Cinema City occupies one of the oldest houses in Norwich. It is where I see lots of the films that I see during the year.
Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license
I came across some information about the history of the building which houses it.
Suckling House was built 1350-70 and takes its name from Robert Suckling MP who was mayor of Norwich in 1564.
This medieval house was mostly demolished around 1900 to create a clear route for the tramway along Redwell Street and St Andrew’s Street. At the same time a large portion of Garsett House opposite was also demolished. This is a really nice house as well. I can imagine the tramway coming down the hill from Redwell Street (which gave its name to a local Norwich brewery).
In the 1920s members of the Colman family built Stuart Hall, designed by E.T.Boardman, next to Suckling House.
The complex was eventually converted into Cinema City with the remains of Suckling House containing the bar and restaurant.
It is also the place where Round Table Great Britain and Ireland, founded by Louis Marchesi, held the first official meeting way back in 1927.
The bar is an attractive location to have a drink, and the food is also good. There are also some interesting old rooms upstairs with ancient glass in the windows.
It's got rather more character than the nearby Vue and Odeon cinemas, that's for sure...
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