Big anniversary celebrations for Rugeley pub with cinematic history
The history of a pub which once showcased the biggest names in the movies has been celebrated with a day of film-related fun.
The Plaza in Rugeley was filled with film memorabilia including programmes and other items from the building's former life as the Picture House, a cinema which lasted in the town for more than 60 years.
There were showings of "Independence Day" throughout the day, the last film shown at the cinema, then known as the Plaza Cinema, before it closed on September 5, 1996.
Originally a cinema called The Picture House, when the building opened its doors to the public, at 7pm on November 12, 1934, all eyes were on the big screen, with Jesse Matthews in “Evergreen” and Shirley Temple in “Pardon My Pups”.
The cinema was built by Charles K. Deeming & George E. Deeming for the Rugeley Picture House Ltd., part of the Charles K. Deeming Circuit.
The Deeming’s had been operating the Palace Theatre in the town for the previous 18 months, and this was closed when the Picture House opened.
Seating was provided in stalls and circle levels. The proscenium was 40 feet wide, the stage 24 feet deep, and there were four dressing rooms. The cinema was equipped with Western Electric sound.
By 1940, it had been re-named Plaza Cinema. The Plaza Cinema remained in the Deeming Circuit until later years, when it was sold to Ben Freedman.
It has been a Wetherspoons pub since May 1998 and manager Sian Siddall said it was a great honour to be part of a significant anniversary.
She said: "It's really amazing to be here today as Wetherspoons are renowned for trying to save historical buildings, so to be manager of one of these buildings, particularly one of the oldest and most famous in Rugeley, is an honour.
"We've had lots of stories from people who used to come here, either through social media or by them coming in and sharing their memories of their happy times coming here, with some talking about sneaking in at the back and stories of Mr Hudson and his megaphone which told people the film was about to start.
"We've got pictures inside the pub of how it used to look when it was a cinema with the stage and curtains and staff have been wearing film-themed costumes and selling ice creams and pop corn, so it's been a very eventful day."
The pub also had a clapper board at the entranceway, while some of the items inside the pub included one of the original per spec letters from the 1980s and one of the metal fire hydrants which used to appear outside.
Customers and members of the Landor (Local History) Society had loaned items of memorabilia, including signage and cinema programmes, photographs and newspaper clippings.
