Going To The Pictures

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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'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

The cinema as a community venue.

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

The Liverpool Echo would list over a 100 cinemas each night. I would travel all over Merseyside to watch certain films.

Advertising of cinemas in the Liverpool Echo

The Liverpool Echo would list over a 100 cinemas each night. I would travel all over Merseyside to watch certain films.

My first memory of the pictures is coming to the Plaza to see ‘Oliver’.

Seeing ‘Oliver’ at the Plaza

My first memory of the pictures is coming to the Plaza to see ‘Oliver’.

Harold Ackroyd

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. […]

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 […]

In the early days of cinema films for children would often be of American origin and sometimes just be adult films which had been edited until British films especially made for the child audience came along following concerns about the effects of film on the young audience.

J. Arthur Rank and Children’s Entertainment Films

In the early days of cinema films for children would often be of American origin and sometimes just be adult films which had been edited until British films especially made for the child audience came along following concerns about the effects of film on the young audience.

The cinema for women from the 1930's onwards has provided an escape from real life and a place in which they could find out about new fashions and trends

Women and the Cinema

The cinema for women from the 1930′s onwards has provided an escape from real life and a place in which they could find out about new fashions and trends

The fantastic five storey building was built in 1911 as a theatre and described as “artistic throughout”

The Metropole Stanley Road Bootle

The fantastic five storey building was built in 1911 as a theatre and described as “artistic throughout”

National Lottery Heritage Fund Plaza Cinema