The Rex Cinema

The Rex Cinema, originally built as the Oddfellows' Hall in 1889, was remodeled in 1921 to serve as a cinema. It features a red brick exterior with stone dressings and a slate roof. The building has a rectangular first-floor hall that is accessed via stairs located behind an ancillary shop, which is now used as a café, with commercial premises on the ground floor below the cinema.

The façade is elaborate, showcasing a gabled design with a tiled gable, a stone sign, and a plaque. The first floor has arched tripartite Gothic stone windows that are now blocked. The ground floor is more ornate, featuring a double-doored entrance to the cinema, a central paired timber sash window, and a door to the commercial premises, all framed in stone surrounds adorned with floreat motifs. To the right, there is a lower, two-bay frontage of two storeys with an attic dormer, which has timber sashes in moulded foliate surrounds, giving it a more domestic appearance. A timber panelled door is located on the right side. The exterior stands out as a prominent and dignified feature in the High Street.

Inside, there is a tiled entrance hall with original internal doors. A staircase with stone steps, a cast-iron balustrade, and a timber handrail leads to the first-floor hall. The landing features a top light with coloured glass panels. The hall retains its original 1889 timber truss roof with wrought-iron tie bars, which are visible behind a screen, and additional tie bars can be seen throughout the hall, where a coved ceiling was added during its conversion to cinema use. The walls are panelled, and there is a simple unmoulded proscenium.

The Rex Cinema is noted for being a well-preserved example of an Oddfellows' Hall, showcasing good late 19th-century decoration. Its transformation into a cinema adds to the building's historical interest.