Gloria Cinema

Located in the Walker suburb east of Newcastle upon Tyne. The Gloria Cinema was designed by Gateshead architect Albert H. Fennel and opened as an independently operated cinema on 11th April 1938 with Leo Carillo in "52nd Street".

The attractive brick building was originally outlined in blue neon, and there was no intention of hiding away the auditorium block from view, as the stepped roofline was also outlined in blue neon. The name GLORIA was mounted horizontally on the facade over the entrance.

Inside the auditorium, seating was provided for 762 in the stalls and 422 in the circle, with the entrance to the circle unusually being located at the rear of the circle. There was a trough surrounding the top of the sidwalls which contained concealed lighting, and also an Art Deco style laylight fitting in the centre of the ceiling. The proscenium was 30 feet wide.

The Gloria Cinema led an uneventful life as a suburban cinema, and closed on 4th March 1962 with Ray Bolger in "Babes in Toyland". It was converted into an independent bingo club, which operated until the mid-1990’s. In 1998, planning permission was granted for a change of use to a small factory, assembling pre-manufactured for furniture production.

The Gloria Cinema had been demolished by 2005.

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