Page 6 - CinemaRecord #87

Les Tod

ewcastle is the second largest city in New
NSouth Wales with a population of some
600,000. It is situated on the coast at the mouth
of the Hunter River and is an industrial city
with a large port.
Newcastle theatre entrepreneur, Mr William
Herbert, was the operator of several early
cinemas in the suburbs of Newcastle, including
one at Broadmeadow and another at Hamilton.

At Islington, he had his Number 2 Theatre,
on the same site on which the new Regent
would be built. The new Regent, however,
would be his first substantial theatre building
and one of outstanding architectural design. It
was located on the corner of Maitland Road
and Beaumont Street.
The theatre was somewhat different to the
original 1928 drawings by architect
Mr E F Hewitt; for example the vestibule was
placed at the corner of the two streets rather The Regent under the Hoyts banner c. 1960
than on Maitland Road, and the projection box
was not built at the rear of the circle, but suburban theatre in that city until at least the on 24 June 1929 and this portion will be closed
instead at the back of the stalls, where it must Broadmeadow Century was built some years for public amusements from 22 June 1929.”
have had problems with patrons standing up. later.
The façade was decorated somewhat In June 1929 it was reported that “construction
differently to the plans also. But what emerged The new theatre was slowly erected around the is progressing favourably but will be at least
was one of Newcastle’s premier theatres, its old, which is confirmed by a memo in the another three months before completion.”
classical neo-Grecian style with fluted columns Chief Secretary’s file which states that “the Prior to the opening, which would be dwarfed
and its sheer size making it arguably the best demolition of the inner shell is to commence a few days later by the opening of the stunning

Herbert’s Regent Theatre c. 1940

Under the Hoyts banner c. 1960

6 CINEMARECORD # 87