Ritz Cinema, Nuneaton

The Ritz
The Ritz in 2016
General information
Architectural style	Art-Deco Neo Egyptian Chinoiserie
Classification	Grade II*
Address	122 Abbey Street
Town or city	Nuneaton, Warwickshire
Country	England
Coordinates	52°31′29″N1°28′17″W / 52.524677°N 1.471517°W / 52.524677; -1.471517
Opened	July 23, 1937 (1937-07-23)
Closed	2007
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Verity and Beverley
Main contractor	G. E. & W. Wincott
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Ritz Cinema
Designated	4 September 2008
Reference no.	1392744

The Ritz Cinema (better known as The Ritz) is a Grade-II listed art-deco former cinema located on Abbey Street, Nuneaton. It was opened on 23 July 1937, originally for the Union Cinemas circuit, however, in October of the same year, ABC Cinemas would take over the building. ^{[1] [2]} The Ritz would stop showing films in 1984. After being used as a cinema, the building would be converted to a bingo hall, and trade as such until its closure. ^[3]

History

The Ritz was constructed by cinema architects Verity and Beverley for Union Cinemas. It was founded by David Bernhard and his son, C.F. Bernhard. ^[4] It opened to the public for the first time on 23 July 1937. It was opened by Nuneaton Mayor and Councillor, T.L. Liggins, who was accompanied by the Mayoress, with nearly 2,000 people inside for the opening ceremony. ^[5] Melody for Two and Mysterious Crossing were shown on the opening night. As well as this, a live show took place on-stage. ^[6]

Around the same time of The Ritz being constructed, plans were unveiled about a Danilo Cinema potentially being built in Nuneaton, but this never went ahead because seven cinemas already existed in town. Mortimer Dent, of the Danilo Cinema Company, was still interested in setting up near to Nuneaton and ultimately chose Hinckley. ^[7] The proposed Nuneaton location would have marked the first of his Danilo cinemas. ^[8]

The general contractors for the building, G. E. & W. Wincott of Nuneaton, were also the contractors of the Danilo Cinema in Hinckley. ^[9] Reports state that there was 'a race' to see which of the two cinemas would open first. The Ritz won and opened just three days before the Danilo. ^[10]

It closed as a Gala Bingo hall in 2007. The closure was blamed on the smoking ban. ^[11] A year later in 2008, it received its Grade II listed protection. ^{[12] [13]}

Closure

Whilst it remained closed from 2008, until 2019 where it was finally purchased, various community projects were launched and many parties shown interest in trying to get the building back in to use once again.

The Ritz was placed back on the market back in June 2008 at a lower asking price of £1.2 million, down from its original £1.5 million price tag, due to "abortive negotiations" with an interested party. Around the same time, rumours were circulating that fashion retailer Primark were taking on the site, but these were denied by chartered surveyors Wright Silverwood. ^[14]

In November 2009, it was sold privately to a 'mystery' investor, who was believed to be from Nuneaton, but the investor was not named. It failed to meet the £320,000 reserve price at auction. ^[15]

In February 2010, a year later, "serious interest" was shown in the building by two national leisure operators and a national retailer, neither of which were bingo operators, as a covenant was made with Gala Bingo whilst they had the building which meant it could not be used as a bingo hall again after its closure. ^[16]

In July 2013, flyposters were replaced with cinema-related art when local Nuneaton-based group, Art Alert, visited the venue as part of their 'Friends of the Ritz' project. ^{[17] [18]} In 2013, film director Ken Loach who was born in Nuneaton, backed a £5m plan for the venue to be used again, though nothing came of the plans. ^{[19] [20]}

On 27 February 2019, the building was sold for £339,500. ^[21]

Compton organ

The Ritz had a 'Compton organ' that was in an orchestra pit, which was played by organist Ken Stroud. ^{[22] [23]} The organ remains in use at a church in Essex. ^[24]

References

1. "Ritz Cinema". Cinema Treasures. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2021. it was built for, and was initially operated by the Union Cinemas circuit, but they were taken over in October 1937 by Associated British Cinemas (ABC).
2. Harrison, Claire (26 January 2021). "Revealed: CGI images of the future plans for The Ritz in Nuneaton". Coventry Telegraph . Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021. The Ritz Cinema in Nuneaton was designed for the Union Cinema Circuit and was opened on July 23, 1937, with James Melton in 'Melody for Two' and James Dunn in 'Mysterious Crossing' plus a live show on-stage.
3. "The Fate of the Former Nuneaton Bingo Hall Now Known". Two Little Fleas. 25 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021. Fast forward a decade or three and the cinema became the Ritz until its closure in 1984 when the cinema rolls stopped spinning to make way for bingo.
4. Hornsey, Brian (1 March 1994). Ninety Years of Cinema in Nuneaton (Paperback). Fuchsiaprint. p. 15. ISBN   9781873969045 . Retrieved 8 September 2021.
5. Nuneaton Local History Group. "Opening Ceremony - Mayor and the New Building". Essay Docs. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021. Nearly two thousand people were present when the opening ceremony which took place on the stage inside the building, was performed by the Mayor of Nuneaton, Councillor T.L. Liggins, who was accompanied by the Mayoress, Mr. E. A. Adams (theatre controller, Union Cineams, Ltd), and Mr. And Mrs. G.W. Wincott.
6. Harrison, Claire (26 January 2021). "Revealed: CGI images of the future plans for The Ritz in Nuneaton". Coventry Telegraph . Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
7. Lea, Peter (20 December 2014). The Auditorium: A Historical Look at Cinemas in and Around Old North Warwickshire. Peter Lea. p. 25. ISBN   978-0951940006.
8. Welland, Victor. A History of Theatre in Nuneaton. Nuneaton Local History Group. p. 166. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
9. "Danilo Cinema". Hinckley District Past and Present. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2021. G. E and W.Wincott of Nuneaton were the contractors for the building.
10. Roberts, Michael (7 December 2015). "Past Times: A history of Hinckley's Danilo Cinema". Hinckley Times . Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2021. The general contractors for the Danilo were G. E. & W. Wincott of Nuneaton. Simultaneously Wincott's were also the contractors for the Ritz cinema at Nuneaton. There seemed to be a race for which cinema would open first. The Ritz won and opened on the July 23 1937, just three days before the Hinckley cinema.
11. "Smoking ban blamed for landmark Nuneaton pub closure". Coventry Telegraph . 1 April 2008. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021. It stands almost opposite the Gala Bingo Hall, which closed down at Christmas because of the effects of the smoking ban.
12. "Light fittings and decorative plasterwork in the ceiling of the auditorium of the Gala Bingo Club (NWC01/01/0511) Archive Item - Norman Walley Cinema Collection". Historic England . Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021. It closed in 2007 and in 2008 the building was Listed at Grade II.
13. "RITZ CINEMA, Nuneaton and Bedworth - 1392744". Historic England . Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
14. Coventry Live (29 July 2008). "Gala Bingo building back on market in Nuneaton". Coventry Telegraph . Coventry. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
15. Birch, Mort (18 August 2010). "Ritzy shopping?". Nuneaton News . Nuneaton, Warwickshire: Staffordshire Newspapers Limited. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
16. Birch, Mort (18 August 2010). "Ritzy shopping?". Nuneaton News . Nuneaton, Warwickshire: Staffordshire Newspapers Limited. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
17. "Ritz gets Art Attacked! – better than fly posters and rude words!". Nuneaton Memories. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
18. "Art Alert Nuneaton - Past Events". Art Alert Nuneaton. Archived from the original on 4 June 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
19. "Ken Loach backs Nuneaton Ritz cinema restoration plan". BBC News . 18 November 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2021. Mr Loach called for The Ritz to be brought "back to life". He said: "The Ritz showed some great films. Let's bring the cinema back to the town centre."
20. Goulden, Barbara (28 July 2021). "Director Ken tells of his fears and hopes for the future". elementarywhatson. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021. But his pressing concern now is the hollowing-out of our towns and cities, especially places like Nuneaton where, years ago, he tried to save the art-deco Ritz cinema.
21. Harrison, Claire (19 April 2019). "New owners of iconic Nuneaton building revealed". Coventry Telegraph . Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2021. It was bought for £339,500 on February 27 this year, after more than a decades' uncertainty surrounding what will happen to the former cinema and bingo hall.
22. "Newsletter of the nuneaton local history group". essaydocs.org. 19 May 2016. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021. At the front of the stage was an orchestra pit decorated with banks of flowers, and in the centre of the pit a wonderful Compton organ was installed.
23. "Ken Stroud, July 1993". The Gordon Craig Archive. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021. After war service Ken resumed his musical career as resident at the Ritz, Nuneaton and since that time he has appeared at numerous other venues.
24. "The Ritz Compton Organ". The Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Local and Family History Web Site. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2021. The former Compton Organ at the Ritz Cinema, Nuneaton is in everyday use at a church in Essex. Here it again [sic] to bring back memories of big shows at the Ritz.