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.
The beautiful building was demolished and now shops stand in its place
To research and collect memories of Going to the Pictures we have worked with several community groups, organisations and individuals and would like to thank them all.
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.
The Liverpool Echo would list over a 100 cinemas each night. I would travel all over Merseyside to watch certain films.
The impact that cinema has had on society had been quite remarkable. Film is an art form that entertains, informs and provides a view of the world. Before the days of instant news and film on demand the cinema was a place for entertainment, news and information.
The films watched at the childrens cinema matinees would absorb and excite many children watching from the 1930′s to 60′s and would influence the games that the children played
Opening in the roaring 20′s The Coliseum was a large 1400 seat cinema which had balcony and cafe lounge upstairs for cinema goers to socialise and wait for the silent film screenings to begin
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.