Going To The Pictures

Memories are made of this… Project overview

The aim of the Going to the Pictures Project has been to help preserve a part of our local cinema heritage by collecting and recording memories from people who used and worked in the local picture houses from the 1930′s to the 1960′s.

Cinema Heritage Interactive Map

Explore this map of 21 local cinemas within a 3 mile radius of the Plaza, from 1930 to 1960.

Showtime

Showtime was first published in 1964 by the Rank Organisation as a competitor to ABC’s Film Review, it had similar content but ceased publication by the late 1960′s.

Copying film star styles

Fashions from the films have always been emulated by people in society right from the days of early cinema up until today

The Stella Cinema Seaforth Road Seaforth

The Stella Cinema a 1920′s gem which accommodated seating for 1200 patrons

Mike’s memories of the popularity of Going to the Pictures

paying in with jam jars at the Ranch…

Twicer ice lollies and the National Anthem

Dot Sharp (now living in Canada!) contacted us to share her memories of cinema: “My brother and I would run as fast as we could on our 5 and 6yr old legs from Bark Road […]

My first visit to the Winter Gardens, Waterloo.

In 1933/34 I went to “The Pictures” for the first time, but I was not impressed. The black and white film was very old and scratched; it looked like driving rain to me. A few years later I went again and paid a penny to get in with a penny for ice cream in the interval.