Kilmarnock, 24 Titchfield Street, King's Theatre
Cinema (20th Century), Theatre (20th Century)
Site Name Kilmarnock, 24 Titchfield Street, King's Theatre
Classification Cinema (20th Century), Theatre (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Abc Cinema; Cinema
Canmore ID 201651
Site Number NS43NW 269
NGR NS 42823 37557
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/201651
- Council East Ayrshire
- Parish Kilmarnock
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Kilmarnock And Loudoun
- Former County Ayrshire
Designed in a very restrained French Rococo style by Alex Cullen, opened in 1904 and survived for four years before its first closure and refit after the liquidation of the compnay. It quickly became a cinema rather than a theatre and was wired for sound in 1929, early for a regional theatre.
Another refit in the early 1930's saw it re-open as The Regal with a Charles McNair interior. Another refit followed a fire in the mid 1970's and the space was divided into three separate cinemas as part of the ABC chain. The building is now closed and boarded up and its future uncertain.
Information from RCAHMS (CAJS) 2010.
See also 'Scotland's Splendid Theatres' by Bruce Peter (Polygon, 1999)
3-storey, symmetrical 7-bay, Edwardian Baroque former theatre. Polished, red Ballochmyle sandstone ashlar; red brick sides and rear, harled in places; later red brick to rear elevation.
Originally, this building was the King's Theatre, built during the reign of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Alexander Cullen of Brandon Street Chambers, Hamilton, designed the theatre. Later internal alterations were carried out, the most notable being a balcony construction designed by the Airdrie architect, Charles McNair. The theatre contained bars, exclusive boxes and lounges. It could hold around 2000 patrons for a show. The original owners staged many different forms of entertainment from opera, variety shows, to musical extravaganzas. There were also experimental trials showing "moving pictures", but the management was not sure if they would prove popular in the long run. The original proprietors went out of business after only 4 years.
After changing hands many times, the theatre became a cinema in 1937. The interior was destroyed by fire in 1975 and the cinema closed in 1999. Although altered, the building retains its fine Edwardian Baroque frontage to Titchfield Street. (Historic Scotland)
Photographic Record (18 September 2009)
Photographed in passing by the Listed Buildings Area Survey
