Hereford cinema demolished for Maylord shopping centre

Commercial Street's Odeon cinema, then the city's largest, first came under threat in the early 1970s, as plans to redevelop the Maylord Street area gathered pace.

The Classic cinema in Hereford's Commercial Street. Picture: Ray Lloyd

The cinema, which became the Focus in 1975 and later became the Classic, was to fall victim to the scheme, with the Hereford Times writing that the city was in serious danger of losing its main cinema unless a replacement could be found within months in November 1983.

But it was not just evenings out at the pictures that were at risk, with Hereford's Civic Trust launching a campaign to save the cinema by having it listed for its fine architecture.

The group said Hereford was lucky to have the cinema, which was "a rare example of an inter-war building and 1930s art".

Inside the Classic cinema, Commercial Street, Hereford. Picture: Brian Hankins

Trust member David Hadley said at the time that the cinema, dating from 1937, was almost unique as it was in a mostly unmolested condition.

Inside the Classic cinema, Commercial Street. Picture: Brian Hankins

A planning application was made to demolish the foyer of the cinema in November 1983 and, despite the objections of the Civic Trust and an attempt to have the building listed, demolition would go ahead the next year as part of the planned £16 million Maylord Street development.

A complaint was made by the Civic Trust to the Local Government Ombudsman in March 1984, with the trust accusing Hereford City Council of maladministration.

The group said that Hereford City Council, as the owner of the cinema auditorium and foyer, should not have determined a listed buildings application for the building, and that it should have been determined by the Secretary of State.

Their complaint was cast out by the Ombudsman, who said they could see no matters requiring their attention.

Manager Graham Stringer at the old Classic cinema in Hereford's Commercial Street

Martin Prior, who lives near Hereford and was a member of the Civic Trust at the time, said the frontage of the old cinema was not particularly interesting, but that the group was interested in preserving the interior, where a large amount of original material was still present.

"A lot of the carpeting had been laid straight over the 1937 carpets," he said.

"Everything was there, including the fixtures and fittings."

Manager Graham Stringer and Brenda Leigh at the Classic cinema in Hereford's Commercial Road

Cinema chain Canon Classic were left hunting for a new premises, eventually moving to the former ABC cinema in Hereford's Commercial Road, which had been operated as a bingo hall since 1977, in December 1984.

The former cinema site is now occupied by shops.

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