# Crescent Cinema, Pontefract - Sept 15



## Hydro3xploric (Nov 11, 2015)

Explored with Raz, but i have revisited and met various others.

This report was written a few days after visiting, apologies if some of the tense's are incorrect.




Background;

The Crescent Cinema stands on the corner of Ropergate and Front Street and was designed by local architects Garside and Pennington.




It opened on 2nd November 1926 and within the complex was the 2 tier, 1,190 seat cinema which had a fully equipped stage with associated dressing rooms for such plays as Dirty Dancing, and a cafe and a substantial dance hall which in its day hosted balls for the mayor.




It was taken over by the Leeds based Star Cinemas chain in 1944, (as was the Alexandra Cinema in town) and as the popularity of cinemas waned the Alexandra Cinema was the property turned over to bingo in 1961 with films continuing at the Crescent Cinema. However when the Alexandra Cinema was sold off for redevelopment in 1971 Star sub-divided the Crescent Cinema forming a bingo hall in the former stalls and a new 412 cinema in the balcony that, like many of their cinemas, was renamed Studio 1.




Further changes in ownership to the Cannon Group took place, bingo was superseded by snooker and the Cannon Cinema closed in 1993. It has not been used since although the snooker continues and a school of dance occupies the former ballroom. The old cinema is the upper tier of the grand film hall and is complete with full projector set and refraction mirror.




The Explore;

If i was to set the scene of our endevours well, it would start with something like this;

"One dreery night, with the clouds covering the moon and the rain whistling in the cool wind. We approached the old oaken doors set back in the darkness of the alcove from the amber glow of the street lights..." 

But this is not a story. We arrived on a pleasant September evening with the sun just going down, after a stealthy entrance and a quick stoop i was instantly impressed by this place. Having been in ABC in Wakefield, I expected a pigeon shit filled, asbestos topped death trap half flooded in water that smells a lot like the swamp from Never Ending Story... However this was not the case and it is in fact filled with some of the coolest little gems ive ever seen. 

When myself and raz were first exploring this place we felt very very paranoid and im not entirely sure why. At every sound this old creeky building made we would stop dead still and hold our breath. In hindsight i wish id have been recording all the way round as it would have made for some hilairious and strangley fitting footage of us creeping round a derelict theatre to Benny Hill. At one point we made it into a tunnel system which we at first hoped to be the fabled "Market Run" but obviously its not as i am writing the report on the Cinema rather than still trying to find my way out after stumbling across the many beer cellers we know to be down there 






Over the last few days i must have spent around 4 hours just moving room to room taking it all in and really experimenting with light painting. I hoped this would stay in NP for some time as the minute it comes out into the public forums the local scroats will be in the rob the place blind and leave behind well... The ABC Theatre, Wakefield. This location is now (As of posting in Derelict Places)sealed tight.

Heres some of the finer areas 
























































Nice one of the dance hall to finish 




If you got this far, thanks for reading my first post in this forum ​


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## krela (Nov 11, 2015)

Wow, I like your photography and composition, very nice indeed.


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## Hydro3xploric (Nov 11, 2015)

krela said:


> Wow, I like your photography and composition, very nice indeed.



Thanks 

Crazy to think that just over 2 years ago i'd never used a camera lol


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## druid (Nov 11, 2015)

This really is quality. Thanks for posting (and here's hoping it doesn't now go the way of most places online).


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## Hydro3xploric (Nov 11, 2015)

druid said:


> This really is quality. Thanks for posting (and here's hoping it doesn't now go the way of most places online).



Cheers mate - More to come 

Its sealed now, rather well too so hopefully it will be saved for a while!


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## smiler (Nov 11, 2015)

Good thinking, waiting until it's sealed before posting, Lovely Pics and interesting report, Thanks


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## tumble112 (Nov 11, 2015)

I really enjoyed this, an excellent first post.


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## flyboys90 (Nov 12, 2015)

First class report and ace photography,Thanks for sharing,


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## Sam Haltin (Nov 12, 2015)

That's a very good report. I like how you've provided information at each picture. No doubt that Odeon Master will be giving his comments and information about the equipment that's left. Did you mention that the Mayor's ball was held here?


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## odeon master (Nov 13, 2015)

simply amazing to see, this cinema must have been well secured and sealed over the years to protect all its equipment intact. B.T.H. ( British Thompson Huston) of Rugby projector, with some G.B. Kaylee lens attachemts. 35mm film projectors sadly are a thing of the past today as they have all been superseeded by digital projectors, all you do today is insert a memory card with the film on and thats it, no projectonist needed.
Great post, thanks for sharing
THE ODEON MAN


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## mookster (Nov 13, 2015)

odeon master said:


> simply amazing to see, this cinema must have been well secured and sealed over the years to protect all its equipment intact. B.T.H. ( British Thompson Huston) of Rugby projector, with some G.B. Kaylee lens attachemts. 35mm film projectors sadly are a thing of the past today as they have all been superseeded by digital projectors, all you do today is insert a memory card with the film on and thats it, no projectonist needed.
> Great post, thanks for sharing
> THE ODEON MAN



This place is helped by the fact areas of it are still in active use like the dance studios and ballroom, and by the sounds of it there was only a brief window of access opportunity. Sadly no way in from the adjacent masonic lodge either...


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## Sam Haltin (Nov 13, 2015)

odeon master said:


> simply amazing to see, this cinema must have been well secured and sealed over the years to protect all its equipment intact. B.T.H. ( British Thompson Huston) of Rugby projector, with some G.B. Kaylee lens attachemts. 35mm film projectors sadly are a thing of the past today as they have all been superseeded by digital projectors, all you do today is insert a memory card with the film on and thats it, no projectonist needed.
> Great post, thanks for sharing
> THE ODEON MAN



I thought you would put your bit in. I wondered what the BTH stood for and there was a very good quality splicer. Is Kaylee a British manufacturer? Thanks for your info.


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## odeon master (Nov 13, 2015)

G.B. Kaylee was part of Rank, Kaylee also made projectors which were for many years the standard issue to Odeon and Gaumont cinemas up and down the country which were also Rank owned circuits. Later Kaylee projectors were badged Rank Kaylee, these were mainly arc lamp lit unless converted to ZBO lamps. The last of the Odeon projectors in 35mm were the popular Cinemecanica Victoria 8 projectors which were XBO lamp house lit. HOpe this place remains sealed too, as it will be ruined.
The Odeon


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## Hydro3xploric (Nov 14, 2015)

Some very in depth information there, thanks for that! 

Yes it was great for a while but towards the end things were being stolen and the place was knee again secured. We were amongst the first people in there as everyone else thought it had been completely converted into a snooker hall.

I'm sure now it is well and truly on the urbex map it will be open relatively soon


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