This is the Coalville Rex cinema. The last film it ever screened was 'Champions' starring John Hurt in 1984. The Rex was a two-screen cinema, with Screen 1 being situated at the top of a long staircase that took audiences to a large upper circle. Screen 2 had been built at a later date in the stalls area of the main auditorium.
For many years since the cinema's closure it has been used as a Dunelm Mill shop selling homeware and soft furnishings. Dunelm have been sympathetic to the interior of the cinema and very few alterations have been made.
If you visit the shop and concentrate on the architecture rather than the shelves of towels and bed linen you can find many tell tale signs about the Rex's former Art Deco splendour.
Entrance steps and sign for the buffet:
Foyer ceiling:
Corridor leading to screens 1 and 2 (the buffet was positioned on the right side and the box office on the left):
Floor and stained glass ceiling in the box office area:
Main staircase leading to Screen 1:
Curved walls leading to fire exits in Screen 2 / stalls area of auditorium:
The above two photos are taken in the main shopping area of Dunelm Mill. A suspended ceiling above this area hides the cinema's auditorium from public view. However, a recent article in the Leicester Mercury shows that the cinema space itself is largely untouched.
(Above photo taken from the Leicester Mercury).
Dunelm are due to close the shop on 26th June 2016. It would be great if The Rex were to reopen as a cinema again. It would be a tragedy if the interior of this cinema is lost forever.
