Going To The Pictures

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.

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.

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

Cinema Heritage Interactive Map

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

The cinema became a place of respectable employment and offered roles to both men and women

Employment in the Picture Houses

The cinema became a place of respectable employment and offered roles to both men and women

The Winter Gardens Theatre / Apollo Theatre – Pembroke Road Bootle

Another early cinema was on Pembroke Road in Bootle it was called The Winter Gardens Theatre and also Apollo Theatre. The building which stood was built in the 1890’s and was originally known as Beaconsfield […]

The beautiful building was demolished and now shops stand in its place

Corona Cinema – College Road Crosby

The beautiful building was demolished and now shops stand in its place

Saturday morning treat

Free ice cream

Saturday morning treat

The innovation of sound technology in the late 1920's caused a sensation in the world of film and many cinemas had to adapt and alter to embrace the new technology.

Silent films – then sound comes to the cinema

The innovation of sound technology in the late 1920′s caused a sensation in the world of film and many cinemas had to adapt and alter to embrace the new technology.

As part of the project volunteers were given the opportunity to attend a Website Workshop in which they learnt skills on how to upload text and visual content to this website.

The Going to the Pictures Project Website

As part of the project volunteers were given the opportunity to attend a Website Workshop in which they learnt skills on how to upload text and visual content to this website.

Roles for women in front and behind the camera

Careers for women in the film industry

Roles for women in front and behind the camera

Cinema programs were freely available within cinemas and used to promote forth coming films and local buisinesses. Here we have an original copy of a program from the Bootle Odeon for June 1963

Programme for Bootle Odeon June 1963

Cinema programs were freely available within cinemas and used to promote forth coming films and local buisinesses. Here we have an original copy of a program from the Bootle Odeon for June 1963