´óÏó´«Ã½

Explore the ´óÏó´«Ã½
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

13 November 2014

´óÏó´«Ã½ Homepage

Local ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sites

Neighbouring Sites

Related ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sites


Contact Us

More Entertainment

You are in: Jersey > Entertainment > More Entertainment > End of an era

Kevin Lewis owner of the New Forum

Kevin Lewis owner of the New Forum

End of an era

The Forum Cinema in Bath Street is set to close in January. Share your memories…

Next year will mark 100 years since the first cinema opened in the island, opened by TJ West in the Royal Hall in St Helier.

Since then several cinemas have opened, closed and opened again – fanning the islands fascination with film.

Cineworld

Cineworld

One such cinema was the first Odeon to be opened after the Second World War and, until the Cineworld opened on the Waterfront – the most southerly cinema in the British Isles.

The Odeon in Bath Street opened in 1952 and closed its doors (as an Odeon) for the final time in 2004 but was resurrected by Kevin Lewis (who has since been elected as a Deputy) as the New Forum the following year.

Deputy Lewis, who'd previously run the CineCentre at the Hotel de France, was keen to re-open it and, after negotiations with the owners C. Le Masurier and the Odeon, to lift a covenant on the building, opened the New Forum in March 2005.

Jersey Film Festival 2003

However, after nearly four years the venue is to close once and for all as a cinema. He expected it to last only a year, but says it's been very popular.

Its lease is coming to an end and the owners of the building in Bath Street have decided not to renew it.

The venue will close for the final time on 15 January. The closure will leave islanders with only Cine World on the Waterfront.

Have your say

Share your memories of the Odeon, CineCentre, The New Forum and any of the islands other cinemas past and present.

What do you think of the CineWorld – currently the islands only Cinema?

last updated: 22/12/2008 at 10:06
created: 22/12/2008

Have Your Say

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ reserves the right to edit comments submitted.

Ann Renouf-Fröjd
My mum worked at the Odeon from the very beginning in 1952. I used to go to work with her sometimes, and sit in one of the boxes watching the films. hen I got older I used to go every Saturday to see the morning matinées for 6d.

Martyn
Everybody said when Cineworld opened it would be the end of the Odeon and of the Cinecentre. Now we've seen it. The Cinecentre used to have a great family feel to it, and the Odeon served the island for many years. Then the 'government', using the term loosely obviously, bring in a 10 screen multiplex, destroying the little island cinema and back stabbing the loyal Odeon. As the true Jersey Beans wrote on the walls of the former West Park Pavilion.... Shame on you, the sad need for greed!. The more this island rakes it in, the less it seems to have

Barry Norman
The problem with only one cinema is that you only get to see mainstream films, and there's little choice. What Jersey needs is somewhere that could show independent/cult films.And there's an apostrophe in "island's"!

You are in: Jersey > Entertainment > More Entertainment > End of an era



About the ´óÏó´«Ã½ | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy
Ìý