The Roy Bentley Collection

Roy Bentley was the manager of the Odeon/Astra Cinema between 1954 and 1973. The collection includes a Cost Sheet book containing articles and photographs pertaining to the Odeon/Astra, personal items belonging to Mr. Bentley, miscellaneous documents relating to various posts had held, personal letters, newspaper articles relating to the cinema and articles relating to cinema organs.

Roy Bentley began his career as a theatre organist in the North of England. After five and a half years in the forces he returned to the Majestic Cinema Ashton in the 1940s. In the early 1950s he was the manager of the Gaumont Cinema in Coventry but with the amalgamation of Gaumont-British and the Odeon cinemas when they were bought by J. Arthur Rank the firm's policy was to move former Gaumont-British managers to Odeon cinemas and vice-versa. Roy Bentley was sent to the Odeon in Llandudno on a six month contract in 1954. He worked there as manager and sometime organist on the famous Christie organ until 1973. He died in 2003 aged 90.

This collection is open for research. Access to some documents may be restricted due to Data Protection legislation, Conwy Archives will advise where this is the case. For details and opening hours see http://www.conwy.gov.uk/en/Resident/Libraries-Museums-and-Archives/Archives/Archives.aspx.

For related photographs see CP157, for an audio tape interview with Roy Bentley see CXT5