Subway - Former ABC Cinema - Ethel Street, Birmingham

Didn't realise until recently that this building was a cinema until it closed over 30 years ago!

Since then various shops and restaurants have been on the ground floor. Offices above.

The building is Grade II listed.

92 and 93, New Street B2, Birmingham

n the entry for NEW STREET
33/24 City Centre B2
Nos 91, 92 and 93

The address shall be amended to read NEW STREET
City Centre B2
Nos 92 to 93
(including Nos 3 and 5
Ethel Street)

------------------------------------

NEW STREET
1.
5104 City Centre B2
Nos 91, 92 and 93
SP 0686 NE 33/24
II GV
2.
Includes No 3 Ethel Street. Later C19. Stucco; slate roof. Three storeys
plus later attic; 3 bays plus the polygonal corner entrance bay. Ground floor
with modern shop fronts. First floor with a central Serlian-type window and
2 arched windows, all standing on a moulded cornice and with their heads in
decorated panels. Second floor with a central tripartite window and 2 windows,
all standing on a moulded and dentilled cornice in eared moulded surrounds and
with cornices above. Richly bracketted eaves cornice end blocking course with
altered parapet and attic above. The long left-hand return on Ethel Street
(where the entrnace to No 3 Ethel Street is) in a similar style though altered.

Listing NGR: SP0680686814

This text is a legacy record and has not been updated since the building was originally listed. Details of the building may have changed in the intervening time. You should not rely on this listing as an accurate description of the building.

Source: English Heritage

Listed building text is © Crown Copyright. Reproduced under licence.

Cinema details:

ABC New Street

Originally built as the Masonic Hall, it was screening films as early as 1896. It was converted into a full time cinema known as the Theatre de Luxe in July 1910. It was re-named Regent Cinema in 1922.

Taken over by the Associated British Cinemas(ABC) chain in late-1929. They employed their ‘in house’ architect W.R. Glen to design a modern cinema within the existing walls. Despite its very narrow entrance on New Street, it was a very grand cinema, with 501 seats in the stalls, 348 in the circle, and 410 in the upper circle. Having an upper circle was very unusual in cinema design in the United Kingdom. The upper circle was at a very steep angle. The Forum Cinema was opened on 1st November 1930 with Edna Best in “Loose Ends” and Leslie Fuller in “Kiss Me Sergeant”. It was equipped with a Compton 2Manual/8Ranks theatre organ, with its console on the stage at the right hand side. The organ was removed from the building in 1955. The cinema held many midnight matinee performances.

The Forum Cinema was re-named ABC in 1961. It was closed on 9th April 1983 with “ET”. The stalls area and foyer was converted into an amusement arcade, with the upper parts of the building converted into offices.

Subway seen on Ethel Street.

Some rights reserved

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Birmingham City / Digbeth (show map)

Taken on: February 5, 2015

Tags:

ethel st

new st

birmingham

west midlands

england

united kingdom

great britain

former cinema

Grade II listed Building

grade ii listed

92 and 93, New St

3 and 5 Ethel St

Stucco

slate roof

shop

shops

restaurant

stephenson st

pinfold st

ABC New Street

Masonic Hall

Theatre de Luxe

Regent Cinema

Associated British Cinemas

ABC

W.R. Glen

William Riddell Glen

Forum Cinema

art deco

subway « less

Sets appears in: • New Street Station area • New Street, Birmingham

Groups appears in: • Shop Windows • Shopfronts & window displays more » • Cinema Architecture • 2015 in the UK and Ireland « less

Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S2980, f/4.4, 1/110 sec, 14.6mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Fujifilm FinePix S2980
Aperture:	f/4.4
Exposure Time:	0.009 sec (1/110)
Focal Length:	14.6mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Digital Camera FinePix S2980 Ver1.01
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