in Bloom - Redditch Borough Council

Palace Theatre
The Palace Theatre first opened its doors in August,
1913, and was described as a miniature opera
house of classic design able to accommodate
660 people. The theatre was constructed by G C
Huins and Co, boasting every modern facility of the
day at an estimated cost of £9,000.
The Palace Theatre used to be a Cine-Variety house
which combined films and variety entertainment.
Until 1929, the Palace ran a mixed bill of fare, but in
February of that year, it was being advertised as
Palace Super Cinema. In April 1930 a Western
Electric Sound System was installed and ticket
prices were raised to 6d (Pit) and 1/-(circle), due to
the cost of installing the new Talkie apparatus. The
theatre reverted back to be performance based in
the late 1940’s.
The Borough Council took over the management
and running of the building in 1985 and undertook
a 4 million pound refit of the historic Edwardian
Theatre, which was completed in 2006. As one of
only six working theatres left in the country that can
be wholly attributed to its famous architect Bertie
Crewe its heritage and pedigree makes the
Palace, architecturally a theatre of national
importance.
The refurbished theatre, with its luxurious and hi-tec
interior can now accommodate 425 people in
accordance with modern requirements.
Moons Moat
Moons Moat is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
dating from the 1300’s which is nestled within the
urban environment of Church Hill. The site would
have been originally constructed by the lord of the
manor or someone suitably important. The
recovery of an Edward II penny and cooking pots
during the archaeological dig of the 1970’s
substantiate this assumption. In its earliest
construction the site had a bridge and a stone wall
to its boundary. In the 16th century the moat was
rebuilt and extended together with the construction
of a new bridge, however the site was abandoned
by the 17th century.
There are several local legends connected to the
site including a murder and a buried chest of
treasure.
In 2005/6 the site benefited from the Local Heritage
Initiative and the newly formed Moons Moat
Conservation Group successfully obtained
£27,000 of funding that provided de silting, tree
works and a school educational pack. The group
are still actively researching the site and provide a
local interest group.
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Redditch in Bloom 2O1O