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The State Cinema is a Grade II * Listed building in Grays, Essex. It opened in 1938 as one of the most modern cinemas of its type at the time with seating for 2200 people. The cinema officially closed in 1988 but has held numerous events since including being used as a nightclub, however the building has now fallen into disrepair and is no longer in use. ==History== The building itself was designed by architect Frederick Chancellor of Frank Matcham & Co and owned by Frederick's Electric Theatres Company. It was built at a cost of £100,000 and twenty houses in George Street were demolished to make room for it. Once complete it was one of the largest cinemas in Essex, it featured air conditioning and an illuminated Compton Organ. It also had full stage facilities enable it to change into a fully functioning theatre or live entertainment venue. The cinema opened its doors at 7:30pm on Monday 5 September 1938 showing the film The Hurricane. In the 1970s the first signs of possible closure reared its head, the stalls were closed off, cuts to staffing were made and the organ fell silent. A campaign was launched to keep the cinema open and the then owners, Mecca Leisure Group, decided to spend £20,000 on improvements to bring audiences back to the old cinema. In 1982 work began to restore the old organ by a group of volunteers who later became known as "Friends of the State", eight weeks later music was once again heard in the building and a series of Sunday afternoon concerts were held, many of which were attended by recording enthusiasts who wanted to capture the sounds of the unique organ.〔(When did the State originally close? )〕 The building remained unaltered throughout its life as a cinema, perhaps due in part to its location or not demanding further screens. Once again falling audiences, possibly due to the development of multiscreen cinemas and a rising popularity of video film rental saw the State threatened with closure in the mid 1980s. Owners Mecca eventually left the building, a closing night event was held on 5 September 1988 and the film that opened the cinema 50 years ago to the day was shown once more.〔(State Cinema History )〕 The land and the cinema were earmarked for redevelopment and bulldozers were soon brought in, however a preservation order was quickly sought and the State became a Grade II listed building preventing its demolition. After the closure the cinema was handed over to a small independent operator who in 1989 rebadged the building "The Grays State Theatre". Films continued to be shown and organ concerts were once again a feature of the programme as was the £1 entry ticket. Alas, the business model didn't provide enough income to sustain the cinema and it closed again soon after. In 1991 the building once again came back into use, this time as a wine bar and nightclub called Charlestons. It opened at 8:30pm on Thursday 28 January and included live music from The Merseybeats and Dave Berry and the Cruisers. More live music, a number of variety and film shows plus several boxing matches was held at the venue, and the club also saw the return of the Sunday organ concerts. The club lasted for seven years before closing in 1998. The local council received a planning application in August 1998 from the Peniel Pentecostal Church to establish a church in the now dis-used building. The application was dismissed early the following year as was the subsequent appeal.〔(Thurrock Planning Application 97/00619/FUL )〕 In February 2000 the Thurrock Heritage Forum approached English Heritage to suggest that the listing on the cinema be upgraded and on 28 June 2000 the building was reclassified as Grade II * to preserve the art-deco interior.〔(State Cinema, Grays )〕 The same month Thurrock Council gave planning permission to supermarket chain Morrisons to build a store on the State's old car park after purchasing the site for £10 million.〔(Thurrock Council Strategic Planning Factsheet )〕〔(Gazette article )〕 Promises were made to Thurrock Council that Morrisons continue the upkeep of the cinema and restore the old building, to that end after an inspection in June 2001 revealed some water damage Morrisons sealed the leak to prevent any further damage.〔(Thurrock Local History Society Meeting, 21 September 2001 )〕 In 2003 Morrisons conducted a survey of the State and found the cinema still to be "structurally in sound condition and built to a good standard." The report continues "of major concern however, is the damage being caused to the building by water ingress through defective roof covering and through the walls due to a defective rainwater drainage system and cracked or missing mortar caps to walls" and "many of the internal fixtures and fittings are also suffering decay due to the water ingress." The report concludes "whilst alternatively it may be possible to patch those areas of the roof which are suffering most acutely, the problem will tend to progressively develop elsewhere as other areas of the roof finishes perish" and "on the auditorium roof repair of the gutter linings alone is not considered sufficient as leaks are also occurring through other areas of the roof."〔(State Cinema News )〕 The building ceased to be part of Morrisons plans once the supermarket was complete and was sold in October 2006 amid criticism about its upkeep.〔(New hope after State is sold )〕 The new owners, TSP Properties Ltd, purchased the State for £550,000 and although the company stated that it wouldn't be used as a cinema again they wished to redevelop it into a new leisure hub. The following year the gutters outside were replaced temporarily to prevent further water damage however it was discovered that the roof was desperate need of repair.〔(What a state our once proud cinema is in )〕 Several campaigns have taken place over recent years to highlight the state of the cinema and to kickstart a restoration.〔(Call for campaign to save the State and its organ )〕 The most recent campaign pressured the current owners to release a statement to BBC Radio Essex on 11 February 2008 claiming that they had worked with English Heritage and the building was now watertight, dry and clean inside and the organ had been fully restored.〔 However more recent investigations by members of the Save the State campaign have found that the roof does in fact still leak (as of March 2008 when a council inspection was undertaken) and that although the organ works to a certain extent, it has not been "fully restored". In July 2010, the Thames Gateway Corporation published the results of a feasibility study into future use of the site. The study put forward a plan for an arts and entertainment complex including cinemas, restaurants, bars and live entertainment. The plan was estimated to cost £7,4 million. The plan is under consideration by the site's owner – TSP Properties.〔(Thurrock Gazette report )〕 Further to the new plans being submitted, also proposed is a signigicant change of use, from use class D2 to use class D1. This means that The State could also be used as a church, despite a previous proposal for that use being refused by Thurrock Council. On the 11th September 2015, it was announced that the cinema had been sold to pub chain JD Wetherspoon. The Save the State group welcomed the news but said that they'd continue to lobby the owners to restore and reinstate the auditorium as a place of entertainment along with the Compton organ. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「State Cinema」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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