Celebrating Evesham’s ‘cathedral’ of culture as it marks its 90th anniversary
Evesham’s Regal Cinema forms part of my DNA. I grew up in the Vale and was schooled in the town.
I recall regular Saturday mornings at the movie palace with junior school mates, then in a later manifestation of myself, an early-20s long-haired sort, I walked over there from Hampton with my Bruv for an evening’s entertainment; a Bond film always went down well. As I ‘celebrate’ my 66th birthday in March and try to work out what to do with a State Pension, The Regal goes a few better as it celebrates its 90th anniversary.
Evesham may be regarded as a market town and centre of a fruit growing area but it also has many fine buildings; the Regal is one of its best.
Yes, this mecca was a sanctuary of sorts when I was developing and a bastion of pleasure when I became more fully-formed. Art Deco rocks and The Regal is a particularly graceful example of the form, the work of the cinema architect Hurley Robinson (1883-1953). Grade II Listed, my sources tell me it was opened on 10th October 1932 when Art Deco was having a field day.
Sadly it had to close in 2003, yet joyously reopened following refurbishment, on 21st January 2012, as it marked its 80th.
It’s not just a cinema these days, far from it, as in addition to films and screenings there’s also live music, comedy, lectures, exhibitions and so forth. The Regal is so much more than your bog-standard cinema, why, it even has its upmarket coffee shop which transforms itself into a wine bar for the evening.
Based at 41 Port Street, just a short hike from the Workman Bridge and the attractive River Avon, The Regal is the standout building in this part of town, in fact, it has a singularity as far as that is concerned. It puts me in mind of a church or cathedral, holding a dominance over its immediate surroundings, a place to which people come to worship, only here it’s movie and entertainment icons that are revered rather than religious ones.
The current custodians of the cinema feel very fortunate to hold that responsibility, to ensure that this place thrives and is there serving and entertaining the folk of the Vale not just now but for generations to come. It is certainly a high-profile building, not just in Port Street but in Evesham as a whole, its uniqueness emphasised when the town centre Clifton Cinema, originally the Scala (1923), and Clifton from 1938 with a remodelled façade and interior, showed its last film in 1980 and found a new persona as a bingo hall before being transformed again into a café/bar (2007).
That was another cinema I frequented when I was growing up although The Regal always remained my favourite. Even when I was a nipper I think I appreciated good architecture and The Regal had lines the Clifton couldn’t really compete with. The Regal has also proved, in the end, to be the one with stickability.
The venue has put on many live events over the years and was delighted to announce that world-famous virtuoso violinist and Aston Villa fan Nigel Kennedy would be headlining the celebrations when he appeared at the cinema on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th March 2023, performing his ‘My Musical Voyage’, a musical journey through some of his favourite works, everything from his personal inspirer, Bach, to popular cinematic compositions.
It’s a return visit for Nigel, showing his support for the historic, heritage-imbued venue as we mark both The Regal’s community restoration and its continued survival during difficult times.
Restoration Manager Laurence Wiper, who oversaw the refurbishment of this Listed structure, told me that: ‘Nigel loves the venue and believes artist support is integral to keeping independent venues alive. His appearances at the Regal represented the first opportunity to see him live in the UK for some time. His last scheduled UK performance was at The Royal Albert Hall, but he felt compelled to pull out with days to go, accusing Classic FM of musical segregation in preventing him from performing a Jimi Hendrix tribute’.
One thing you can be sure of with Nigel, an unrepentant socialist, is his unshakeable belief that the Arts should not, in any shape or form, be exclusive. The Arts should be there for everybody to enjoy.
Laurence continued: ‘He would not normally play venues with small capacities such as ours. He tours the world yet is always willing to come back and looks forward to returning to his local area!’
Nigel has a home in Malvern and is a great advocate of live performance so appearing in person at The Regal must tick a couple of his boxes at least.
As for The Regal’s importance to Evesham and the surrounding area, Laurence is in do doubt why this prestigious venue matters: ‘From my perspective, The Regal’s anniversary, 90 years serving the local community, is something to celebrate. In addition, it’s important to remember both company and individual contributions to the restoration that were integral to bringing the building back to life. Having survived the COVID crisis with the help of the local community and supporting customers I am confident that The Regal remains very much at the heart of that community. Buildings such as The Regal only succeed with the support of local people, the press, and artists like Nigel Kennedy.
'We were delighted to welcome back Nigel to The Regal this year, our milestone year. Nigel is a living legend and we are honoured and delighted that after a long time away from playing in the UK, he agreed to come back again and chose to come back here of all places. Nigel has played The Regal twice before and we are constantly asked if we can persuade him to return. We still have his signed keyboard in pride of place in our rock archive. We want to thank him for celebrating with us The Regal’s 90th birthday and for supporting our local, independent venue with his characteristic passion and enthusiasm for inclusivity in the arts’.
So, if you’re of the Vale, or live somewhere near, if you’re a returning émigré like me, or someone on a visit, well, get yourself over to the Regal and support this charming deliverer of pleasure. In doing that let’s help it on its way to its next major milestone, it’s centenary in a decade’s time.
