2812

18  

II*  

Designated  

09/02/1989  

10/08/2005  

Savoy Theatre and Monmouth Music Box  

18 Church Street  

Monmouthshire  

Monmouth  

Monmouth  

Monmouth  

350839  

212938  

NW  

In the street leading north-east out of the town square in the centre of Monmouth.  

Domestic  

 

A probably early C19 rebuild of a c1700 house. Church Street had some widening as part of the improvements associated with Priory Street and White Swan Court in c1837, but the north side appears to retain the historic street line. The cinema opened December 1927 as 'The New Picture House' having been entirely rebuilt for Albany Ward Circuit Theatres. Having been out of use at the time of listing it is now back in mixed cinema/theatre use. The idea of building a cinema in the garden behind an existing commercial property and making an access and foyer through the ground floor was often used in historic towns, other listed examples are the Gaumont in Richmond-on-Thames and the Odeon in Salisbury.  

Cement rendered and painted front with a steeply pitched slate roof with gable parapets and elaborate curved kneelers and masonry eaves. Late Georgian style three storey, three window front with replacement ground floor. Modern plate glass front with left-hand entrance to shop on left and to recessed opening to former theatre/cinema built behind on right. Above are plain sash windows with 6 over 6 panes to first floor and plastic 3 x 3 windows above, painted sills. Rear elevation shows large red brick over steel frame theatre with Welsh slate roof. Various openings including scenery doors onto Bell Lane.  

The upper floors of the house are both plain and altered with the staircase changed and the rooms rearranged. The roof structure with heavy principals, purlins, ties and collar beams can be seen. Interior of cinema not seen at resurvey and the description is taken from the listing in 1989. Entrance foyer with panelled doors and original small-pane glazing to upward-curved lights; classical cornices. Remarkable circular panelled and pilastered pay-box to right with ironwork grille to glazing (this is said to have been built in character in 1956). Projection room straight ahead with stairs to left, half-open balustraded handrail. Fine auditorium and balcony (seating blocked off) with rich classical detailing to segmental, coffered vault; panelled walls and pedimented proscenium arch. Plaster cartouches with scrolled ornaments to ceiling ventilation grilles in circular surrounds divided by bay-leaf ribs. Figural medallions with swags to fluted wall-panels. Boxes to rear. Cartouches to balcony fronts, griffin corbels to gallery (without columns and with segmental vault). Shallow proscenium arch decorated with cartouche and heads to fluted Corinthian pilasters. Small panelled orchestra pit; small stage for theatre use with fly-tower equipment and external doorways for scenery.  

Included in a higher grade for its exceptional interest as a rare and little altered example of a small cinema (600 seats) from the inter-War period in Wales, and as part of the continuous run of historic buildings in Church Street.