Cornwall Cinema Gazetteer

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HELSTON

Empire Theatre ~ Flora

The modernised interior of the Helston Flora around 1955

The original Flora cinema opened as the Empire Theatre, 17 Wendron Street.  It was built as a cinema, and access was via a front courtyard enclosed by decorative ironwork, in particular an arch entrance.  Entering the building there was a long narrow foyer with a central paybox.  There was a balcony and a small stage.   410 seats: 307 stalls and 103 gallery and a proscenium of 30'.  Safety troubles arouse as the Cinematograph Licence from 19.5.1928 states "no public to be admitted to gallery and doors  to same to be locked".  By gallery they refer to balcony as this rule reduced the seating capacity to 307.  This was while being run by Alexander Corrison.  By 1932 BTH, British Thomson Houston sound had been installed and was run by Arthur Rowland who also ran the Victoria, Newquay and Empire, Torquay. By 1932 ownership passed to Rowland Hill, operator of the Palace Theatre, Truro.  Subsequently the name was changed to Flora in 1942.  The Flora derived its name from the world famous Flora Dancing Festival held in Helston annually.    The Flora was modernised in 1955 as part of a scheme involving many of Rowland Hill's cinemas.  The Flora received coved Grilles just like those at Astor Newquay, except placed on the side walls here.  The colour scheme was described, ceiling rose in pink, walls apricot and peach and the surrounds of the new lights dusk red and deep red.  The dado is grey over speckled in red.  In the late 1950s Rowland Hill's cinemas were leased by Duchy Cinemas Ltd.  They installed RCA sound and the screen was 26' by 10' at that time.  The Flora cinema closed in April 1985 and when I first visited the site the building had been derelict for a number of years. The current Flora Centre, Wendron Street opened in 2000 within the shell of the original building.  Included in the centre is a 80 seat cinema that opened on 23 October 2000 with Chicken Run. Note how the modern canopy attempts to mimic the arches of the windows high up on the frontage.  Since the reopening there have been problems and the cinema closed, but the cinema was reopened under the control of Merlin Cinemas with Iris in 2002.  In 2004 Merlin Cinemas showed their commitment to the cinema by buying it.   This has now allowed them to build a second 60 seat screen through the rearranging of the layout of the cinema space.  A brand new projection room had to be build for the cinemas.  The twin cinemas opened on 12.02.2005.

Sea Hawk ~ ABC Hawk

The SSVC (Services Sound & Vision Corporation) was formed from the amalgamation of the AKC (Army Kinema Corporation) and the RAFCC (RAF Cinema Corporation), and was first known as SKC until 1982. The Sea Hawk cinema is situated within the large RNAS Culdrose base on the outskirts of Helston.  There is of course no public access to this cinema.  Curiously it has just been renamed ABC Hawk.

Gone but not forgotten:        Victory Hall ~ Electric

This cinema was an early operation housed in The Victory Hall, Meneage Street until the mid 1920s and run by John James.  Called Electric, it operated from March 1914 with 500 seats.  This had a single flat floor with a screen set well in front of the stage and an enclosed space near the back of the hall housing the operating box.  No trace of the hall remains today.

Gone but not forgotten:        Flambards Super 3D Cinema

Around 1990 the Flambards Theme Park, just outside Helston featured an attraction they called "Super 3D Cinema".  It was housed in a dome structure and featured a large 180 degree screen. This was most likely based on the successful if brief Cinema 180 system which involved 70mm films being shown on a wide 180 degree screen.  Customers would stand up in front of the screen and without any peripheral references would promptly fall over when the film started.  Ultimately Cinema 180 evolved into the Imax system common today. Although some Cinema 180 films used 3D it is more likely the films shown here were not official Cinema 180 films hence the unusual branding.  A Cinema 180 continued to operate until recently at Oakwood Theme Park in Wales.

Some Super 3D Cinema customers from Flambards publicity of the period

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