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.
When we were all younger, we used to go to the Odeon cinema for the the Saturday Morning Club. We would pay our 6(d) pence to go in, buy our sweets and walk into the main auditorium were a man played the organ.
Cinema program from Boole Gaumont February 1962. Films showing at the cinema at that time included two ‘abridged versions’ this means that the films had been edited into shorter versions often in order to fit around the main feature
The Regal was built as a purpose built cinema and opened 1939. With a white frontage, the sail shape building was a very popular venue especially with courting couples who remember the double ‘Love Seats’
There were often queues to get into the cinemas because they were so popular.
The Regent Cinema was the first suburban cinema in the area to have a cafe lounge installed when it was built in 1920, over the years the building has had several uses including a bingo and social club. It is now part of St Mary’s School Gymnasium.
Built as a theatre in 1890 then moved on to show popular moving images, known locally as ‘The Ranch’ the building held many interesting memories until it was destroyed by fire in the 1950′s
The fantastic five storey building was built in 1911 as a theatre and described as “artistic throughout”