The Playhouse, Colchester

The Playhouse is a Wetherspoon's pub in Colchester, Essex, the building of which was previously The Playhouse Theatre. Originally opened in 1929, the theatre became the A.B.C. in the 1960s, and it was redeveloped into a pub in 1994.

History

The Playhouse Theatre was built in 1929 by John Fairweather; and the first production in 1929 was the Winter Garden Theatre's So This Is Love.[1] In 1930, The Playhouse became a cinema, the interior was redesigned in 1931, and in 1932, the cinema was taken over by Associated British Cinemas.[1][2] The building was redeveloped in 1962, and renamed the A.B.C. In 1981, the building was taken over by EMI, who used it as a bingo hall.[2] After renovation, the building reopened as a Wetherspoon's pub in 1994.[3][4]

References
  1. "Playhouse (Colchester)". The Theatres Trust. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. Cooper, Janet; Elrington, CR (1994). "A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9, the Borough of Colchester". Victoria County History. pp. 298–303. Retrieved 30 May 2016 – via British History Online.
  3. Phillips, Andrew (November 2013). Colchester 24. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445627526. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  4. Parkes, Tom (19 March 2009). "Eighty years on, Playhouse pub remembers its theatrical roots". Essex County Standard. Retrieved 1 June 2016.

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