Town's independent 1920s cinema to close

The manager said decreased footfall and increased competition in the area contributed to the closure

The future of an independent cinema is uncertain after its manager decided not to renew the lease.

The Royalty Cinema in Bowness-on-Windermere has been open since 1927, and Charles Morris has been the manager since 1992.

Mr Morris said: "The level of admissions currently is about a quarter of what it was in our heyday, which isn't enough to pay the wages, the electricity and the gas bill."

Westmorland and Furness Council, which owns the building, is looking for a new leaseholder and said it was in discussions with a potential tenant.

Mr Morris said that in previous years the cinema has had to turn people away because of full theatres

Mr Morris added that he had been "subsidising the cinema for several years" from the profits of his other cinemas in Yorkshire.

But he said since the coronavirus pandemic, they were not making as much money and he now could not afford to keep the Royalty cinema going.

He also said that visitors to the area were not staying as long as they used to, and that going to the cinema was no longer a "priority".

For cinemas to stay open, "people need to come to them", he added.

'Very upset'

Mr Morris, who runs several cinemas, said: "I've been depressed about it for quite some time.

"I've put a lot of time and money into the cinema, we moved up here to take over the Royalty and our principal reason for our being here is no longer.

"So it's lots of sad things all rolled into one, really."

A spokesman from Westmorland and Furness Council said: "The council would like to thank Charles Morris and all the team for the service they have provided to the community over many years.

"The Royalty is a venue that is highly valued by locals and visitors alike."

It added that it would update the public on developments as soon as it was able to do so.