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Camborne Scala
Camborne Kings
Devonport Public Hall
Devonport Alhambra
Devonport Hippodrome
Devonport Cinedrome
Devonport Palladium
Newquay Pavilion
Newquay Victoria
Penzance Savoy
Penzance Regal
Plymouth Regent
Plymouth Plaza
Plymouth Carlton
Plymouth Belgrave
Redruth Gem
Redruth Regal
Teignmouth Carlton
Truro Plaza
Sound & Movement Cinemas Ltd
John Prance
Prance trained as an engineer but showed talent for
performance, writing the plays The Baron Returns and
The Midnight Express at an early age. He was the son
of a solicitor who moved to Plymouth to join a
successful practice.
Became assistant manager of the Devonport Public
Hall, worked his way up as joint manager of the
Alhambra and manager of the Hippodrome, also both
Devonport. However his main interest was cinemas.
Devonport. He then formed Sound & Movement Cinemas Ltd with business partner W
Mumford.
The new circuit comprised:
Camborne Kings (built) and Scala (takeover), Newquay Pavilion and Victoria (both
takeovers), Penzance Savoy and Regal (takeovers), Plymouth Regent and Plaza (built
both), Redruth Gem (takeover) and Regal (built) and Truro Plaza (built). It is worth noting
that the Camborne Kings, Redruth Regal and Truro Plaza were designed by emminent
Bristol cinema architect William Henry Watkins and are arguably some of the finest art deco
cinemas built in the West Country. The Regent Plymouth was the second largest cinema in
Britain and ranked in the top ten largest cinemas in Europe.
The Cornish cinemas were sold to Albert Jackson Withers of Cardiff in 1942, while the
Regent was sold to Odeon and the Plaza to ABC.
A relative, quite possibly his son, John Prance formed Embassy Cinema (Plymouth) Ltd to
build a new cinema in the suburbs of Plymouth. With the outbreak of war this could not be
realised so the company reopened the Carlton in Union Street in 1940 but this was soon
closed by bombing in 1941. Not to be outdone he took over the Carlton Teignmouth and
lived in the attached property until it burnt down in 1950. Again be bounced back by taking
over the Belgrave cinema Plymouth in 1951.
Do you know more about these cinema operators? Let me know