These images explore the halted renovation of Uxbridge’s old Regal cinema, an Egyptian Revival gem resisting demolition after life as a cinema, discotheque, and nightclub.

Unauthorised work had begun to convert the Grade-II* listed building into flats. In 2023, the council issued a temporary stop notice – the Regal is one of the last surviving works of famed architect E. Norman Bailey. The order has now expired, leaving the fate of this forgotten star uncertain.

Here’s hoping the Regal meets a better end than Norma Desmond.