Queen's Hall, Minehead

The Queen's Hall in Minehead, Somerset, England, was built in 1914 on the sea front of Minehead as a theatre for films and live performances.

Queen's Hall

It was designed by W. J. Tamlyn, a local architect and built of brick with Bath Stone dressings by J. B. & S. B. Marley. The first show was Oh I Say, which had previously been at the Criterion Theatre in London.^[1]

The brick building has three bays, with a decorated fascia and iron-and-glass canopy.^[2] The auditorium, which is 100 feet (30 m) by 46 feet (14 m), has a barrel roof with an elliptical proscenium arch with ornamental cartouche.^[2] Orchestra stalls and the balcony provided the majority of the seating, and there were two boxes.^[3] It was a venue for various ballet and theatrical touring companies and was the first place in the town at which a sound film was shown.^[4] In 1930 a Western Electric sound system was installed.^[3]

The theatre and cinema closed in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War, with the building being used as a canteen for troops.^[3] The building suffered major damage in the storms of 1996, with the glass canopy over the entrance being destroyed and flood damage to the hall.^[2] The building was restored for use as an amusement arcade and then a public house, at one time called the Mambo bar.^[3] Until 2015 it operated under its original name, "The Queen's Hall," as a pub. The pub closed in 2015. The lease was sold in 2012 for an undisclosed sum. It incorporated upper and lower ground floors with the balcony set up as a VIP area. There were also a kitchen and washing up area with a manager's flat above.^[5] It was refurbished and reopened in 2016.^[6]