Avenue Cinema

I clearly recall the coming of both the transmitters that were built to serve South Wales in the 1950s.The first to be built was the BBC transmitter at Wenvoe. It was constructed with some haste so as to be in service by the time of the Coronation in June 1953. Its opening had an immediate effect on cinema attendances plus did wonders for the sale of single channel television sets.The later transmitter was the ITV mast built at St.Hillary Down in 1957/8.This mast meant that for the first time people had a choice of channels to watch. Once more cinema attendances dropped over most of South Wales. It was only the coming of the 1961 Bingo boom that saved many halls from complete closure and extended their use for a few more years.

I never worked at the Avenue but met quite a few projectionist who had.They told me that the box and cinema had beena paradise to work in and could never understand why it was closed in favour of the less pleasant Regent.Some years later when I was working in Swansea, I was told by a Withers manager that the decision to close the Avenue was a commercial one based more on the needs of Howell's Department Store in St Mary Street, Cardiff than on retaining the better of the two Ely cinemas..Some of the Howells directors were apparently also Jackson Withers directors.

The story went that Howell's had a garage in the Hayes that sold up market cars. It was located somewhere opposite the Central Cinema and the new Andrews owned Self Service Supermarket sited next to the South Wales Electricity Board offices. This was the first supermarket of its type to open in Cardiff and the Howells management enviously watched it enjoy a tremendous trade. Howells management immediately decided to open their own Food Store in what was at that time their car sales premises. The problem then was where to move the car sales business? There was no other suitable site in the Hayes/St. Mary Street area where Howells store was located.

Jackson Withers directors had already decided to close one of their Ely Cinemas - the preferred choice being the older and less well designed Regent.However, they were persuaded instead, by vested interests, to close the Avenue. This was because it was located on the busy A48 route between Newport and Swansea. Hundred of cars passed along that road every hour making it an ideal site for a car sales showroom. Thus the fate of the Avenue was sealed and in due course it was converted to become Howell's new car showroom. At the same time the old car showroom in the Hayes was converted into a Harrods style food store and delicatessen.

Today I got my hands on a biography of Sir Julian Hodge who was for many years the managing director of the Jackson Withers circuit.

The book relates that Sir Julian himself was also a director of Howells Store (Cardiff) at the time of the Avenue closure.