laza and Hippodrome, Dudley, March 1978 The Plaza cinema and Hippodrome theatre, Castle Hill, Dudley, 5th March 1978. At the time of this photograph, the Plaza was still functioning as a cinema but it was closed on 27th October 1990. It became a laser games centre for a while and was demolished in 1997. The Hippodrome had ceased to function as a theatre in 1964 and was in use as a bingo hall until 2009 when it was purchased by Dudley Council for demolition as part of the regeneration of the Castle Hill area. In 2012, local campaigners established the Friends of Dudley Hippodrome, to save and secure a future for the building, restoring it to theatre use.
