Coliseum

The building was opened in 1913 on the site of the old Conservative Club, retaining the facade of that building. It opened and operated as a theatre until 1931, when it was modernised for cinema, when the original arched design was replaced by a new square proscenium, a lounge bar, a new canopy and external neon lighting were also added. For a time, c.1922-31, when both the Opera House and Winter Gardens were engaged in full-time cinema, the Coliseum served as Cheltenham’s only theatre. This was a two-storey building with attic, a plain facade (later rendered) with pitched roof, originally designed to carry flag-pole. The remainder of the building was brick. The balcony was removed and the theatre subdivided for dual operations after theatre/cinema use ceased, and few original features remained. In its later life it was used for bingo, as a snooker club and, most recently, as the Springbok sports bar. The building was unlikely to return to theatre use, and was demolished in 2011. The town is well served by the Everyman (formerly Opera House).