I remember going there in the 1960s and 70s for the children's adventure films on Saturday mornings with the playscheme. I recall too being asked my age, in 1971, when I tried to get into the AA film, Love Story, when I wasn't yet fourteen.
Wallace sold the site of their dairy in 1932, and The Regal Cinema was built on the land and opened in 1939 and could seat 1055, and closed as a cinema in 1977. There was a car park out the back, I remember, and my dad had his car broken into and 2lb of sugar stolen from the from seat. The Hitchin Gazette must have been short of stories that week, as they printed an article about it.
In 1980 the building re-opened as a concert hall and recording studio. I went to see Judie Tzuke perform there. Remember her? She was best known for her song, Stay with me till Dawn which reached no. 16 in the UK charts in 1979.
There were applications made to have the building listed, but eventually it was demolished in 1985, which I still find sad to this day.
It was replaced by Regal Chambers, a doctors surgery, which opened in 1987.
Amanda Brittany
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