St Nicholas Chapel, Chester

St Nicholas' Chapel, Chester is a former chapel in St Werburgh Street, Chester, Cheshire, England (grid reference 406664). Since it ceased functioning as a chapel it has had a number of uses, including being at one time a theatre. It is now a shop and is a Grade II listed building.^[1]

History

The chapel was built in 1280 (Info in Chester History and Heritage) for Simon de Albo, the abbot of St Werburgh's, Chester. It was used for a period as the church of the parish of St Oswald, then closed as a church and conveyed to the Mayor and Assembly of Chester in 1488. In 1545 an upper floor was inserted and it was used as the Commonhall and Wool Hall. The building was used for staging plays from around 1750, then further converted as the New Theatre in 1773 and the Theatre Royal in 1777–78. James Harrison modified it again into a hall for concerts and entertainments in 1854–55, when it was known as the Music Hall.^[1]

Film was shown from the early part of the century. In 1901 animated pictures of the Boer war were screened. In 1908 the London Animated Picture Company came to the Music Hall with interludes by Fred Kembo, a baritone vocalist. In 1915 it was called Music Hall Pictures, the screen being at the St Werberg Street end. Projection equipment at that time was Kalee Indomitable. In 1921 the building was altered and the screen was placed at the Northgate Street end. It was now known as the Music Hall Cinema. The first offering in 1921 was Chaplin's 'The Kid', screened in November. On 23 September 1929 the hall screened Chester's first "Talkie" 'The Singing Fool' starring Al Jolson. The cinema, run by the Rank Organisation closed in April 1961 with the film 'Never on Sunday'. It was a suitable title because the hall never showed films on a Sunday. After cinema, it became a Lipton's supermarket, a Foster's menswear, a reject shop and is currently a Superdrug store. A while back I visited the old projection room with friends and it is now used for storage.

Structure

It is built in sandstone and brick with grey slate gabled roofs in two storeys.^[1] Some medieval stonework remains on the south side. The Gothic style front is by James Harrison.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Images of England: 32 and 34 Northgate Street, Chester". English Heritage. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (2003) [1971]. The Buildings of England: Cheshire. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 0 300 09588 0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[images-1] "Images of England: 32 and 34 Northgate Street, Chester". English Heritage. Retrieved 2008-01-14.

[2] Pevsner, Nikolaus (2003) [1971]. The Buildings of England: Cheshire. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 0 300 09588 0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

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