In the 1930s, Wadebridge was a town that, not too dissimilar to today, had a plethora of shops and was busiest in the summer, with people longing to be closer to the coast.

Holidaymakers most likely made use of the regular rail service in and out of the town. A source of fun, then, was required to entertain the masses, and the town’s cinema, The Cinedrome, opened its doors for the very first time in January 1931. It had capacity to seat 725 people in a single theatre, and was owned by Edgar John Pope of Padstow.

Back then, visiting the cinema was generally a cheap, accessible way of escaping the mundanity of life and the troubles of hard economic times. The post-Great War years saw the rise of ‘talkies’ after years of silent cinema; and an introduction to the bright lights of Hollywood, where actors such as Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow were bringing romantic, funny and adventurous stories to life on screens across the world.

As society moved away from the stuffy days of the Victorians and Edwardians, and times continued to change into the twenties and thirties following a traumatic start to the 20th century, people were more enthusiastic than ever about getting out with friends and sweethearts to make the most of their young lives. Public spaces like dance halls and cinemas were a perfect place for people to do that.

As Hitler began his advances across Europe in 1939 and war was declared in Britain once again, cinemas were ordered to close, though many reopened shortly after, offering early evening shows or matinees. In fact, cinema was important to many communities during this time and, according to the Imperial War Museum, between 25- and 30-million cinema tickets were sold each week in Britain, particularly with the arrival of movies such as Gone With The Wind (1940). Cinemas also became a handy tool for the government, which promoted the war effort to boost morale with propaganda films like The Day Will Dawn (1942) and Tomorrow We Live (1943). During this time, Wadebridge’s cinema was purchased by West Cornwall Cinema Ltd and renamed The Regal.

In the sixties, the Regal was hit by hard times and was on the verge of closure, before local construction business W. T. Williams took the building on in 1967. That same year, the cinema smashed box office records with an eight-week roadshow presentation of The Sound of Music. Suddenly the cinema’s future was looking bright once again, and in 1974, it won Walt Disney Productions’ ‘Most Improved Business for 1974’, after getting the highest percentage increase on showing Disney film The Incredible Journey.

In 1986, a second auditorium was added to The Regal, with theatre one seating 220 and theatre two seating 90. Both theatres have been brought into the 21st century since, and now offer a comfortable, high quality experience for cinema-goers in Wadebridge.

Today, the Williams family continues to run the cinema. Robert Williams has been with the business since 2000, though admits that much of his childhood was spent there.

Robert said: “The pandemic was a big blow to the industry, but during this time we furloughed our staff and were able to refurbish the screens, so we kept ourselves busy before reopening in July 2021.

“We are so grateful for all the local support over the years. It’s great that we recognise so many people who have been coming here for years and years - that’s what it’s all about for us.”

This autumn and winter, The Regal has a great line-up of movies, including Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale this September, Wicked: For Good in November, and Avatar: Fire and Ash in December.

For more information about The Regal and booking tickets, go to www.wtwcinemas.co.uk/wadebridge

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