Plans have been announced to convert the Majestic, Benwell into a community
centre/theatre. (Evening Chronicle recently). The idea is to stage live
performances and show the occasional film.

The Majestic is situated in a inner city area of Newcastle which the city
council is very keen to revitalise. (The flats for sale at 50p each which
you may have heard about on national TV are in the same area).

The Majestic opened in 1927 as a live theatre with projection facilities
(1142 seats). It was taken over by Union in 1930 and became an ABC cinema in
1937. It closed in May 1961 and became one of the first Alpha Bingo Clubs to
be opened by ABC.

I was brought up in this area of Newcastle yet can only recall visiting the
Majestic on one occasion when I was about 8/9 years old in the late 50s. The
film was 'Forbidden Planet'. I remember noticing that the bottom parts of
the two boxes had been removed (The boxes were situated at circle level
either side of the proscenium). I imagine this was to allow for cinemascope
as the edges of the picture would have been cut off otherwise when viewed
from the side stalls. The Majestic was the only cinema in the suburbs of
west Newcastle to have daily matinees - although like all the others it had
a twice weekly change of programme.

I thought the Majestic was an ugly old fashioned cinema. I much preferred
the competition - the Rex, Benwell Village; the Rialto, Benwell and the
Embassy, Denton Burn - all within three quarters of a mile of each other. I
once read in a 1939 Kine Yearbook that the trade was worried about
'overbuilding' in the late 1930s. These three superb cinemas (each about
1000 seats) must have been an example of 'overbuilding' as they all opened
within 7 months of each other in 1937!  What a great time it must have been
to be a cinemagoer.

If I hear anymore news about the former Majestic I will post the information
here.

Regards,
Mick W

Ian Grey <ian@...> wrote on Fri, Jul 9, 1999, 11:13 am

> The Newcastle Paramount has a very similar decorative scheme to the Denver
> Paramount, and to a lesser extent the Aurora Paramount. The latter has been
> restored (at vast expense) and a (rather vivid) photo can be found at
> http://www.paramountarts.com/  to give folks some idea of how it must have
> looked in 1931.

Wonderful photo - the similarities to the Newcastle Paramount are very
apparent. How come the Aurora Paramount decorations lasted 60? years without
some prat deciding at some time that a coat of orange emulsion would look
nice?

The photo was slightly disheartening though. People will say about the
Newcastle Odeon: "What is worth saving? - Its been destroyed by conversion
into four cinemas - the original decorations have long gone - the Mighty
Wurlitzer has gone - its original marquee and Paramount sign has gone -
although there are a few nice light fittings left I suppose."

(The above quotes courtesy of Mr D Advocate)


Anyone any info on the following?:
When 1930s cinemas were built - how long did the owners expect the
decorations to last before new paint was required? I would imagine any
decorative scheme would look a bit grubby after say 10 years. The
decorations for the Newcastle Paramount were reported as being very costly -
did Paramount expect to redo the interior every 10 years? Or were the
decorations designed to be cleaned in some way? Perhaps not - I remember
reading that the Astoria Old Kent Road was never re-decorated in the whole
of its existence!



>
> Neil (the #2) has an amazing photo of the Nc/le auditorium viewed from the
> stage just before opening, the light fitting has been lowered to balcony level
> and there is actually a workman (complete with tradesman's apron) hanging on
to
> the steel wire rope above the fitting, a very brave or foolish man! This view
> shows how rich the coving decor was, I must go and visit him again to take
some
> jpeg shots.
>

It would be very interesting to see an issue of 'Picture House' magazine
devoted to the Paramounts.

Anyone know if the Paramount circuit had much booking strength with regard
to other distributors releases? For example Richard Grey's book 'Cinemas in
Britain' has a great external shot of the Paramount Birmingham advertising
the technicolor feature 'The Garden Of Allah' (Page 108). Yet this picture
didn't play the Paramount Newcastle - instead it went to the Haymarket - an
ABC house even though 'Allah' is not listed as an ABC release in Alen Eyles
history of ABC.

Regards,
Mick W

Ian Grey <ian@...> wrote on Fri, Jul 9, 1999, 11:46 am about the
Odeon:


> Unfortunately, it has the usual super-cinema of a stage too wide and too
> shallow, with very little wing & storage space, it is 54 foot wide
> proscenium but only 24 feet deep. It needs to be masked down to about 40'
> wide (not a big problem) for big shows etc. but needs much more depth, at
> least 30-40 feet. The cheap solution is to demolish the dressing room block
> & extend the stage house backwards to the property line (the boundary is
> the Garage beyond), the dressing rooms etc. would be difficult, perhaps
> cantilevered over the side alley etc. The best solution is to acquire the
> car park & completely rebuild the stage house to a sensible size, modern
> grid, generous storage & dressing room facilities etc. FOH is reasonably
> generous already so could be re-designed in keeping with the original
> whilst adding modern facilities.


> First hurdle- Rank only have a leasehold, the freehold belongs to the
> electricity company who probably acquired it for expansionist plans. The
> former cafe is probably sub-leased or may be a seperate lease.


I think I have read somewhere that Northern Electric own most or all of the
property  either side of the Odeon and also behind including the former Dex
Garage (where the Paramount used to advise patrons to park their cars) plus
vacant land next to the garage entrance. Rumours of a huge redevelopment
scheme for the whole site have surfaced in the past. There is of course no
reason why a restored and extended theatre should not be a centrepiece of
such a development. I doubt that Northern Electric themselves would want to
expand on the site - the trend is to locate staff in call centres at cheaper
out of town locations.

The former cafe is occupied by Bimbis fish and chip restaurant - I don't
think it does very good business. Bimbis recently closed their Haymarket
restaurant. The cafe could become the theatre bar!

>
> How about a letter to the Chronicle from locals? (I live in Yorkshire now
> so that wouldn't count). Frank Manders would be fairly keen, although his
> favourite Cinema is Black's Regal in Sunderland, which did have a better
> stage house, I must admit.


There has been a letter to the Chronicle already suggesting that the Odeon
should become a rock venue to replace the Mayfair ballroom. There was a full
page article in The Journal about the Paramount to which Frank Manders
contributed. Incidently, I have not seen or heard the dreaded word
'demolition' mentioned any where yet.

I'm a member of the Residents' Forum of the Grainger Town Project. The
monthly meetings are attended by city councillors - sometimes the Leader of
the Council although he has hasn't attended recently. The new 12-screen
Odeon is regarded as a key development in the regeneration of Grainger Town
and is bound to be briefly discussed at the next meeting. I will try and
raise the future of the Odeon then. I will keep you informed.

P.S. I think Black's Regal and the Ritz in Sunderland are about to be
demolished as part of a redevelopment scheme.

Regards,
Mick Ward

----------
> From: Michael Ward <mwd@...>
> To: cta-uk@onelist.com
> Subject: [cta-uk] Future of Newcastle Odeon
> Date: 08 July 1999 14:29
>
> I'm dreaming?

No harm in that. How do we get it put forward for consideration as a viable
scheme?

L
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Read the papers, 'phone the papers,
sue the papers. Go home. Sue the wife."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Louis Barfe — lfbarfe@...

The Picture Palace — cinema architecture fun for all ages
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~lfbarfe/

One here more of interest to our London members, I suspect...

In a rather unusual and creditable extension to the usual concerts in
the church and craft stalls outside Sainsburys, the Balham Festival has
this year commandeered the Bedford Arms pub, venue at weekends for one
of south London's most well-known and popular comedy clubs, for film
screenings.  I don't know how they're doing it, but it must be
interesting.  The function rooms are oval shaped in a sort of mock tudor
style, and if I can recall correctly, I think the lower one actually has
a balcony!

Anyway, CTA member and Balham resident Rosemary Barnes has phoned me to
say that she will be there on Sunday night (11 July) when the programme
is of short films including some by local film-makers (which will
probably be more interesting than it sounds!).  Previous screenings have
included more mainstream fare - tonight, for example, 'Scandal' is
showing.

Could be worth a look!

Dave.
--
David Trevor-Jones

At 02:29 PM 7/8/99 +0100, you wrote:
>From: "Michael Ward" <mwd@...>
>
>Ian Grey writes that he would like to see the Odeon restored as a
>theatre/concert hall but thinks it unlikely to happen.
>
>I think it just might be possible. I've heard that the council would like to
>redevelop its City Hall site which is in another prime location near the
>Haymarket. A restored Odeon would be an excellent replacement for the City
>Hall.

It certainly would. I used to work at the City Hall, the then manager (Bob
Brown) had this dream of demolishing the entire site including the baths &
rebuilding it as a proper Concert Hall. Sadly he died in the late 70s but
he was very persuasive. I can remember "Andy Bone" in the Chronicle (the
Rock correspondent) doing a City Hall versus Odeon feature once, the Odeon
had bigger capacity & a "proper" stage, but the City Hall was more
intimate. (Although the H & V was a bit clapped out then, water used to
drip down the walls if there was a particularly raunchy rock concert on).

<snip>

>Later this year 'Les Miserables' will be playing an extended run at the
>Telewest Arena. What a miserable place that is! This is the kind of
>production that could play at the Paramount (Yes, I'd like to bring back the
>Paramount name and the big sign if possible). Other cities have extended
>runs of big shows at theatres - why not Newcastle? The Paramount could also
>be a venue for the concerts that now play the City Hall.
>
>The theatre is perfect for all this - 2,600 seats and a wide stage. It would
>complement the Theatre Royal round the corner which mostly does Shakespeare
>seasons, plays and a successful pantomime.

Unfortunately, it has the usual super-cinema of a stage too wide and too
shallow, with very little wing & storage space, it is 54 foot wide
proscenium but only 24 feet deep. It needs to be masked down to about 40'
wide (not a big problem) for big shows etc. but needs much more depth, at
least 30-40 feet. The cheap solution is to demolish the dressing room block
& extend the stage house backwards to the property line (the boundary is
the Garage beyond), the dressing rooms etc. would be difficult, perhaps
cantilevered over the side alley etc. The best solution is to acquire the
car park & completely rebuild the stage house to a sensible size, modern
grid, generous storage & dressing room facilities etc. FOH is reasonably
generous already so could be re-designed in keeping with the original
whilst adding modern facilities.

>I'm dreaming?

You and me both, however Newcastle managed to prise loads of money out of
the EC for the Theatre Royal so where there is a will, there is a way.

>Comments anyone?

First hurdle- Rank only have a leasehold, the freehold belongs to the
electricity company who probably acquired it for expansionist plans. The
former cafe is probably sub-leased or may be a seperate lease.

How about a letter to the Chronicle from locals? (I live in Yorkshire now
so that wouldn't count). Frank Manders would be fairly keen, although his
favourite Cinema is Black's Regal in Sunderland, which did have a better
stage house, I must admit.

P.S. The Safety Curtain still has the original painting on it from 1931, a
garden scene. (I've only ever seen it down once!)

Ian G

At 03:24 PM 7/8/99 +0100, you wrote:
>
> Thanks Ian Grey for your interesting information about the Odeon.
>
> The last time I was at the Odeon was to watch a live football match on the
> big screen. I was quite surprised at the reasonable quality of the TV
> picture projected on the big screen in Odeon 1. The place was packed  - what
> a terrific atmosphere!


I can remember this big beast called the Eidophor that they used to bring in
for wrestling & the like in the 70's, it was only black & white but it had a
big, bright picture. It was about the size of a BTH SUPA though!

Last time I visited them, they had a colour broadcast TV projector set up in
the box, it was very compact, in fact I've seen bigger home projectors.

>
> But what a shadow of its former self the Odeon is. The cheapest possible
> interior decoration - not a patch on how it was in the 60s - never mind its
> glory days as the Paramount.


I always wondered what it was like as a teenager (in the early 70s), if you
went in the stalls with the cleaners lights on you could just see a hint of the
gilt on the under balcony ceiling where the light caught it. Those tiles
clagged onto the double cove struck me as very similar to the ones glued to
some of the sky ceiling at the Finsbury Park Astoria, supposedly for accoustic
reasons. I remember that after they tripled the place in 1974 they redecorated
the walls in a sort of purplish colour, but the ceiling & coves remained a
dirtyish brown, blamed on some sort of scaffolders strike.

>
> I've often wondered if the original Paramount decoration is underneath the
> tiles? which cover a large space between the top of the walls and the
> ceiling all round the auditorium. The tiles were definitely there in the
> early 60s when I went there as a kid to see such films as Whistle Down The
> Wind and Goldfinger. They always looked to me as if they were stuck over
> something. Pictures in Frank Mander's book 'Cinemas of Newcastle' show
> original 1931 wallpaper and carpets in a foyer picture dated 1947. There is
> a picture of the interior dated 1957 with the interior pretty much as I
> remember it in the early 60s. So maybe the tiles were put up during the
> first redecoration after the original 1931 decor. Perhaps the amazing
> Paramount decorations (yellowed with 1930s nicotine) is underneath. Just a
> thought.


I imagine the polychrome is still there under the tiles but not readily
recoverable as it must have been smeared in tile adhesive. The radiating gold
points on the blue ceiling will have been simply painted out.
I imagine that when they removed the silk panels they would have had to plaster
within the pillasters as it would probably just have been battened brickwork
behind. (Unless, of course, the silks are still there behind skimmed hardboard
sheeting, that would be really nice). I imagine the worst vandalism took place
when it received the "zing" treatment in the late 60s, I assume that is when
they demolished the false boxes fronting the organ chambers, removed the silver
figures at the top of the pillasters & remodelled the top of the Proscenium to
make it rectangular instead of a shape sympathetic to the wall mouldings.

Apparently, half of the ceiling stars still work but one of the two
transformers has failed so they are left off these days. there are 2 wall
fittings behind the screen in number one, de-lamped and painted out. (& two
before the screen, simply de-lamped).

The Newcastle Paramount has a very similar decorative scheme to the Denver
Paramount, and to a lesser extent the Aurora Paramount. The latter has been
restored (at vast expense) and a (rather vivid) photo can be found at
http://www.paramountarts.com/  to give folks some idea of how it must have
looked in 1931.

Neil (the #2) has an amazing photo of the Nc/le auditorium viewed from the
stage just before opening, the light fitting has been lowered to balcony level
and there is actually a workman (complete with tradesman's apron) hanging on to
the steel wire rope above the fitting, a very brave or foolish man! This view
shows how rich the coving decor was, I must go and visit him again to take some
jpeg shots.

Ian grey

Thanks Ian Grey for your interesting information about the Odeon.

The last time I was at the Odeon was to watch a live football match on the
big screen. I was quite surprised at the reasonable quality of the TV
picture projected on the big screen in Odeon 1. The place was packed  - what
a terrific atmosphere!

But what a shadow of its former self the Odeon is. The cheapest possible
interior decoration - not a patch on how it was in the 60s - never mind its
glory days as the Paramount.

I've often wondered if the original Paramount decoration is underneath the
tiles? which cover a large space between the top of the walls and the
ceiling all round the auditorium. The tiles were definitely there in the
early 60s when I went there as a kid to see such films as Whistle Down The
Wind and Goldfinger. They always looked to me as if they were stuck over
something. Pictures in Frank Mander's book 'Cinemas of Newcastle' show
original 1931 wallpaper and carpets in a foyer picture dated 1947. There is
a picture of the interior dated 1957 with the interior pretty much as I
remember it in the early 60s. So maybe the tiles were put up during the
first redecoration after the original 1931 decor. Perhaps the amazing
Paramount decorations (yellowed with 1930s nicotine) is underneath. Just a
thought.

Regards,
Mick

Ian Grey writes that he would like to see the Odeon restored as a
theatre/concert hall but thinks it unlikely to happen.

I think it just might be possible. I've heard that the council would like to
redevelop its City Hall site which is in another prime location near the
Haymarket. A restored Odeon would be an excellent replacement for the City
Hall.

Newcastle is undergoing an unprecedented amount of restoration of old listed
buildings in Grainger Town (£120million) and there are ambitious new
property developments and improvements at key sites in the city centre
(another £500million investment).

A few years ago some American magazine voted Newcastle the No. 8 Party City
in the World for a night out (believe it or not). Shopping is rated very
highly too.

The Council are now very, very keen on tourism and the entertainment sector.
The market seems to back this up with a hotel building boom going on.

Later this year 'Les Miserables' will be playing an extended run at the
Telewest Arena. What a miserable place that is! This is the kind of
production that could play at the Paramount (Yes, I'd like to bring back the
Paramount name and the big sign if possible). Other cities have extended
runs of big shows at theatres - why not Newcastle? The Paramount could also
be a venue for the concerts that now play the City Hall.

The theatre is perfect for all this - 2,600 seats and a wide stage. It would
complement the Theatre Royal round the corner which mostly does Shakespeare
seasons, plays and a successful pantomime.

I'm dreaming?

Comments anyone?

Regards,
Mick Ward

Mick Ward wrote:

>The front elevation of the Odeon has five windows
>above the marquee. The middle three windows have
>small balconies which add a bit of decorative
>detail to the brick frontage. Unfortunately,
>during high winds earlier this year the middle
>balcony collapsed.
>
>Two weeks ago I noticed all three balconies were
>surrounded by scaffolding. I presumed that the
>balconies were about to be removed because they
>were unsafe. However I was wrong!  In fact all
>three have been accurately restored and it looks
>like they've done a very nice job.

The five windows are the Management suite which nestle vertically in the
space between the main lobby and the upper circle lobby within the Circle
wedge. I have never seen a Cinema with such a generous office provision,
although Leeds Paramount comes close. I imagine that as it was an insurance
job, it wasn't a financial problem to fund this work. My mum has memories
of people out on these balconies during the Coronation when the theatre was
all decked up with flowers. (Not that the Queen was there that day, of course).

>The Odeon still has two Paramount logos on the
>front of the building (top left and top right).
>Anyone know if other ex-Paramounts have similar
>evidence of their Paramount days?

I have never seen such an obvious Paramount architectural logo on any of
the other six, either in photos or observed first hand. They are
effectively ornamental window grilles and are very substantial when seen
from behind. (They are on the staircase corridors to the box). They are
like a large O with a stylised mountain inside.

I wouldn't mind getting one of them when the building comes down, or one of
the wall light fittings in the auditorium. Of course, I'd prefer it if the
Council bought it & restored it as a theatre/concert hall but thats not likely.

Incidentally, I received a letter from a friend of mine who works there,
telling me about the new Multiplex opening in 2002 on the site of the
Mayfair ballroom (& presumably what was Moores Supermarket & Newgate House).

The Projectionists have been told their jobs are safe & the Manager is over
the moon, apparently.

Hi everyone,

The front elevation of the Odeon has five windows
above the marquee. The middle three windows have
small balconies which add a bit of decorative
detail to the brick frontage. Unfortunately,
during high winds earlier this year the middle
balcony collapsed.

Two weeks ago I noticed all three balconies were
surrounded by scaffolding. I presumed that the
balconies were about to be removed because they
were unsafe. However I was wrong!  In fact all
three have been accurately restored and it looks
like they've done a very nice job.

The Odeon still has two Paramount logos on the
front of the building (top left and top right).
Anyone know if other ex-Paramounts have similar
evidence of their Paramount days?

Regards,
Mick Ward

'End of reel for Odeon looms after 70 years'
announced the Newcastle Journal newspaper this morning.

'One of the North's most celebrated cinemas is set to close. The Odeon in
Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, is likely to stage its last picture show in three
years time.

It is then that Odeon plans to launch a 12-screen multiplex in the Newgate
Street leisure complex, which ironically will be built on the site of another
regional legend, the Mayfair ballroom.
The move comes as five multiplexes - four in Newcastle and a fifth on Gateshead
Quayside - currently have planning permission. If all five go ahead, it will
mean almost 18,000 extra cinema seats.

But many will mourn the passing of the Odeon, which opened as the Paramount - an
American-style super-cinema - in 1931. Over the decades, many thousands of
North-Easterners have watched classic films there.

Barry Keward, director of operations for Odeon Cinemas said: "It would normally
be our policy to close an old cinema in close proximity to a new one. I would
anticipate that would happen, although no final decision has been taken. But the
reality is that it will most likely close. Our policy is to keep our staff fully
aware of any developments."

Mr Keward said Odeon had a dual strategy of moving into the multiplex market
where it had the opportunity and reinvesting in and revamping existing cinemas
where it did not. We have an opportunity to realise Odeon's full potential in
Newcastle which could not be met on the present site. The business must go
forward - the day of the large single-screen auditorium has gone.

Richard Segal, managing director of Odeon said: "We will give the customers a
fantastic new cinema with the best facilities to ensure that there won't be a
more exciting place on Tyneside to watch a film."

(Footnote from Mick Ward: 3 years may seem a long time to build a new multiplex.
This is because it is just part of a large £50million leisure and shopping
development by Land Securities. Demolition of existing buildings on the site
starts September).

Continuing the introductions. . .

Thanks, Louis for pluging my letter in the Bulletin, I have had a very
positive response, and quite a few enquiries about Trowbridge Cinemas.

My name is Clive Polden, I live in Trowbridge, the county town of Wiltshire,
I am 22 years old, and attend most of the  CTA visits.  I have been a member
for about 4 years.

Trowbridge has no cinema (it once had a Gaumont, an ABC(takeover) and an
independent cinema).  The most interesting and well preserved local cinema is
the Odeon, Salisbury (Gaumont Palace) although I mostly go to Bristol to see
the latest releases.  Currently the Warner Village, Cribbs Causeway, is the
best of the bunch in Bristol.  It has 10 screens, all with Dolby Digital and
DTS, and stadium plan.  It has quite the most comfortable seats of any cinema
I have visited, including headrests.  To annoy the purists, it boasts "wall
to wall" screens and no tabs.  However the two largest screens expand to
scope and also have a nice blue light decoration around the screen, rather
like a strip of the lighting in the ceiling of the Empire, Leicester Square.
I also travel to London to see films, mostly at the NFT or one of the ABC
sites in the West End.

I am very interested in West Country cinemas, especially the old Albany Ward
Circuit.  At the moment, I am trying to find information on Europa Cinemas, a
company that operated sites in Trowbridge and Bristol from mid-70's to
Mid-80's.  apparently they are nothing to do with Europa Cinemas that operate
the Metro, London, Pictureville, Bradford etc., and they may have come from
Ireland.  Does anyone know anything about this company?

Hope to see some of you on the Bristol trip


Clive Polden
cpolden@...

All of the membership details are available at

http://www.cinema-theatre.org.uk

Hope this helps,

Cheers,
L
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Read the papers, 'phone the papers,
sue the papers. Go home. Sue the wife."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Louis Barfe — lfbarfe@...

The Picture Palace — cinema architecture fun for all ages
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~lfbarfe/

----------
From: Russ McLean <RussMcLean@...>
To: cta-uk@onelist.com
Subject: [cta-uk] Membership?
Date: 22 June 1999 22:32

Hi there
Allow me to introduce myself as Russ McLean. I provide voice-recordings to
cinema information systems across the UK. I am interested in joining the
CTA - anyone point me in the right direction? I would be grateful.

For those of you who might be interested - my dulcet tones can be heard in
Rhyl, 01745 360066: Oldham, 0161 681 1441: Burnley, 01282 456333:
Blackburn, 01254 51779: Morecambe, 01524 401040 - to name but a few.

As well as Voice recordings for Cinemas I also present Cable TV programmes
and supply voice recordings for radio and Television advertising. For your
information, I can be contacted at:

Russ.McLean@...


"...From around the World, at the touch of a button,
  This is Russ McLean........."

[This message contained attachments]

Michael Ward wrote this on the CTA list:

>The latest cinema news is that Odeon have signed up to a twelve screen
>multiplex in Newgate Street in the city centre. Its about 5 minutes from
>their existing operation - the ex-Paramount (1931?) in Pilgrim Street.
>Construction starts September.

This is very sad news, although in some ways inevitable given the prime
location
of the Ex Paramount at the bottom end of Northumberland Street.

>Further down Pilgrim Street, Swan House at the North End of the Tyne Bridge
>is about to be redeveloped to include a hotel and 14 screen multiplex. These
>plans are approved and construction starts soon - but no operator has been
>announced. I guess these developments mean the end of the old Odeon.
>In addition, two other multiplex schemes have planning approval in Newcastle
>city centre - as well as a 20 screen AMC across the river in Gateshead.
>There is also a Hoyts multiplex approved for a the new  Newcastle Leisure
>Park 7 miles north east of the city. This is in addition to the existing
>UCIs at MetroCentre and Silverlink and Virgin at Boldon.

The Odeon is comparatively un-mucked about with (discounting the tripling
and quadding, the FOH and the Circle are certainly complete in form even if
the silk panels & Moderne have gone. Apparently the freehold belongs to
N.E.E.B. (the Electricity Board) who own the entire block, especially their
own building, Carliol House the far side of that ugly monstrosity that
replaced the Liberal Club.

Is there any mileage in applying for a listing? Whilst it doesn't have the
exterior of Manchester or Leeds, it has suffered less in conversion and
they are not under threat. I have said before that it would make an
excellent Touring venue/concert hall sized sensibly between the City Hall &
the Arena & could still pack them in for blockbuster films.

Historically it is important, but perhaps only to us sad Cinema types!

Ian

Hi!  My name is Michael Ward (my friends call me Mick) and I live in Newcastle.
I've been a member of the CTA since 1984 but I have never met another CTA member
or been on a CTA visit! My cinema is usually the Warner multiplex (9 screens)
which is a 15 minute walk away. (Last film I saw there was 'Notting Hill').
Occasionally I go to the Tyneside Cinema which is 10 minutes away. (Last film
'Gods And Monsters'.
The Warner has 3,400 seats which means its 9 screens have large seating
capacities. All have screen curtains (tabs?) and all the screens have proper
side masking arrangements.
The latest cinema news is that Odeon have signed up to a twelve screen multiplex
in Newgate Street in the city centre. Its about 5 minutes from their existing
operation - the ex-Paramount (1931?) in Pilgrim Street. Construction starts
September.
Further down Pilgrim Street, Swan House at the North End of the Tyne Bridge is
about to be redeveloped to include a hotel and 14 screen multiplex. These plans
are approved and construction starts soon - but no operator has been announced.
I guess these developments mean the end of the old Odeon.
In addition, two other multiplex schemes have planning approval in Newcastle
city centre - as well as a 20 screen AMC across the river in Gateshead. There is
also a Hoyts multiplex approved for a the new  Newcastle Leisure Park 7 miles
north east of the city. This is in addition to the existing UCIs at MetroCentre
and Silverlink and Virgin at Boldon.

All the best,
Mick.

At 20:42 21/06/99 +0100, you wrote:
>From: "Eric Manchester" <lfbarfe@...>
>
>No doubt you will all now have seen Clive Polden's letter in the last
>Bulletin. Particularly those of you on here who just happen to be Clive.
>Continuing that theme, where do all of you live and which cinema do you use
>most frequently?

I'm Ian Grey, I live in Morley, which is a dormitory town of Leeds. I'm sad
to say that I don't get to the pictures as often as I used to, having a
toddler in the house. When I do get out, it is to the Birstall Showcase
more often as not, although I have indulged the Leeds Odeon, Lounge,
Cottage, but not yet the Hyde park.

I have a strong interest in Paramounts & general and Newcastle in
particular, which is where I cut my teeth on carbon rods & jointing cement.

>The Picture Palace — cinema architecture fun for all ages
>http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~lfbarfe/
>
What, an advert? Two can play at that game!

--
Ian Grey
Join the UK Cinema enthusiast mailing list!
See www.delicolor.co.uk/lists

No doubt you will all now have seen Clive Polden's letter in the last
Bulletin. Particularly those of you on here who just happen to be Clive.
Continuing that theme, where do all of you live and which cinema do you use
most frequently?

Righto, to start, I am just about to leave Ashtead in Surrey for sunny
Forest Gate E7. The cinema I use most frequently is the NFT, but I daresay
that the Stratford Picture House (within 15 mins walk) will become a
regular stop off point when I become settled at the new premises. As, of
course, will the ABC (ex-Granada) Walthamstow, which is a bit further than
15 minutes walk, but utterly worth it.

I look forward to your responses.

L
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"Read the papers, 'phone the papers,
sue the papers. Go home. Sue the wife."
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Louis Barfe — lfbarfe@...

The Picture Palace — cinema architecture fun for all ages
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~lfbarfe/

Hi all out there,
Sad news reached me today from our Press Officer, Oliver Horsborough, that
the Coronet Woolwich closes tommorow (Thurday 10th June).  The final film in
Screen One will be "Notting Hill"

The Coronet opened as an Oscar Deutsch Odeon on 25th October 1937 with 1,828
seats.  George Coles was the architect.  It is a Grade II listed building

It was visited by the CTA on 25th October 1998 as on of the 'Wonders of
Woolwich'.

Ken Roe

You wrote:

>From: ken.roe@...
>
>Just passing through the West End the other afternoon and saw that the Fashion
Cafe (ex Rialto) on Coventry Street has now closed.  A few of us visited it a
few weeks ago after the CTA. AGM.
>The building that houses the ex Paris Cinema in Lower Regent Street is
currently being altered.  Last used for many years as a BBC radio studio it will
disappear to be converted into offices etc I presume.
>Ken Roe

Passing through Halifax town centre yesterday I noticed that there
were Builders in the Theatre Royal, the entrance has been walled off
and there seems to be a big project going on. Weatherspoons perhaps?

ISTR the Theatres Trust opposed a conversion application last year but
I don't remember the details.

Ian

Just passing through the West End the other afternoon and saw that the Fashion
Cafe (ex Rialto) on Coventry Street has now closed.  A few of us visited it a
few weeks ago after the CTA. AGM.
The building that houses the ex Paris Cinema in Lower Regent Street is currently
being altered.  Last used for many years as a BBC radio studio it will disappear
to be converted into offices etc I presume.
Ken Roe

>From today's TIMES


May 18 1999


   Digital technology means the end of celluloid, reports Dalya
                     Alberge

      Future of cinema is sent reeling
              A chip off the old blockbuster

   THE film industry is on the verge of a revolution. Digital
   technology being unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival this
   week spells the death of celluloid, with film reels being
   replaced by satellites that beam movies direct to cinemas.

   The £1.4 billion cost of converting cinemas has, however,
   been criticised by some in the industry for diverting
   attention from the business of making good movies.

   Under the new system, one digitised image could be
   transmitted by satellite or cable to thousands of cinemas
   simultaneously. Audiences could see movies in Britain at
   the same time as they open in America or anywhere else.

   Hollywood is eyeing the long-term savings of being able to
   send films to every cinema in the world at the touch of a
   button. Satellite screenings would end the expense of
   reproducing and shipping thousands of celluloid prints,
   which is estimated to cost Hollywood £250 million a year.
   That figure could be cut to £9 million once cinemas
   converted to digital technology.

   Digital screening will mean the end of scratches and
   imperfections: celluloid begins to deteriorate after five
   screenings. However, the quality of digitised pictures has
   been questioned, although there have been recent
   improvements. Converting a cinema to digital technology is
   thought to cost about £60,000.

   One of the greatest supporters of the technology is George
   Lucas, creator of Star Wars. He is to film the next two
   instalments of Star Wars using digital cameras, and plans to
   project the current Star Wars prequel digitally into four
   cinemas in America next month.

   The debate about digital technology in Cannes has been
   given impetus by the European premiere today of The Last
   Broadcast, a murder mystery directed by Lance Weiler,
   which is the first feature-length film to be transmitted via
   satellite to a cinema in Europe. At a cost of $1,000, Mr
   Weiler shot the film with a borrowed digital camera and
   edited it on a desktop in a farmhouse. The film will be
   encoded, compressed, transmitted to a satellite 22,300 miles
   up and bounced back to dishes on the side of a cinema in
   Cannes, where it will be screened with a digital projector.

   Mr Weiler, who will be showing the film digitally at the Lux
   Centre in North London next Saturday and Sunday, said
   that the technology would transform the industry. "People
   will be able to make films anywhere . . . very cheaply . . .
   We have opened the door."

   A chip off the old blockbuster

   Feature films could soon be stored on a silicon chip to be
   played, with sound, on home computers, the electronics
   company Hitachi said yesterday (Nigel Hawkes writes).
   Hitachi has developed a new type of memory chip at its
   Cambridge laboratory. It stores more information, runs on
   smaller batteries and should cost no more to produce than
   existing devices. Other applications could include lighter,
   more powerful laptop computers.

In reply to David Trevor-Jones,
Yes, the AGM went very well and 8 or so of us went on to have lunch at the
Fashion Cafe (ex Rialto, Coventry Street).  One of those with us was Elizabeth
Grayson, who kept it very quiet about the day being her birthday.  If we had
known we would have treated her to a glass of wine (or two)
The management were very kind and allowed us upstairs into the circle to take
photos after our meal.  Ended up in the Moon under Water, on Charing Cross Rd to
wash down the food.  Don't know what happened to the majority of our members who
attended the AGM, but I'm sure they found a pub somewhere near the Renoir. 
Sorry you couldn't make it as we all missed you.
Ken Roe

----------
> From: David Trevor-Jones <David@...>
> To: cta-uk@onelist.com
> Subject: [cta-uk] Re: CTA AGM
> Date: 18 April 1999 18:28
>
> From: David Trevor-Jones <David@...>
> Even more shamefully, I missed all of it!  Was there a 'bash'
> afterwards, and was EG's birthday marked with any special ceremony or
> ritual?

Some of us went to the Fascism Cafe (ex-Rialto), which was decoratively
splendid, and far from disgraceful on the culinary front, unlike my
previous visit. Financially ruinous, though.

I ducked out before the lookaround, to see if I could find the others, who
had been rumoured to be meeting in the SLug and Lettuce in Bloomsbury.
However, I discovered that there is no such establishment, and so went
home.

So, where did they get to?

L
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"A flat...A flat for Billy Strayhorn!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Louis Barfe — lfbarfe@...

The Picture Palace — cinema architecture fun for all ages
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~lfbarfe/

In message <924452058.1020047.0@pop.onelist.com>, "H Rochester Sneath,
MA, L-des-L" <lfbarfe@...> writes
>From: "H Rochester Sneath, MA, L-des-L" <lfbarfe@...>
>
>Rather shamefully, I  missed the first half-hour of the AGM. Can anyone
>tell me what I missed?
>
>Cheers,
>Louis
>

Even more shamefully, I missed all of it!  Was there a 'bash'
afterwards, and was EG's birthday marked with any special ceremony or
ritual?

DTJ

--
David Trevor-Jones

Rather shamefully, I  missed the first half-hour of the AGM. Can anyone
tell me what I missed?

Cheers,
Louis

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"A flat...A flat for Billy Strayhorn!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Louis Barfe — lfbarfe@...

The Picture Palace — cinema architecture fun for all ages
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~lfbarfe/

I heard last Thursday that the Palace Cinema in Bridport, Dorset, had
suddenly closed.  This was a blow, not dissimilar from hearing that a
close friend had died.  For those who did not know it, a brief
history...

Built in 1926 by the Palmer brewing family, the Palace was intended to
provide facitlities for opera to be staged in the town. The heir to the
Palmer fortune was a young opera fan and his vision has something of the
'Fitzcarraldo' about it.  So, a beautiful little opera house in
miniature opened and ran film from the start, giving way to seasons of
opera in the spring which have continued to the present day.  Bridport
also has a very active theatrical tradition and the town pantomime has
been staged at the Palace almost every year - a brief hiatus in the
early '90s followed a falling out between the then manager and town
panto society - since the early '50s.  The two seaons, opera and panto,
have long guaranteed packed houses for several weeks of the year and the
survival of the cinema, provided that there was a blockbuster every year
or so too, was reasonably assured.  Bridport is too remote from
anywhere, let alone anywhere likely to be of interest to a multiplex
operator, for any such threat to emerge.

The unique feature of the Palace is the survival in the foyers of a
series of charming murals, made in the '30s by local artist Georgie
Byles who was a sign painter for Palmer's brewery.  They fill the walls
with rural landscapes, gardens and flowers - hollhocks, lupins and so on
- dimly lit at night by the original art deco chandeliers which also
survive.  The auditorium with around 300 seats downstairs and another
100 or so in the balcony is a rectangular box with a ribbed vault
ceiling and elegant, rather than florid pilasters separating framed
panels which were themselves originally filled with painted rural scenes
by Georgie Byles.  The latter were sadly painted over many years ago,
but the present decorative scheme in mulberry, crimson and grey,
instated by Steven Wischusen when he had the place in the late '80s, is
appropriately distinguished.

The Palace has several little distinctions - it was probably the last
cinema in Britain to retain its sound on disc equipment, only removed
from the box for preservation by the PPT in the late '70s.  It still to
this day has its own gas engine for electricity generation (long
disused), and as recently as a couple of years ago the shop units to
either side of the entrance, which are a part of the building, featured
on one side a vintage advert for radios as supplied for the Queen Mary
(with picture of the liner) and an ancient HMV records advert.

Going to Bridport was a pleasure beyond pleasures, a visit to the past -
to walk into the Palace and to be greeted by a friendly
manager/projectionist/ front of house man was to walk into a bygone era.

What now?

I have spoken this afternoon to Mike Vickers or Reeltime Entertainments,
lessees of the Palace and operators since 1992.  He tells me that the
closure was caused by the discovery of serious structural faults
involving corrosion of the steel frame of the building which threaten
the stability of the balcony.  He did not want to close, although the
building had 'not made a penny' in the 7 years he's operated it, but is
gloomy about the prospect of being able to afford the many tens,
possibly hundreds of thousands, needed to make good the structure.  He
is retaining the manager as a caretaker while he takes stock and
investigates the options.

It would help if the building were listed as he would then be able to
reclaim VAT on repairs, an immediate saving of 17.5% on costs.  English
Heritage have already looked at it and were minded to support listing in
any case.  All we need to do is to lobby to have the process accelerated
- for so-called 'spot listing' - and this is where members can help.

In order to support the spot-listing write to:

         Mr P. Williams,
         Department of Culture, Media and Sport
         Listing Section
         2/4 Cockspur Street
         London
         SW1Y 5DH

It might be counter-productive if the campaign looks 'orchestrated' so
use your judgement - don't reproduce chunks of the above, and refer to
your own past visit if you have been there.

All is not lost.  I for one will be dedicating myself as fully as I
possibly can to saving this unique, beautiful, precious little cinema.

David Trevor-Jones
06 April 1999
--
David Trevor-Jones

Well, the Dome at Worthing closes today (Easter Monday), and according to
David Trevor-Jones, the rather splendid Palace at Bridport closed last week
suddenly. Safety issues, I'm told.

Let's hope that both are temporary closures.

L
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Girls don't understand it, anything you say.
I don't understand it either, I guess that makes me gay.
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Louis Barfe — lfbarfe@...

The Picture Palace — cinema architecture fun for all ages
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~lfbarfe/

Just us three here at the moment, but we'll pick up others when the site
goes live.

Regards,
Louis
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"All these ideas are world copyright and
anyone who plagiarises them will spend the
rest of his days in a prison cell with three
rebarbative Negroes suffering from upset
stomachs."
                       Auberon Waugh
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Louis Barfe — lfbarfe@...

The Picture Palace — cinema architecture fun for all ages
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~lfbarfe/