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.com]It 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 websiteLife Church Bath*
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Category:Cinemas in Somerset
Category:Culture in Bath, Somerset
Category:1934 establishments in England