In May, Ashbourne residents were able to do something not possible in the town for almost 50 years – take a local trip to the flickers on the Market Place.
For the town, nestled on the southern edges of the Peak District, the sight of the former cinema standing empty has undoubtedly been a source of sadness for locals.
Opened in 1929, it entertained audiences up to 1976, the year in which the lights dimmed for the final time.
Since then, after a period of inactivity, the building acted as a shopping arcade in the old stalls area, before providing entertainment of an altogether different kind – as a nightclub.
The brainchild of local man Mick Gallimore, the site has now been restored to its former glory after years of hard work in making the dream of bringing a cinema back to the town reality.
‘It’s one of those things you have to see to appreciate,’ reflects Mick, who saw the initial plans for a 144-seat cinema and community centre approved in 2020.
‘The mayor of Ashbourne opened it up and we had a fabulous opening night; one that will live long in the memory.
‘We invited a full house along, including councillors, people who worked on the job, local traders and the like, and the feedback was great – everyone said they had a very enjoyable evening.’
The rebirth of the Empire Cinema has not been easy, with plenty of challenges to confront along the way, as Mick describes.
‘When we started the project we received a grant from the Rural Grant Scheme, which had come through Europe,’ he says.
‘Then Covid struck but we were already underway and couldn’t pull out.
‘The way prices have gone up too is beyond belief but it’s one of those situations where you just need to continue and reach the end goal.’
For Mick, who also runs the Ashbourne Shoe Company in the town, restoring the cinema and bringing back this source of entertainment has been deeply personal and an immense source of pride.
‘I felt like it was something I had to do,’ he explains.
‘I am an Ashbournian born and bred. Just a few yards up the Market Place from the cinema is where my grandma used to have a café.
‘I was born in 1940 and didn’t see my father until I was five when he returned from war and my mother spent most of her time helping to run the café - the place is in my blood.
‘I’m hoping the Elite Cinema and Theatre will help start a regeneration of the town centre.
‘There are a lot of shops that are run down and empty and I think that applies everywhere. Ashbourne has had quite a lot of money through a grant scheme through the council and Government and hopefully we’ll see some improvements from it.’
The cinema, suggests Mick, provides a perfect mix. Included is state of the art technology but the authentic look and feel of the original building remains.
‘This cinema has benefited from so many talented specialists – even the architect from London specialises in cinemas,’ he says.
‘The front façade of the building is very much in its original condition,’ he says. ‘We’ve still retained some of the proscenium arch on the upstairs and the ceiling is original.
‘All the seating and projection equipment is new and the sound and lights are absolutely fantastic. We have satellite in here too, which means we can beam productions from as far afield as the United States live, as they happen.’
And whilst the cinema will provide, as Mick says, the ‘backbone’ of the operations, the scope and potential for this much-loved building is substantial.
‘We’re opening with around four productions a day,’ he reveals.
‘The plan at the moment is to provide around five days of cinema and then the hope is we fill the other two days with theatre productions. Ashbourne had neither a cinema nor a theatre, so we have designed this place to take theatre productions as well.
‘We have a wide variety of exciting things in the pipeline, such as the National Theatre Live which we have just started putting on.
‘This is only phase one of the project. We still have the downstairs to do. Money-wise, everything has gone up but we need to complete this,’ says Mick determinedly.
‘We’re hoping to put in a restaurant and/or bar but we’re still interested in hearing suggestions from locals with a view to getting it moving in the near future.’
The Elite Cinema reopened to the public in its original form for the first time in 47 years on May 26.
At 9am that morning, the cinema’s Facebook page – which already enjoys a following of over 2,000 people – proudly proclaimed: ‘Today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for… the all new Elite Cinema and Theatre is open to the public from 2pm today!’.
One of the many people who commented on the post simply wrote: ‘Thanks to everyone for bringing a cinema back to Ashbourne.’
And for Mick, the future looks bright.
‘Every comment we have had has been positive,’ he concludes.
‘Obviously we’ve had a few starting up problems which is natural – including the lift breaking down with a chap in it! – but that’s all sorted now.
‘We keep doing our job and I am sure the fabulous building and offering will do the rest.’
For more information, visit elitecinemaandtheatre.co.uk.
