NHER 63550 (Monument record) - Site of Unitarian Church and Empire cinema

This site was purchased by the Unitarians in the 1870s, and the Albion Hall (formerly the Presbyterian chapel, NHER 63549) cleared away to allow the construction of a new Free Christian (Unitarian) church, school room and vestry. The building was of grey brick with dressings of red brick and Bath stone. The interior was designed to seat 400. Information from (S1). It was still in use by the Unitarians in 1909 (S2).
(S3) notes that the Albion Hall on Broad Street stood empty in 1911, and a projector was installed and a box office opened to convert this building into a makeshift cinema. However, the interior was not adapted and this business venture soon failed. The Albion Hall was again chose to become a cinema in 1913, this time being fully remodelled by Mr Cooper who also owned the Electric cinema in King's Lynn. The hall was gutted and seating installed to accommodate 600 people including 100 in the balcony. Renovation seems to have taken longer than anticipated and work carried on overnight under arc lamps. The façade was in smooth concrete, the floor sloped and hot water heating and electric fans were installed. This cinema became known as 'The Empire', and opened on 23 April 1913. It seems likely that the Empire cinema closed in 1922 when St James' Hall was converted to a 'picture palace'. See (S3) for further information.
In the 1930s this building was used as a Drill Hall and (S4) lists this as the home of the Norfolk Regiment (Territorial Army) 5th battalion (B company).
A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 4 February 2020.