The Plaza Super Cinema and Variety Theatre at Stockport is a magnificant cinema built in 1932.
It was based on a design of the very similar Regal at Altrincham, which due to its larger site had a biger foyer area and greater depth than the Plaza, but unfortunatel;y it was destroyed by fire in 1956. The Plaza did however manage to squeeze in a similar number of seats (around 1,800) over its stalls and circle and balcony areas. It has ornate features of the Art Deco style of the period with Egyptian influences.
The cinema has an original Compton organ which rises up at the front of the stage on a hydraulic lift. The cinema was built with some limited stage facilities to allow it to host touring performers, but due to the lmited depth of the site.
The site backs into a cliff and 10,000 tons of rock had to be hewn out of the face in order to provide the limited depth that now exists. The fact that the rear of the cinema is embedded in rock has caused some ongoing issues with damp which have to be managed.
Due to falling attendances the cinema closed in 1966 and was sold to Mecca Bingo, who converted the site, boarding over many features, levelling the ground floor, and blocking off the upper seating areas complete with seating which lay undisturbed for around 30 years.
The Bingo hall closed in 1999 and a number of enthustists got together, put together and eventually managed to persuade the council to get on board with the plans and the cinema and work was started on reopenimng it as a cinema and theatre, and restoration got underway.
Due to the upstairs seating being still in situ it was relocated to the stalls area helping the cinema reopen within a year of being bought. Various grants and requests over the years have allowed the building to be restored to its current impressive state.
The Plaza is mainly used nowadays by visiting performers who hire the site and bring in there own lightng etc. It also shows an number of old films during the year together with recent films after their initial theatrical opening period has passed.
The organ has been fully restored withe the hydraulic lift and glass being replaced after being broken in the bingo years. The organ is played before films and during the interval as well as on special recital days.
8 авг 2017
