton praised in national guide". Gazette and Herald. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Malton's Palace Cinema gets ready for third screen opening". Gazette and Herald. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Historic Malton cinema casts its own full fibre future". Gazette and Herald. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
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