Save it!

Love music. Love Plymouth. Save the Royal
Love music. Love Plymouth. Save the Royal

Our passion: Why we believe in this building

There has been a strong reaction to the proposed demolition of this much loved building, with an online petition that gained over 5,000 signatures, an active Facebook group, an Instagram page and a book which documents the memories of the many people who’ve contributed to online requests for reminiscences.

The building is inherently suitable for continued use as an entertainment venue. WR Glen’s undoubted skill was in interior planning, something which aided the 1970s conversion as the design of staircases and exits is exemplary. We believe that the Royal is an asset with historical, cultural, townscape and economic value, which the city can ill afford to lose.

Save the Royal

Our aim: develop a sustainable future for the building

Preventing or delaying the demolition of the cinema isn’t enough. It needs a sustainable long term plan to give it a future. Unoccupied or under occupied buildings deteriorate and as time passes the cost and difficulty of refurbishing them increases significantly.

Our vision: A multi-use venue 

We believe that the best way to secure a future for this building is as a multipurpose facility, with a cinema, community hub, live music venue, rehearsal spaces, bar and cafe. A multipurpose scheme is most resilient financially to changing trends. A new music venue will help bring a wider range of live acts to the city, restoring its place on tour circuits and helping to promote a vibrant arts scene. Our proposal forms an arts district with the nearby Theatre Royal and the Athenaeum, something which will benefit the city as a whole, with the Royal additionally complementing the Tinside Lido, listed as one of the reasons why Plymouth is ‘cool’ by GQ magazine and The Times. 

Unlike the vast majority of the cinemas built in the 1930s the Royal has survived almost 80 years so far, helped by the subdivision of the auditorium in the 1970s. Our proposal is pragmatic, because we recognise that it’s not likely to be feasible to return the auditorium to its original layout. The cost of this would be prohibitive and a 2,400 seat venue, be it for film or live events, would not be viable in Plymouth. We do however intend exposing original features where they are currently hidden, making the most of the decoration which made super-cinemas such magical places to visit. 

Relevant projects

Here are just some of the many great projects we’re taking inspiration from: