Cardiff: inside the Prince of Wales (2)

Image: © Chris Downer Taken: 22 Feb 2015

The opposing view to Image, here we look from the upstairs bar at a quarter to midnight on a Sunday night, as the upper level is closed and the last few customers make their way downstairs. The bar below will close at 12 so there is still just time for one more! It is clear from the background that the building originally functioned as a theatre or a cinema - in fact, it has been both. The building was opened on 7 October 1878 as the New Theatre Royal, but was destroyed by fire in 1899 and rebuilt in the same style. It was converted to a cinema in 1957, transgressing from mainstream to X-rated films and closing on 30 June 1984. In 1987 the interior was much changed as it was converted to multi-use function (games arcade, fast-food outlet etc.) but some of the newly created units were never occupied. The firm J.D. Wetherspoon restored the interior of the building and opened it as a pub in July 1999.

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