The Ritz Cinema was built in 1935. It was, commissioned by Orton & Spooner, a company based in Burton which earlier in the century had made fairground rides and shows, and later owned the Burton Picturedrome Company. Also so[[prting and involved was Thomas Jenkins, a local architect who had designed the Electric Theatre, of 1910, and conveniently, Mayor of Burton at the time.
It was built on the site of the New Theatre and Opera House, of 1902, which showed films from 1930 which was demolished in 1934. This was a rebuilding of St George’s Hall, a concert hall of 1868. Interestingly, the front of this building was in George Street and the back in Guils Street: the reverse of the buildiding that replaced it.
The cinema is a steel-framed brick building in Modernist style; the façade on Guild Street has above the ground floor entrance a central section projecting forwards, which features five square Crittall Windows, and a row of smaller windows above.
The interior was designed in Art Deco style by Annie Orton, a relation of the owner and after buying a ticket, you entered the door to the left to the stalls and up the stairs through the door to the right for the balcony.
The first film shown at the Ritz Cinema was ‘Blossom Time’. A staple was the ‘Saturday Morning Club’ with a variety of films including the likes of ‘Old Mother Riley’.
In 1957, it changed ownership and became known as ‘The Gaumont’. It changed again in 1957 to become a member of the ‘Odeon’. Finally, in 1966, it changed to become the ‘Robins Cinema’ although, as can be seen in the above 1870s photo, the Odeon signage remained. It was re-designed in 1974 to have three separate screens.
It was the most successfull and longest lasting cinema in the town, largely due to its central location, but closed as a cinema in 1999.