3.5
Great cinema and staff
I’ve been visiting this cinema now for 50 years. It is housed in a lovely Art Deco building and has always been a cinema/ bingo hall. It underwent £1M restoration about 4/5 years ago and has been restored and decorated in keeping with the age of the building. I am now registered disabled and walk with a stick. I also use a mobility scooter and have non visible disability too.
There are five screens in total. Sadly, due to building and fire and safety regulations when it was refurbished, the two screens on the upper floor, can only be accessed by two fights of stairs. So, obviously not appropriate if you are in a wheel chair unless your mates carry you up, which I have seen happen! The remaining three screens are accessed by a short flight of stairs. However, there is an accessibility lift large enough for a wheelchair, which staff are more than happy to help you access, right beside the stairs in the main foyer. The Disabled toilet, which is very spacious, clean and well laid out, it on the left as you exit the lift/stairs.
The seating plan has disabled and wheelchair access seats and you can book on line to reserve or choose your seat on arrival. The seats are comfortable and have a drinks holder on the arm. They accept a CEA card for your carer which is free except from when they livestream events from theatres around the country.
There are two customer parking slots directly outside, which do get used, but again, due to the regulations and safety access they are limited to space. The cinema actually has a bus stop on the pavement directly outside, so if you could use a bus, you are literally dropped off on the pavement outside. When it was built over a hundred years ago, it was all pavement outside, so to get two parking spaces is a plus, but they do fill quickly. There is the option of a council car park about 100yds around the corner and don’t forget to buy a ticket. Or, park on nearby side street or double yellows with your blue badge. Alternatively, there is street parking in the road directly opposite the cinema, or park in the double yellows, which is closer.
We visit this cinema at least twice a month and find the staff very friendly, polite and helpful. Yes, the top two screens aren’t suitable for wheelchair users sadly, I use a stick and am very slow, but the staff never rush me and if not too busy, help me with the lift, the doors or carry my drink and popcorn in to my seat. They also deliver pizzas to your seat so you can eat while watching the film!
This is our nearest cinema being only six miles from home. Our other alternatives are Bath or Bristol. Not only are they 16 and 25 miles further away, and more than double the ticket price too, they also come with minor access problems, but the main problem for me, is the bigger town cinemas, get very busy, and not everyone gives me the space and time to walk in and out of the screen after the film, unlike The Reel in Chippenham.
I’ve been visiting this cinema now for 50 years. It is housed in a lovely Art Deco building and has always been a cinema/ bingo hall. It underwent £1M restoration about 4/5 years ago and has been restored and decorated in keeping with the age of the building. I am now registered disabled and walk with a stick. I also use a mobility scooter and have non visible disability too.
There are five screens in total. Sadly, due to building and fire and safety regulations when it was refurbished, the two screens on the upper floor, can only be accessed by two fights of stairs. So, obviously not appropriate if you are in a wheel chair unless your mates carry you up, which I have seen happen! The remaining three screens are accessed by a short flight of stairs. However, there is an accessibility lift large enough for a wheelchair, which staff are more than happy to help you access, right beside the stairs in the main foyer. The Disabled toilet, which is very spacious, clean and well laid out, it on the left as you exit the lift/stairs.
The seating plan has disabled and wheelchair access seats and you can book on line to reserve or choose your seat on arrival. The seats are comfortable and have a drinks holder on the arm. They accept a CEA card for your carer which is free except from when they livestream events from theatres around the country.
There are two customer parking slots directly outside, which do get used, but again, due to the regulations and safety access they are limited to space. The cinema actually has a bus stop on the pavement directly outside, so if you could use a bus, you are literally dropped off on the pavement outside. When it was built over a hundred years ago, it was all pavement outside, so to get two parking spaces is a plus, but they do fill quickly. There is the option of a council car park about 100yds around the corner and don’t forget to buy a ticket. Or, park on nearby side street or double yellows with your blue badge. Alternatively, there is street parking in the road directly opposite the cinema, or park in the double yellows, which is closer.
We visit this cinema at least twice a month and find the staff very friendly, polite and helpful. Yes, the top two screens aren’t suitable for wheelchair users sadly, I use a stick and am very slow, but the staff never rush me and if not too busy, help me with the lift, the doors or carry my drink and popcorn in to my seat. They also deliver pizzas to your seat so you can eat while watching the film!
This is our nearest cinema being only six miles from home. Our other alternatives are Bath or Bristol. Not only are they 16 and 25 miles further away, and more than double the ticket price too, they also come with minor access problems, but the main problem for me, is the bigger town cinemas, get very busy, and not everyone gives me the space and time to walk in and out of the screen after the film, unlike The Reel in Chippenham.
