Queens Hall, Minehead

The Queen’s Hall stands on Minehead’s seafront in Somerset, a brick building with Bath Stone details. W. J. Tamlyn designed it in 1914 for films and live shows. The entrance once had an iron-and-glass canopy over three bays. Inside, the auditorium measured thirty metres by fourteen with a barrel roof and elliptical proscenium arch. Two boxes flanked the stage and the seating included orchestra stalls and a balcony. It became a touring company venue and hosted the town’s first sound film in 1930. After closing in 1939 the hall served as a wartime canteen. Storm damage in 1996 destroyed the canopy and flooded the interior. Later it reopened as an amusement arcade and then a pub called the Mambo bar under its original name. The refurbished building now offers upper and lower ground floors with the balcony as a VIP area. A kitchen and washing-up space sit behind the bar, and a manager’s flat is above. The space retains its decorative cartouche and proscenium arch from the 1914 design.