Former cinema enjoys a new lease of life as exclusive car showroom
A FORMER Yorkshire cinema has become a showroom for an exclusive range of cars.
Twisted Automotive has unveiled a new 8,500sq ft showroom in a converted cinema, five years after Jaguar Land Rover ceased production of the Defender.
Founder Charles Fawcett bought the historic Gaiety Cinema in Long Street, Thirsk, last year and has spent the past seven months converting it into a modern showroom with a coffee bar and events space.
Twisted’s existing HQ at Sussex Court on the outskirts of the town will be retained as a workshop facility, with sales, marketing and reception staff transferring to the new showroom.
The building dates from July 1914, when it opened as the Gaiety Cinema on Long Street. It was badly damaged by fire in 1930 and was later acquired by a tyre fitting company.
When Mr Fawcett began exploring the building, he found some unusual wall decorations in the old office area.
“It’s a really impressive building that’s alive with history,” he said. “Upstairs in the office, up in the rafters, you could even see the old cinema screen right at the back of the main space.
“But that’s not all – in a little room, accessed through a tiny door, there are ideas for adverts that the owner scribbled all over the wall in 1925.
“It’s obviously where his desk used to be. There were certainly some interesting events held there over the years.”
Mr Fawcett said the showroom would enable the business to take a slightly different direction.
He added: “I realised that bigger is not always better and we needed to go back to our roots and our original philosophy, building fewer vehicles so that the customer journey can be given the same attention as the vehicles themselves.
“Central to this will be our new showroom, which we hope will be somewhere where people can call in, grab a coffee, share stories and see our vehicles up close – as well as maybe a boat or even a rally car.”
It’s a really impressive building that’s alive with history. Charles Fawcett, founder of Twisted Auto.