A piece of Whittlesey’s heritage is set for a modern transformation. The former Cinema Palace, later known as the Super Cinema, at 24-30 Market Street, has received approval from Fenland District Council for redevelopment into four one-bedroom flats and four two-bedroom terraced houses alongside two retail units.
The project will maintain a commercial presence on the town’s principal street while giving new life to a building with deep historical and social significance.
A Silver Screen legacy
The story of Whittlesey’s cinema begins in 1916, when Fred Hart opened the Cinema Palace, a single-screen venue with seating for 500 patrons.
At a time when moving pictures were still a novelty in small towns, the cinema offered locals a glimpse of the wider world, showing silent films, newsreels, and live piano accompaniments. Beyond entertainment, it became a social hub, hosting lectures, events, and community gatherings that brought Whittlesey residents together.
After Fred Hart’s death in 1925, the cinema passed to Cyril S Hart, who in 1934 gave the building an Art Deco facelift.
The new façade and foyer, built in Flemish garden wall bond brickwork, became iconic, featuring geometric designs that captured the glamour of the era. The cinema showed films starring Laurel & Hardy, Shirley Temple, and other Hollywood legends.
Following World War II, it became the Super Cinema Palace, later shortened to Super Cinema, and remained popular until the late 1960s. The rise of television and changing entertainment habits led to its closure in 1968, marking the end of an era for Whittlesey’s silver screen.
Adaptive reuse through the decades
Even after cinema screenings ended, the building found uses: the foyer became a radio and TV shop, the auditorium was repurposed as a bowls and social club, and later it housed A.C. Ostlers Hardware store until 2017, most recently functioning as a gifts and clothing emporium.
Architectural and historical significance
The main cinema building retains its Art Deco façade and is designated a “building of local interest” within Whittlesey’s conservation area.
Redevelopment plans
The newly approved scheme, submitted by Fairfax Ventures Ltd., represents a more modest approach than a previously withdrawn 2023 application.
Whittlesey council backs slimmed-down town centre redevelopment
The earlier plan, which proposed 16 flats and three retail units in a three-storey block, was rejected due to concerns over overdevelopment, scale, and the potential loss of retail space.
The approved redevelopment includes:
- Four one-bedroom flats and four two-bedroom terraced houses
- Two retail units with traditional timber shopfronts
- Use of Cambridgeshire facing bricks and slate roofs to complement local vernacular
- Off-street parking for 13 cars and a secure cycle store
- Enclosed electricity substation to reduce visual impact
Council conditions require historic building recording, a construction environmental Management Plan and protection of nearby grade II listed mud walls.
