38-39 St Andrew’s Street, Arts Picturehouse, The Regal, Cambridge

History of 38-39 St Andrew's Street

1861

(38)

William Clarke, 43, innkeeper, b Norfolk

Coach maker shop: no residents

(39)

Richard Benton, 42, shoe maker, b Ely

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The Regal opened in 1937 and was the largest cinema in Cambridge. It closed in 1997. However the site was acquired by Wetherspoons and the original restaurant converted back into a cinema.

1/10/1935 Cambridge Justices approved the plans of Associated British Cinemas for a new cinema to be erected in St Andrew’s Street. The site had been left derelict after fire burnt down a large part of the Castle Hotel in 1934. The application was opposed by the Theatre Cinema and the Rendezvous. There were nine cinemas in Cambridge with 6,300 seats and it would be impossible for them all to carry on if a super cinema like this were built. The Victoria was built four years ago, the Arts Theatre was completely new and the Rendezvous was having more seats and an organ. But the Cosmopolitan had closed and the Guildhall and Corn Exchange licences were rarely used. (Cam.News)

In the 1960s The Regal was the place for live music in Cambridge. You can read more about that time in A Decade of Gigs at The Regal.

See Janet Haggar interview

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26 November 1963
The Beatles, the current idols of Britain’s teenagers, were smuggled into Cambridge by the City Police in a Black Maria. They were driven into the Downing Street site then rushed into the rear entrance of the Regal Cinema before 200 screaming girls broke through the police cordon and dashed along Downing Place. Once inside the doors were slammed shut. Police will not let them out until after the last performance. Every available Cambridge policeman is ready for duty. But the elaborate security measures taken to prevent demonstrations before they were due to appear at the Regal Cinema went wrong: police were due to meet the Beatles’ car near Trumpington but they had almost reached Lensfield Road before it was spotted
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DOWNING STREET & PEMBROKE STREET Scrapbook, reference 63 11 26.