News Theatre Swan Court Foregate Street Chester

CHESTER - Chester Corporation Watch Committee have approved revised plans for a news theatre to be built on a site in Swan Court Foregate Street Chester. William and Segar Owen Palmyra Square Chambers Warrington have designed plans for Times Theatres Limited, the promoters. [Kinematograph Weekly 2 May 1935. Page 38]

The directors of Times Theatres Limited and J Hardman comprise the board of directors of the Chester (Times) Theatre Limited which company proposes to make an early start on the erection of a news-reel theatre to seat about 600 persons, in Foregate Street, Chester. [Kinematograph Weekly. 2 May 1935 Page 17. Col 1]

The Tatler was designed in art deco style by J W Barrow, a partner in the William and Segar Owen practice. With a seating capacity of 530 and costing about £20,000, the theatre began as a news theatre showing 60—90 minutes of cartoons, comedy, travel, sport and news. Wide aisles and cross over gangways were part of the design to assist a continually changing audience. To further encourage patronage, the cinema presented its own newsreel called ‘Chester Today’ on 16mm film whereby the people of Chester could see themselves on the screen. In late 1937 the theatre also began to show feature films.  In March 1957 Capital and Provincial Theatres took over and shortly after, the cinema was re-named the Classic; old movies continued to be screened. Subsequent internal alterations resulted in its seating capacity being reduced to fewer than 500, the new screen being placed further forward. The Classic finally closed its doors on Saturday 19th December 1970 after which the building was demolished.

Opened        2 December 1936
Closed         Friday 18th December 1970

Reference    Kinematograph Weekly 2 May 1935. Page 38
Reference    Kinematograph Weekly. 2 May 1935 Page 17. Col 1