“My first memory of the pictures is coming to the Plaza to see ‘Oliver’. Of course I fell in love with ‘Oliver’ as I was the same age, probably about 6 or 7. Aww!!!”

Di Pennington

“In 1933/34 I went to “The Pictures” for the first time paying 1d. each to go in for about 2 hours. The Winter Gardens was not the best place to go to. The film was a Western, in black and white of course, I was not impressed. When I arrived home my mother asked me had I enjoyed it, my only comment was, “I’ll never go to live where the cowboys and Indians live because it rained all the time.” Nothing would change my mind. It was several years later that I realised that the film was very old and scratched. Well, it looked like driving rain to me.

Two years later I went again! I was given 6d. to pay for the three of us. I took my young sister and young cousin for their first time to a picture house in Walton Vale. We had a great argument outside, should we pay 1d. for our seat and have a penny ice cream in the interval, or the 2d. seat. As the eldest I decided – 1d. entrance and 1d. ice cream. The ice cream won! But if we had been nearer the front we would have been behind the screen!!!

I have only been once to the Plaza, about 2/3 years ago and before that to see the film of Winston Churchill’s funeral.”

Miss Betty Leitch