It seems that the final curtain has been drawn at one of Tenby's historic buildings, as the resort's cinema may have shown its final flick.

The Royal Playhouse in White Lion Street, which has been showing films for nearly a century, ceased trading over the Christmas period, the cinema's manager Stephen Williams has confirmed.

"Unfortunately over the last 12 months we've been getting hardly anybody in and the cinema has been losing a significant amount of money and it simply isn't viable to run anymore," explained Stephen, who took over the running of the cinema back in 2004, after projectionist of over 50 years, John Hill, retired from his management role.

"The new cinema complex in Carmarthen has blown us out of the water since it opened a few months back and an indication of this was highlighted recently when the latest Harry Potter film opened, and where we'd expect to get around 300 to 400 people in on the opening night of such a big high profile release, we only had 12 people in that evening," he continued.

Cinema owner Graham Fry has included plans for the redevelopment of the cinema in a scheme that features the former Gatehouse Hotel which was destroyed by fire back in 2008, but the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has said it wants to preserve the frontage of the cinema as a listed building, and Stephen believes that under these conditions any new picture house in that location would have to be smaller and therefore even less likely to make a profit.

"I'd love to see a cinema retained in Tenby, but a 160-seater theatre as part of any redevelopment plans just wouldn't work and wouldn't be cost effective. In this day and age you need a complex that can screen a few films in the same week, so audiences have more choice," said Stephen, who warned a few months ago that he feared for the future of entertainment in the town following the closure of the De Valence Pavilion in Upper Frog Street back in July.

"A purpose-built entertainment complex which would house at least two multi-purpose cinemas/theatres, bowling alley, children's play areas and more I believe could work in the centre of Tenby and could be extremely viable, but a stand alone cinema on it's own, I'm afraid I can't see it coming off," he added.