# A.B.C cinema, Wakefield



## phill.d (Dec 16, 2007)

I visited The A.B.C cinema during the week for a little night time explore.

The cinema was opened on December 9th 1935, as the Regal and formed the centrepiece for the council’s redevelopment scheme in that part of Wakefield. Apart from film shows it also held stage performances. It became the ABC in the 1960s. The cinema closed as the Cannon in 1997, in the face of competition from the newly opened multiplex Cineworld.
Anyway the place is badly flooded with the cellar under 6' of water. We had to were wellies for this trip 





I'm glad we hadn't just watched jaws!




This is the only way to the seated area. The water has a fine oil slick surface and is 12-18'' deep.









This sign is at least 23 years old as the half penny was taken out of circulation in 1984, A useless and short lived coin that was only in circulation for 13 years. There were few people sad to see the back of it.
On the other hand hillards was a small North of England supermarket chain taken over in 1987 by guess who??..Tescos of course! 









The place was in total darkness so i lit this shot from the projectionists room with the big 5 mill candle torch.




Now showing... Close encounters of the third kind.




We climbed up into the roof space above the stage. The ladder leads onto the roof but you've got to be carefull as there's big gaps in it & one hell of a drop below :icon_evil




While the other guys got some arial shots up there i played around with the torches under the roof section as it was too bloody cold to go up there for long 




It was well gone midnight and absolutely FREEEZZZING when we got out of there so we grabbed a few external shots and vanished into the night sharpish


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## dungbug (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Nice site fella, was there any method in going at night? I've never thought of visiting a site in the dark...........Something I must try!


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## sheep2405 (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Very nice, one like this was found when i was in Sydbey and we managed to get a DVD projector and had a few film nights in there. Has the cinema got electric? if so you might be able to do the same thing. Nice work on the photos BTW.

S


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## Foxylady (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Excellent pics, Phill.d. Love the colours. Like the cheeky LHES sign in the 'letter room'. 

Cheers


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## phill.d (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Thanks for the compliments folks. No the cinemas has been closed 11 years so there was no electric on.. It wouldn't matter if you did this one in the day or night as there are very few windows & what there is are boarded up with no windows what so ever in the auditorium. You just need good torches and wellies for this one!


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## sheep2405 (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Might be worth seeing if you can rig up some sort of electrice you could start using the cinema yourself, with it being boarded up no one would see or hear you and you could have loads of fun!

S


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## tonyque2 (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Hi Phill.d
Excellent photos. I love old cinemas - alas! none around Eeast Devon to my knowledge. Cheers Tony


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## Goldie87 (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Nice one, the 6th and 7th pics make it look in better condition than some cinemas i know that are still operating  Really must get round to taking a trip out of Leicester and exploring a cinema one day. All the ones around here have been demolished or converted now


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## mr_bones (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

That is a really amazing looking cinema. A lot more grand than my local abandoned ABC! You have produced some creative photos, i like them - especially with the light coming out the projectionists booth. Might be interested in seeing this myself at somepoint.

Doesn't look too comfortable wading through the ground floor though.


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## phill.d (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Yes it's funny how good nick it looks if you light them in different ways, I was thinking it still looked open myself. I did mostly light painted stuff but as we got colder as the night went on i just started using flash photography. There looks a real difference to the cinemas condition on these shots and there no where as near atmospheric. This is one of the 2 smaller screens down stairs.


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## Foxylady (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*



tonyque2 said:


> I love old cinemas - alas! none around Eeast Devon to my knowledge. Cheers Tony



Be great wouldn't it! Hell, there aren't even any working ones, unless you're prepared to travel far!


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## Richard Davies (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

I like the Art Deco styling.

The half penny helped tp smooth over the change to the decimal system, but once that was done it wasn't really needed.


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## dungbug (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*



sheep2405 said:


> Might be worth seeing if you can rig up some sort of electrice you could start using the cinema yourself, with it being boarded up no one would see or hear you and you could have loads of fun!
> 
> S




I wouldn't fancy using any electric with all that water!


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## King Al (Dec 17, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Really cool, love a cinema great pic's the projection booth shot is great with the light beam


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## smileysal (Dec 18, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Like the building and the pictures, especially of the main auditorium. Wouldn't like to wade through all that oily water though!  Where was the oil and the water coming from? were there any taps etc that had been left on? 

Cheers,

 Sal


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## phill.d (Dec 19, 2007)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Cheers folks. HI Smileysal... Well the water puzzle is what i'd like to find out. No one seems to know. The river Calder burst it's banks in the 30's and flooded the cinema, I know the water is 6' deep in the basement. It if it was a leak then it's been going for ages


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## Bad wolf (Jan 4, 2008)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Brings back some happy memories. A few years ago a freind of mine tryed to resorect 2 of thease sleeping giants down my way. With a lot of help and goodwill from frends he managed to open them. It was a labor of love with him, i spent many a happy hour with him in the projection box. I even think one of the projectors was running on carbon arc lighting. Sadly boath eventualy folded,same old story ,not enough bums on seats ant the film rental was an arm and a leg!.Quite sad ,Trying to re kindle a forgoton era.


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## phill.d (Jan 4, 2008)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*



Bad wolf said:


> Brings back some happy memories. A few years ago a freind of mine tryed to resorect 2 of thease sleeping giants down my way. With a lot of help and goodwill from frends he managed to open them. It was a labor of love with him, i spent many a happy hour with him in the projection box. I even think one of the projectors was running on carbon arc lighting. Sadly boath eventualy folded,same old story ,not enough bums on seats ant the film rental was an arm and a leg!.Quite sad ,Trying to re kindle a forgoton era.


Thanks Bad wolf.. All credit to you there on the restoration project, It's a real pity it wasn't a huge success, I know leeds stil has a small cinema :Hyde Park' and they have a constant financial struggle to keep it a float.
This little exploit we had has caused quite a stir. Just before Christmas the hits on my report went through the roof. I wondered were all the interest was coming from. I later found out it was a big enough story to make headline news in the Wakefield express, and news among world global cinema buffs. 
I've more pictures & the newspaper article here
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=265602590&blogID=339802502

Infamy at last!


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## Foxylady (Jan 4, 2008)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Just spent a happy half hour or so reading your blog of the cinema...very interesting stuff and great to see more pics. Excellent explanation of the flooding too.

Cheers


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## phill.d (Jan 4, 2008)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Thanks Foxy! as complimentary as always!


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## antz (Jan 4, 2008)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

thats an awesome report!


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## Goldie87 (Jan 4, 2008)

*Re: A.B.C cinema Wakefield report*

Nice one, just took a look at your blog. The old photos are a nice touch 
The tiling and doors at the main entrance look identical to the ones that were at the abc in Leicester (demolished last year)


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## angelboy (Aug 1, 2008)

My Auntie watched The Beatles play at Wakey cinema many moons ago!

I saw The Silence of the lambs there with my Dad when I was 14! My first 18 movie at the flicks!

Funny what you remember


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## screech (Aug 4, 2008)

Bloody Hell, last time i was in that place i went to see Nightmare on Elm Street!!!
Now the place is a nightmare

Nice 1, enjoyed your blog 2.


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## SnakeCorp (Aug 5, 2008)

phill.d said:


> Cheers folks. HI Smileysal... Well the water puzzle is what i'd like to find out. No one seems to know. The river Calder burst it's banks in the 30's and flooded the cinema, I know the water is 6' deep in the basement. It if it was a leak then it's been going for ages


I was told that there's a spring underneath the building and it required a pump operating pretty much continuously while the cinema was open to keep the water levels down. Once the power got turned off when the cinema closed, the water just kept on rising.

SC


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## Stealth_Snapper (Aug 8, 2008)

SnakeCorp said:


> I was told that there's a spring underneath the building and it required a pump operating pretty much continuously while the cinema was open to keep the water levels down. Once the power got turned off when the cinema closed, the water just kept on rising.
> 
> SC




Yes you're right, there is a pump but i'm not sure about a spring or not. From what i've found out from someone off Phils report site old cinemas when excavated had pumps fitted in the basement areas to rid it of any excess rain water finding its way in. Obviously this building has been without electricity for many years now so the pump wont be working. 

I've had a snoop round the ABC today while i was in town, mainly to find an entry point. I found one 

But.......i've noticed builders must've been in recently too as there's a few 'Demolition In Progress' been added around the site. Also the main doors at the front have been re-boarded up with new hardboard and again, more signs have been put up on it saying 'Dangerous Building'.


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## crumbler (Aug 9, 2008)

Very very very cool pictures, i love the effect the water has made when you stand in it. Would love to get into a cinema. Hope when i do its as good and this set of pictures.

Tks


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