Here is a photo of the Ritz which I took when on holiday from Wales in 1990, great double feature on at the time.
I once saw the British comedy “whoodunit” there, Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie’s “Murder At The Gallop" View link
Next time I’m in Barmouth or Abermaw to give it it’s Welsh name,I’ll try to take a better photo of the White. It’s only an hour’s train ride from Pwllheli, but it won’t be until the summer.
It,s probably obvious due to the size of the building but there was no balcony, I remember this vividly although I was only 11 at the time as I had never been to a single floor cinema before.
Glad to see that this cinema has been listed, I remember being in Barmouth as a kid on probably a Sunday school trip, and my sister took me to see “White Christmas” ( in the middle of summer"!!). A friend who used to work in the Barmouth area told me that the hand winch for the screen masking which changed the format for Cinemascope was in full view inside the auditorium, and one of the usherettes used to operate it, to loud applause ! The building now seems so small from the outside, it’s hard to beleive it used to be a cinema.
Pange’s comment above that he was technically not old enough to work during the run of “Alien” reminded me that soon after I started as a junior projectionist,I was told by the chief that I could not work during the run of the “Little Hut” which had an X certificate, it starred David Niven & Ava Gardner.
Now this was 1958, and fifteen year old’s were much more naive than today’s youngsters,so I stayed home on the first evening of the film’s run. only to find that when I turned up to work the following morning it was a big wind up.
So everyone had a big laugh at my expense, the cinema in question was the Town Hall Pwllheli,which is still open under it’s new name Neuadd Dwyfor.
The equipment at the Majestic consisted of two Kalee 12 projectors and the wonderfull Peerless magnarcs lamps,and as already mentioned above Western Electric sound system.
I was told that the equipment may have still been there at the time of the fire, even though it’s function during the last few years was that of a nightclub. I have no way of knowing if this was true.
Like the circuit’s other cinema in Pwllheli, the Majestic had a cafe which was a very popular and pleasing meeting place.
The late John Hughes Palladium’s chief projectionist was an excellent self taught tv engineer, probably the most knowledgable in town.
He could be quite witty, he once told me during the run of ‘The Longest Day’ “another week of this and I would have been suffering from shell shock” !.
Although i’m from Pwllheli in Wales and still live there,I have many relatives in Liverpool and had been to many of the city center cinemas by the time I was 11 or 12 during the 1950’s.
These included all three in lime Street as well as the Tatler,also The Palais De Luxe & the Clayton Square News Theatre.
But alas not the Gaumont,well not that I can remember anyway, here is a not to sharp a photo from the mid nineties. View link
When on holiday in South Wales in 1990 I visited the Odeon Swansea,it was a scorching June day (remember them?) The projectionist (who’s name I do'nt recall) very kindly showed me around all 3 screens.
I seem to recall that he told me the projectionist’s had to lose their wash room to accomodate a third screen. We never had such comforts, if you needed a wash or whatever, it was down endless flights of stairs, and even worse up again !
I think that the people residing in the cities are very lucky in being able to compare one multiscreen against the other, our nearest multiplex the Cineworld LLandudno Junction is 50 miles from Pwllheli, and although the seating is extremely comfortable there’s no showmanship involved in the film presentation. I like many on the Cinema Treasures posts love tabs.
Afraid the Coliseum is in Crisis, it may have to close it’s doors within the next two weeks unless they get a cash injection, the building needs much work on it. Its not run voluntary as intimated on Mr Roe’s Contribution, they empoy 10 part time staff,although I beleive they have a different manager every week from the chamber of trade,which is voluntary.
Maybe the answer is to try and run it with vounteers as quite a few manage to do so succesfully these days.
Here is the website.
http://www.holyhead.com/empirecinema/
The Empire is still operating daily, if you go to their website you can see a picture of the interior.
Here’s a rather hazy photo.
View link
Here’s a photo from 1993, when the Palladium was a supermarket.
View link
Here is a photo of the Ritz which I took when on holiday from Wales in 1990, great double feature on at the time.
I once saw the British comedy “whoodunit” there, Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie’s “Murder At The Gallop"
View link
This is a photo from 1992
View link
Next time I’m in Barmouth or Abermaw to give it it’s Welsh name,I’ll try to take a better photo of the White. It’s only an hour’s train ride from Pwllheli, but it won’t be until the summer.
It,s probably obvious due to the size of the building but there was no balcony, I remember this vividly although I was only 11 at the time as I had never been to a single floor cinema before.
Here’s a night view of the Vine from 1992
View link
Glad to see that this cinema has been listed, I remember being in Barmouth as a kid on probably a Sunday school trip, and my sister took me to see “White Christmas” ( in the middle of summer"!!). A friend who used to work in the Barmouth area told me that the hand winch for the screen masking which changed the format for Cinemascope was in full view inside the auditorium, and one of the usherettes used to operate it, to loud applause ! The building now seems so small from the outside, it’s hard to beleive it used to be a cinema.
The Palladium Pwllheli also did not have to have it’s seating reduced.
Pange’s comment above that he was technically not old enough to work during the run of “Alien” reminded me that soon after I started as a junior projectionist,I was told by the chief that I could not work during the run of the “Little Hut” which had an X certificate, it starred David Niven & Ava Gardner.
Now this was 1958, and fifteen year old’s were much more naive than today’s youngsters,so I stayed home on the first evening of the film’s run. only to find that when I turned up to work the following morning it was a big wind up.
So everyone had a big laugh at my expense, the cinema in question was the Town Hall Pwllheli,which is still open under it’s new name Neuadd Dwyfor.
The equipment at the Majestic consisted of two Kalee 12 projectors and the wonderfull Peerless magnarcs lamps,and as already mentioned above Western Electric sound system.
I was told that the equipment may have still been there at the time of the fire, even though it’s function during the last few years was that of a nightclub. I have no way of knowing if this was true.
Like the circuit’s other cinema in Pwllheli, the Majestic had a cafe which was a very popular and pleasing meeting place.
View link
View link
The late John Hughes Palladium’s chief projectionist was an excellent self taught tv engineer, probably the most knowledgable in town.
He could be quite witty, he once told me during the run of ‘The Longest Day’ “another week of this and I would have been suffering from shell shock” !.
Although i’m from Pwllheli in Wales and still live there,I have many relatives in Liverpool and had been to many of the city center cinemas by the time I was 11 or 12 during the 1950’s.
These included all three in lime Street as well as the Tatler,also The Palais De Luxe & the Clayton Square News Theatre.
But alas not the Gaumont,well not that I can remember anyway, here is a not to sharp a photo from the mid nineties.
View link
The trees were'nt very big when I took this photo in 1990.
View link
This is a photo taken 1990.
View link
Here’s a photo of the Plaza at the start of demolition.
View link
Here’s a photo I took of the Elgin when on holiday in 1991.
View link
This is an exterior view from June 1990.
View link
View link
Here’s a rather hazy photo of the Majestic.
View link
Here’s a 1964 photo of the Palladium.
View link
When on holiday in South Wales in 1990 I visited the Odeon Swansea,it was a scorching June day (remember them?) The projectionist (who’s name I do'nt recall) very kindly showed me around all 3 screens.
I seem to recall that he told me the projectionist’s had to lose their wash room to accomodate a third screen. We never had such comforts, if you needed a wash or whatever, it was down endless flights of stairs, and even worse up again !
I think that the people residing in the cities are very lucky in being able to compare one multiscreen against the other, our nearest multiplex the Cineworld LLandudno Junction is 50 miles from Pwllheli, and although the seating is extremely comfortable there’s no showmanship involved in the film presentation. I like many on the Cinema Treasures posts love tabs.
Afraid the Coliseum is in Crisis, it may have to close it’s doors within the next two weeks unless they get a cash injection, the building needs much work on it. Its not run voluntary as intimated on Mr Roe’s Contribution, they empoy 10 part time staff,although I beleive they have a different manager every week from the chamber of trade,which is voluntary.
Maybe the answer is to try and run it with vounteers as quite a few manage to do so succesfully these days.