Palladium

The Palladium Picture Theatre was an early silent cinema, converted from a shop in Westgate Street in 1913. The building had originally been the Upper George Inn, then Norton's Garage. Seating capacity was 400 in the stalls and 90 in the small balcony. The Palladium was owned by Mr Wallis Harris, a local trader, and Mrs Evelyn Harris played organ to accompany the silent films.

The cinema underwent a couple of refits during the 20s but by 1927 lack of financial success led to its closure. It became Peacocks the Drapers until 1941 when the NAAFI used it as a depot. After the war Foyles Furniture Stores bought it, and when the building became available again in 1970 two cinema proprietors, Mr Mike Flook and Mr Bernard Snowball, applied to convert it into a cinema, to be called Studio 70. This never happened and the shop is now KFC although the upper storeys remain unchanged