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 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.
In some cinemas admission could be obtained by exchanging jam jars if you had no money. This practice was especially true at the children’s cinema matinees where some children would take them to the cinema with jam still in.
Gender roles portrayed in the cinema where sometimes untrue to life but helped to reinforce stereotypes
A fantastic book about the Picture Houses of Liverpool has been a great source of information for the project and has in some cases worked as an aid memoir in collecting and helping jog memories. […]
The Cinema’s of the 1930′s to the 1960′s were often seen as being a quite luxurious venue for the public to go. They were an important part of the community for socialising and magnificent places of entertainment
Patriotic Cinema goers would stand for the National Anthem which was played at the end of the film screenings.
This is a scanned copy of a flyer that was handed out in cinemas to advertising forthcoming films.