The Forum was built as an art deco cinema in Bath, Somerset, England, in 1934, and was designated as a Grade II* listed building on 28 May 1986. The building closed as a cinema in 1969, and has subsequently been used as a dancing school, a bingo hall and a church. Its main auditorium has 1,600 seats, making it Bath's largest event venue.

Building

The Forum was built by William Henry Watkins and E Morgan Willmott, assisted by A Stuart Gray, at the cost of £80,000 () with a steel frame covered by Bath Stone cladding in a combination of art deco and neo-classical style. Inside the walls are brick with concrete floors, with large art deco candelabra lighting. Above the auditorium is a ballroom with a sprung floor and below it on the exterior of the building are shops. The building was heated by radiators, but also by washed air, a novelty in the 1930s.

History

The Forum initially sat 2000 and was opened on 19 May 1934 by the Marquis of Bath and was used as a cinema until 1969 when it was home to a dancing school and bingo hall. The building is owned by Bath and North East Somerset Council, and from 1988 is let on a 700-year term lease to the Bath Christian Trust as the home of Life Church Bath - formerly known as Bath City Church. https://www.lifechurchbath.comIt presently has 1600 seats, making it Bath's largest venue for events and so is also used for concerts, performances and presentations. The Forum has undergone a programme of extensive renovations under the supervision of Stubbs Rich Architects. In 2014, the Bath Christian Trust put together plans to convert part of The Forum's ground floor into a café which is now open.

References



External links


The Forum website

Life Church Bath
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forum, Bath, The Forum, Bath, The Forum, Bath, The Forum, Bath, The Forum, Bath, The Category:Cinemas in Somerset Category:Culture in Bath, Somerset Category:1934 establishments in England