Winchester theatre campaigners are this month marking one of the darkest moments in the history of the Theatre Royal.

Thirty years ago the theatre was closed and its long history as a cine-variety theatre looked to be over.

It was only thanks to the efforts of a local action group that the building was saved from demolition in 1974 and reopened four years later.

The action group - originally comprising only six members, including Stanley Steel, the Mayor of Winchester - held its first public meeting on July 9, 1974.

That began a two-year campaign to rescue and preserve the theatre.

Phil Yates, an archivist and historian, said: "We made an appeal at the public meeting for funds to rescue the theatre, which was one of the oldest in the country.

"The action group formed the Winchester Theatre Fund, a registered charity, and began two years of negotiations to buy the building from Star Cinemas, who had applied for a demolition order to sell the site for a supermarket."

The building was finally purchased for £35,000.

The Theatre Royal began life as The Market Hotel in 1850, but was put up for sale in 1912.

It was bought by the Simpkin Brothers, who produced silent Hollywood movies, and opened its doors in 1914 after its redevelopment into an auditorium and stage.

The first film to be shown was Broken Blossoms by DW Griffiths. Sound was installed in 1929 and the first cinemascope film, The Robe, was shown in 1954.

From 1937 to 1954 it became an Odeon cinema but in 1954 the two Odeons in Winchester were sold to the Star Group of cinemas.

Following its successful acquisition by Winchester Theatre Fund, the theatre was opened in 1978 by the actor Robert Morley.

It closed in 1996 for redevelopment and reopened in 2002.