Anybody who grew up in Kiveton Park would have been very familiar with The Regal cinema, standing as it did on the site of what is now The Forge pub. For many decades, every Saturday morning, the Regal would be packed out with children looking forward to that week’s showing. Lots of the people we’ve spoken to had very special memories of the Regal. Several of our older witnesses can even remember silent films being played there with a piano player at the front of the cinema offering an accompaniment!

Ethel Goddard in particular is remembered for keeping a fair but firm hold over the children who filled the front rows of the cinema. Roy Staniforth remembers how the stern words would ring out: ‘You’ll be out, you and everyone around you!’ Jennifer Hallam has given us a wonderful collection of documents, from her family’s shop in the village - Gregory’s. These are original bills advertising the films shown at The Regal for a considerable part of the late 1950s. Some of these are shown on this page.

It’s not well known that the Regal Cinema actually had a number of reincarnations, and at one stage was completely rebuilt. When it was demolished, Betty Quinton (nee Blackwell)’s father used some of the bricks to build a neat outhouse at the back of their house.

Elizabeth (Bessie) Allan. Kiveton Park Cinema pianist.                             Bessie was appointed as the Kiveton Park Cinema (as it was named before it became The Regal) in June 1915 during the silent movie era.