Spring Brewery c. 1900

14 – 16 Chesterton Road, Spring Brewery, Tivoli Cinema, Rob Roy, Boathouse, Cambridge

History of 14 Chesterton Road

The brewery was founded about 1855 by James Dyson.

1880 sold to C Preston.

The owner of the Spring brewery which predated the Tivoli cinema was James McCallan Preston. He sold it to the brewer E Lacon in 1898 for £38,000.

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1900

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1913

(14)

The Spring, H G Barling, Head Quarters Rob Roy Boat Club

(14a)

William J Ison, cycle agent and manufacturer. Works: Montagu Road

(16) Doby’s boathouse

(16a) George Fagan, fried fish shop

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1925

Most of the brewery buildings were demolished and the Tivoli Cinema, Cambridge’s second purpose built cinema, built in 1925. The architect was George P Banyard. The lower end of the cinema was reputed to flood when the river level was high.

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The photo shows the advert for “The Desert Flower” with Colleen Moore. The Tivoli Cafe is next door.

Tivoli Cinema opens — 16 March 1925
The “Tivoli”, Cambridge’s new cinema on Chesterton Road will be opened on Thursday and many people have been speculating as to what it looks like inside. A representative of the CDN who had a look around came away very much impressed with the general air of comfort and the attractiveness of the interior. Over 600 people can be seated in the body of the hall and gallery. It has comfort, excellent lighting and excellent decoration. If you want a private box for six people you may have one for the sum of 15s.

Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge Chesterton Road Area Scrapbook, reference 1925 03 16

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Cambridge undergraduates have punch-up with anti-war activists outside The Tivoli Cinema – November 1933

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1939-1945

The Little Theatre, Chesterton Road was HQ ‘D’ Coy 5 Cambs Bn

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1956

The Tivoli closed in 1956 and after a period as a warehouse became the The Exchange restaurant and health club.

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1962

The New Spring public house

(14a) Arthur Conder, hairdresser

(16) Flinders (Wholesale) Electrical Retailers

Memories of the Tivoli Cinema — 14 September 1962
Maurice Stevenson started as a cinema projectionist in 1927 as a lad of 16 at the old Tivoli Cinema in Chesterton Road. They were the silent days. Then he went to the Regal and later the Central. In the old ‘disc’ days you had to be careful even closing the door in case you shook the needle out of its groove in the record. If you lost the synchronisation between the record and film it was the devil’s own job getting it back again, he remembers. The machinery is much more simple to operate now. 62 09 14

Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge Chesterton Road Area Scrapbook, reference 62 09 14

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1963

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Disturbance at the Rob Roy public house — 10 December 1985
More than 200 young people entered the Rob Roy pub in Chesterton Road to hold a late-night disco. Sixty-five police prevented any more entering as toilet rolls, a chair and other pieces of furniture rained down. As there were no lights on, except for the disco light and with a crowd in excess of 200 police decided it would be unsafe to enter and clear the building. The pub had not been derelict but undergoing refurbishment and considerable damage was done to the upstairs room. It followed confrontation with several hundred youths outside the former Thakes cycle shop in East Road 85 12 10b

Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge Chesterton Road Area Scrapbook, reference 85 12 10b

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Tivoli arts and entertainment centre rejected — 24 April 1986
A plan to turn the old Tivoli Cinema in Chesterton Road into an arts and entertainment centre has been turned down as it would cause noise and traffic problems in the area.. It hoped to have featured films, fashion shows, music and exhibitions and would sometimes have remained open for music and dancing until the early hours. But residents opposed the idea. The Tivoli was for a long time used as a storage warehouse and some months ago was granted permission to be turned into a public house and restaurant 86 04 24

Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge Chesterton Road Area Scrapbook, reference 86 04 24

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Tivoli converted into ‘The Exchange’ — 15 December 1988
The former Tivoli cinema building which opened on Chesterton Road in 1925 has been converted into ‘The Exchange’ with two large cocktail bars and a 120-seater restaurant. Later will come a basement gym, a punt landing stage and a roof garden restaurant with panoramic views over Jesus Green. Entertainment facilities include a huge electronic roll-down screen, the latest audio equipment and closed circuit television relaying film of the dance hall, But great care has been taken to preserve the distinctive atmosphere with plaster ceiling mouldings and a combination of rich dark and red wood 88 12 15a

Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge Chesterton Road Area Scrapbook, reference 88 12 15a

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There was a major fire at the premises in 2015.

Information about the restoration can be found here:

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/36849