The Silver Screen at The Scala: A History of The Scala Cinema, Worcester
- 8th July 2026
Scala c.1930 WPS17925 © Dowty
With the upcoming opening of the new Scala Worcester Arts Centre, Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology Service takes a delve into the history of this historic Worcester building.
The building we now see on Angel Place was built in 1922 and officially opened on the 27th November 1922.
A December 1922 edition of The Worcester Herald describes how the building was fitted with the most modern of electrics, heating, ventilation and plumbing, and for the time, the most up-to-date projection systems. The entrance hall was marble floored, with the décor being various shades of blue and brown. Seating was comfortable, with space for nearly a thousand.
On the opening night, the first film shown at the new cinema was the 1921 Italian silent epic, Theodora. This film reportedly had a cast of 25,000!
Interior of Scala c.1920s WPS17927 © Dowty
It would not be until 1929 when the first ‘talkie’ was shown at the Scala. The last manager of the Scala Cinema in 1973 was a Mr Ben Ryder who remembered it as being The Talk of Hollywood. Mr Ryder worked at the Scala for 51 years, starting as a projectionist in 1922. It was here that he met his wife, who was an usherette at the Scala.
Scala c.1973 WPS49329 © Newsquest
The Scala did not hold the accolade of being the first ‘talkie’ shown in Worcester. This goes to St. John’s Cinema, which presented, The Singing Fool, but it always tried to maintain a sense of the cutting edge. In 1954, the Scala had a ‘CinemaScope’ system installed, enabling the showing of widescreen ‘pictures’ on 35mm film.
The most successful showing at the Scala was in 1966/67, when The Sound of Music played for 12 months!
Worcester News 12/07/1966 © Newspapers.com
The decline of independent cinemas nationally hurt the Scala though and in 1973, the cinema was closed and its effects were sold at auction.
Scala for sale c.1975 WPS53117 © Newsquest
It would remain empty until 1979, when approval was given to turn the old cinema into an amusements arcade called ‘Worcester Leisure Centre’ which opened in 1980. By the 1990s, ‘Worcester Leisure Centre’ became a franchise of Shipley’s & Co amusements, which it would remain until 2022.
Scala c.1981 as Worcester Leisure Centre WPS56500 © R.J. Richards
The former Scala Cinema is now undergoing renovations to once again become a space for the arts in Worcester. If you are interested in the Scala Cinema or other cinemas in Worcester, Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology Service has several collections that may be of interest including 705:223 BA7893 and 705:223 BA8835 which contain papers, minutes, ledgers, account books, etc. of the Scala Theatre, Northwick Cinema, and The Crown Hotel. We also hold a large selection of photographs of historic Worcester, including the Scala as part of the Worcestershire Photographic Survey.
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