This stunning Edwardian cinema first opened in April 1911 and has been fully restored to its former glory and is once again open to the public.
With our friendly team of staff, this is certainly the place to come and be entertained with your film of choice. We have three screens, including the opulent main auditorium, seating 500, the more intimate Screen 2, with newly refurbished Premier seating, and the new Screen 3, with 41 seats (including some double seats) and wall-to-wall picture.
First opened on April 15, 1911, as a multi-purpose entertainment hall, know as The Kursaal, the building's primary use was a roller skating rink, with live music and theatre also a popular use. In October of 1911, a small cinema was opened upstairs, showing silent movies daily, often accompanied by the building's owner, Carl Seebold, on piano. Due to the popularity of cinema in the early part of the century, the building was transformed in 1921 so that the cinema was downstairs, and this is largely what is seen today.
Though the building went through some hard times (including 2 world wars and numerous attempts by the council to knock it down to redevelop the area), The Dome was lucky enough to secure lottery and Heritage funding, allowing a full restoration of the building in 2005. During the restoration, we were able to install a lift - very rare in a Grade II* listed building. As a result, we now have superior disabled access to all screens, with Screen 1 and Screen 3 on the ground floor, offering step-free access, and Screen 2 serviced by the lift.
In 1987, The Dome featured in David Leland's critical hit "Wish You Were Here", starring Emily Lloyd and Tom Bell. Much of the film was set in The Dome, including Screen 1, the projection room and the Dome itself.
In April 2018, after being one of the busiest 2-screen cinemas in Europe, The Dome added a third screen. The intimate Screen 3 has 41 seats, with a double sofa seat on each row.
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