The building was designed by local architect Gilbert T Gardner for proprietors Richard Henry John Bartlett, W Beeson and Charles Green.

Proprietors included Hubert Thomas Lambert (1917–20), CW Poole's Entertainments (1920–23), Walshaw Enterprises (1923–25), Ben Jay (1925–27), J Bailiff (1927–28), and Edward Alfred Roberts (1928–30).

[2] In 1930 the lease was acquired by John Edward Poyntz (Born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales in Oct 1886), who had sound equipment installed.

In 1939 the original façade was replaced with one designed by Frederick GM Chancellor of Frank Matcham & Co.[4] Poyntz regularly[clarification needed] showed subtitled films, which were especially popular with foreign-language students.

[8] In 1987 the cinema was used as a filming location in The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn, an episode of ITV's Inspector Morse.