A building that captured the imagin
ON Monday March 27, 1933, a super cinema called the Majestic opened in Cradley Heath, the like of which this Black Country town had never seen before.
A souvenir programme produced on the day said: “The Majestic opens up a new era of entertainment in Cradley Heath and denotes a spirit of enterprise that puts the bogey of depression to flight.” For three years up until 1933 an economic depression had gripped the world. Britain had yet to fully recover from the effects of the First World War and unemployment, especially in heavy industry, was sky-high with little prospect in sight for a reversal in fortunes. It was therefore a statement of optimism and faith in the people of Cradley Heath to provide an entertainment facility on such a splendid scale and make a stand against the ogre of the Depression. The Majestic would provide the highest class of cinema entertainment for those residents of Cradley Heath and the surrounding districts to enjoy the masterpieces of film productions under ideal conditions.
Converted
The Souvenir programme continued: “The proprieretors were distinctly fortunate in securing the site on which the cinema is built, situated as it is in Cradley Heath, within a stone’s throw of the Five Ways at the heart of the town. Property was also acquired opposite the theatre site and this has been converted into a large motor car park for the free use of patrons.” Not many working class people would have owned a car in the early 1930s, but those responsible for bringing the Majestic to Cradley Heath had foresight in their planning.
The Majestic was a private enterprise run by the Majestic Cinema (Cradley Heath) Ltd., a company of local business men led by Alderman F. J. Ballard, O.B.E., J.P. , H. N. Frost, F. Gill, T. A. Harris, J. H. Male, B. Millward, I. Tromans, G. F. Webb and T. F. Weaver. The whole scheme, including all details and decorations, had been designed by and carried out under the supervision of Messrs. Webb & Gray, who were chartered architects from Dudley, and the structure itself was built by J. M. Tate and Son, a local builder.
The super cinema was built to hold fifteen hundred patrons, just over a third of which were in the balcony. The auditorium was fan shaped and treated in a modern style and the plaster work was carried out by John Malin and Company from West Bromwich.
The interior of the Majestic must have been an impressive sight on the afternoon of its inauguration, 1,500 people filling every seat in the house and listening to the opening remarks by Alderman Ballard followed by the opening ceremony conducted by Councillor D. M. Chapman, J.P., Chairman of the Rowley Regis Urban District Council. As they entered the auditorium to take their seats the audience would have passed through an imposing crush hall containing the pay kiosk, sweet shop and telephone box. At the rear of the crush hall was the foyer giving access to