CINEMA IN LANCING

Unfortunately, Lancing and Sompting do not have any cinemas, although the remains of the Odeon/Regal in Penhill Road, Lancing, and Luxor in Station Parade, Lancing, are still both clearly evident. The nearest cinemas are in Worthing (Dome Cinema and Connaught / Ritz Theatres). Click here for details of cinemas and films on show nearby.

Of the former Lancing cinema's, the Luxor is probably the better known, because of its prominent position by the station, and the fact that it lasted as a bingo hall until the 1980s. The frontage is still largely unchanged, although the auditorium was demolished shortly after the bingo ceased.

Externally, the Odeon is probably better preserved, although many would not realise its heritage today. Seating 691, it opened on 31 October 1933, around the same time as the Worthing Odeon. It would appear that it was not as successful as Oscar Deutsch would have liked, and on 2 March 1936 it was renamed Regal, as if to be distanced from the Odeon circuit. By 7 March 1939, the cinema was leased to a Basil Fortesque, who was in the process of building the much larger and better positioned Luxor, and on 23 March 1940, just two months after opening the Luxor, the Regal was closed, although the cinema licence was renewed the following year.

Later that year, the Regal was transferred back to Odeon, and another lessee, who had also taken over the Portslade Rothbury (now Southern FM's headquarters) from Odeon, reopened it on 16 October 1941. However, this appears to have been another short-lived venture (possibly due to the problems of wartime), and Odeon took it back themselves from 30 August 1942, but still continued to operate it as the Regal until 25 March 1945, when the Odeon name graced it once again. It struggled on until 20 January 1952, and was then sold to Shipman and King, who were also taking over the Luxor. It was promptly closed to reduce competition for the Luxor, which also took over the Saturday morning children shows that had been a feature of the Odeon.

Despite the length of time since it was last used as a cinema, its historical roots are still very obvious. The canopy is still there, and the building pays tribute to its past in the name Regal House, where once the Odeon and Regal names were proudly displayed. Even the interior of the former auditorium still retains a remarkable amount of its origins. The staging where the screen was, and the projection box are still there. A wall has been built across the middle of the auditorium, and the roof has been replaced following damage in the October 1987 storm. Thankyou to Sussex Volvo Spares / Ingleside Motors for allowing the internal photographs to be taken. Click on the thumbnails below to see the full-size images.

As the Odeon
© Geoff Caulton
 

The Luxor was an altogether grander affair. Built specially by Basil Fortesque, it opened on 17 January 1940. It boasted 800 seats in the stalls, and 198 in a steeply raked balcony. It also had a 20' deep stage with a 36' wide proscenium, and three dressing rooms. It was air-conditioned, and sported the latest Western Electric "Mirrophonic" Sound System.

However, by 1942, it had been taken over by the H Bentley circuit, a London-based company. It was then taken over on 21 January 1952 by Shipman and King, when it seems to have done somewhat better (although the closure of the Odeon probably helped). By 1957 stage bookings ceased, as cinema was proving more popular, but on 26 June 1965 it went the same way as many other provincial cinemas when it became a bingo hall.

The Luxor survived well on bingo, but by the early 1980s even this ceased. The building went on the market, and, sadly, the auditorium was demolished to make way for a block of flats, although the frontage survives remarkably well. The former foyer is now a carpet showroom, when the grandure of its past is clearly evident, including the sweeping staircase to the balcony. My thanks to Walter Wall carpets for allowing access to take the internal photos. Click on the thumbnails below to view the full size image.

Cinema Memories