The State Cinema

I pass the State Cinema in Victoria Road, St Budeaux, nearly every day. Of course, it's a long time since it's had that name. I read recently that there are plans to demolish it which I think would be a great shame. In March 1939, just before the start of the Second World War, the St Budeaux cinema company was formed. They had a capital of £10,000 which was all in £1 shares. Perhaps if the cinema had been proposed further into the war, it might not have been built due to the lack of materials and resources. On 16th October, 1939, a month into the war, the State Cinema opened at the junction of Victoria Road and Stirling Road. It seated 1,000 people and was the first cinema in Plymouth to be fitted with a four channel stereophonic system. The first film shown was 'That Certain Age' starring Deanna Durbin and Melvyn Douglas. The seats were 6d, one shilling and 1/6d. There were two shows daily. The cinema was certainly popular and attracted huge queues whenever a new film was showing. It escaped the bombing during the war and stayed open for many years after.

I can remember in the late 1960s, queueing with my mum and brother to see films like 'Oliver' and 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'. I particularly remember queueing for Oliver because it was pouring down with rain and the queue went right around the building. I remember one evening, our parents took us there to see 'Ice Station Zebra' probably one of the most boring films I've ever seen!

In 1970, the name of the cinema was changed to the Mayflower to coincide with the Mayflower celebrations of that year.

Eventually, the popularity of the cinema seemed to die off with the introduction of the video recorder. The Mayflower closed its doors to the film going public in 1983 and it became a carpet warehouse and, some time later, a snooker hall.

Once the cinema closed, the building was never kept in a particularly good condition and seems to have deteriorated ever since. Today, it stands boarded up with many of the younger generation not even realising it was once ever a cinema. It would be a great shame to see it go and hopefully, there'll be some way to preserve it.