1959 - 1966 | The Co-operative Education Centre
Key Events:
- 1959: Reopens as Co-operative Education Centre.
- Rainbow Rooms host jazz and pop acts.
- 1962: The Beatles cancel performance.
- 1966: Nottingham Film Theatre opens.
In 1959, the former chapel was reborn. After major redevelopment, it reopened as the Co-operative Education Centre, a vibrant hub for music, cinema, and dance. The top floor housed a cinema - now Screen 1 - while the legendary Rainbow Rooms below pulsed with life.
Jazz artists from the USA and rising British bands graced the Rainbow Rooms stage. In 1962, The Beatles were booked to perform, but fame intervened: “Love Me Do” hit the charts, and they pulled out. Today, Broadway’s Café Bar sits where those electric nights once unfolded.
The cinema upstairs became a cultural cornerstone. The Nottingham Film Society screened international and archive films monthly, and began discussions with the British Film Institute (BFI) to gain official status.
By 1966, the Nottingham Film Theatre opened its doors, one of the first BFI-supported Regional Film Theatres in the UK. It screened films three days a week, laying the groundwork for Broadway’s cinematic legacy.
Adapted from an original by Fred Brookes. Edited and expanded by Laurie Moran in 2025, with valuable contributions from Malcolm Allen. © Broadway 2025
