The Playhouse

The Playhouse stands in Colchester, Essex, on the site of a former theatre. The building opened as a theatre in 1929 and later became a cinema, a bingo hall, and finally a pub. John Fairweather designed the original theatre, which hosted its first show in 1929. The interior was remodelled in the early 1930s when it operated as a cinema. In the 1960s it was renamed the A.B.C. and in the 1980s it became an EMI bingo hall. It is worth the journey because the building has served three distinct roles in its lifetime. The theatre’s first production was the Winter Garden Theatre’s *So This Is Love*. After becoming a cinema, it was taken over by Associated British Cinemas in 1932. The bingo hall years under EMI followed decades of cinema use. The 1994 conversion preserved the art-deco façade while adapting the interior for modern use. A visitor finds a Wetherspoon pub occupying the former theatre’s shell. The art-deco entrance and some original features remain visible. Inside, the space is arranged for drinking and dining rather than performances. The building’s layered history can still be read in its structure. The street outside offers views of Colchester’s town centre.