We remain in Station Hill for this week's feature in our Then and Now series of Chippenham. We take a look at Station Hill from the higher end looking back toward its junction with New Road.
Our archive picture is dated around 1920 and shows the hill, once called Prince of Wales Hill, with its trees flanking each side of the road. The GPO sorting office on the right was built because of its close proximity to the Railway Station.
On the right below the sorting office is the building that once housed the popular Roller Skating Rink and the Palace Cinema. The roller skating rink was popular before World War I and it was at this rink that soldiers were billeted and in 1916, suffered an outbreak of measles. After the war the popularity of skating declined and the Rink became the garage of WM Burridge.
Further down was the Public Hall. The Council granted a cinema licence in 1915 to a Mr Albert Ward who leased the public hall. He converted the building to the Palace Cinema, which was an instant success. Mr Harry Falls was manager from 1927 to 1936.
By the 1930's the Gaumont British Picture Corporation Ltd owned the Palace. It built a new cinema in Timber Street in 1936 and the Palace closed.
The Station Hill premises were then used by Westinghouse for storage for a number of years and has since been a night club.
Comparing our archive picture to today's image it looks as if the building on the left is still a tyre retailer as it was over 100 years ago. The trees and telegraph poles have disappeared with the cables now underground.
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