In 1910 they moved to Wellingborough, and Mr. Hewitt was co-founder with the late Mr. George Brown of the Palace Theatre Company. The company built a cinema in Wellingborough, called the King's Palace, opened on 7th February 1910. Then 'The Palace' opened in Rushden on September 19th 1910.
Staff of the Palace Cinema July 1912.
The boy in the centre is Horace Wills.
Frank Wills kept an outdoor beer house at number 25 Alfred Street, facing the rear of the Palace Cinema, and they watched the cinema taking shape in 1910. Frank's son Horace became a "limelight boy" at the cinema and is pictured left, with staff outside the cinema in 1912.
Horace Wills later established himself as a wirless engineer in 1920 and traded at 38 High Street.
Constructing the Palace stage area in 1910. The wall of the beer house is in the background and the man in a suit,
taking an interest in the proceedings, is Frank Wills.
The Palace cinema opened on September 19th 1910. The main auditorium extended through to Alfred street.
The first programmes consisted of live variety and cinema shows.
Admission prices were 2d, 4d and 6d, with seating for 543 people.
The cinema generated its own electricity using two oil powered engines. “Talkies” were not installed until 1930, when the admission prices were now 6d, 9d, and 1/- in the stalls, 1/3 and 1/6 in the balcony.
The first commissionaire was George Thomas Carr who died at Wellingborough in 1926 from tuberculosis.
Mr Farrington, Fred, was a Mechanical Engineer and helped to install the first talking equipment in the Palace Cinema in Rushden. He acquired a number of complimentary tickets for the 'First House' which he gave to the Kids in the street.
A silver painted car with advertising for the Edison Kinetophone
The Palace Projection Room
and exquipment
The Argus, Friday 30th September 1910, transcribed by Kay Collins
“The Palace” – This amusement hall has proved an extraordinary attraction during this Feast week, and on several nights the accommodation has proved inadequate, and many have had to be turned away. The cinematograph pictures have been greatly admired, and the artistes have been very popular. The latter have included Will and Roze, in their Continental acrobatic scena; Valvo, military ventriloquist; and The Arnolds, in their cabinet mystery “Spiritus”. For the coming week an excellent programme had also been arranged. Some very fine pictures will be shown and in addition there will be The Three Veros, vocalists and speciality dancers; Babs Campbell, comedienne, and the great Boutelle, the famous juggler from the Palace, Shaftesbury-avenue, London. Boutelle’s engagement is, of course, an exceptionally important one, his talent being of a remarkable character.
A Poster dated 1939
Palace Accounts for Sep 19th -24th 1910
Sep 19
Total as per Return
12
0
2
Me & You
4
10
0
Sep 20
6
15
3
Carr
1
5
0
Sep 21
5
11
11
Checkers
18
0
Sep 22
7
5
4
Money taken
12
0
Sep 23
5
7
4
Miss Spavin
1
0
0
Sep 24
21
8
9
Welsh Minstrels
8
0
0
Miss Vincent
2
0
0
Percy Agutter
2
10
0
Stage Hands
12
0
Desboro
7
6
Snap (?)
6
0
Petty Cash
3
3
1
Advert Argus
3
0
Advert Echo
4
0
Rent
Rates
4
12
6
Gas
1
5
0
Coal
5
0
Programmes
4
0
Daybills
10
6
Throwaways
12
0
Cartoons
3
0
Roll Tickets
3
6
Piano
3
0
Petty Cash
3
3
1
£
33
9
1
Film Hire
6
5
0
£
39
14
1
Profit
18
14
8
£
58
8
9
£
58
8
9
Note: Petty Cash is entered twice
Rushden Echo & Argus, 3rd September 1937
Betty the Swimmer Six-year-old Betty Delamare, whose father, Mr. George Delamare, is the popular manager of the Rushden "Palace," is on the books of Rushden Swimming Club as the youngest member. And Betty is a credit to her club. She is completely confident when swimming in the Ouse, and to the delight of the crowd at the Rushden gala last Thursday she appeared there and did two widths of the baths in very good style.
1960s when the stage was bricked up
Rear view in Alfred Street in the 1960s
Palace Motors had taken on the building
In 1996 Rushden & District History Society put up a Blue Plaque on the building, in commemoration of the centenary of cinema.
The plaque was donated by the British Film Institute. It is one of 100 in the country, to mark the centenary of 100 years of British cinema.
The Palace was opened in September 1910 and closed in November 1956.
