For showing 70mm films the lower part of the circle centre was cut-away to allow a direct “throw” to the huge screen from the centre-rear stalls. Oddly the adverts in 35mm were shown from the original projection room at the back of the circle. This was odd as the Phillips DP70 projectors favoured by ABC cineams, could show both gauges. Perhps it was easier not to have to alter the projecter between the trailers / ads and the main feature? The manager said that the cinema was profitable up to the day it closed…
David Perry rented the stage area for use as a scenery workshop. He did theatrical and television scenery there and he was best-known as a supplier of scenery for rock bands. He used one of the former organ chambers as his office, stage right. The owners asked him to leave, as they wanted to use the area for other purposes. The 1920’s lighting board was still in place during David’s time there. The Stage roof was full of holes. The dressing rooms were under the stage and had been abandoned for many years.
This cinema was not as good as the Ritz Edgware up the road. It felt like a large shed. However, it played films that the Ritz did not exhibit. It was latterly painted a dark blue colour with the grillwork picked out in gold. I never saw or heard the organ being played.
The theatre was on a back street separate from the main road entrance.
As a result, the public had to go down a flight of steps to go through a tunnel under the back street to enter the stalls and over bridge above the back street to enter the circle. The autiorium block has now been demolished. This was a new 1930s building and not an adptation of the former theatre.
(The Gaumont down the road had the same arrangement.)
This cinema had rising Venetian drape screen curtains as there was not enough room at the sides for centre opening tabs when Cinemascope was installed. It usuallay played the Odeon circuit releases.
The auditorium of this cinema was irregular. Think of it as four squares with the the front half by the screen being the full width of two squares and the rear half being only a quarter square with seating only on the right. Presumably a shop unit occupied the left rear quarter of the space.
This cinema was unusual as the projection room was at the rear of the stalls. In later years the open arcade was glazed-in to enlarge the foyer area. The circle boxes were never occupied to my knowledge.
The intersting thing about this conversion for Todd AO is that a chunk had to be taken out of the centre front of the circle to allow the beam of the downstairs 70mm projetors to miss the over-hang. The curved screen and wall curtains were in yellow.
For some reason the trailers and adverts were in 35mm and from the original projection room at the rear of the circle. ABC cinemas had Phillips DP70 projectors, which were considered to be the Rolls-Royce for 70mm exhibitions. Sadly, many of these were scrapped as they were not suitable for automated operation like the rival Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 machines.
The downstairs projection room was removed and replaced by seating after Todd AO screenings ceased. The original projection room can still be seen at the rear of the circle. At one time it had a theatre organ, which has since been removed. The pink light fittings are the original ones.
On a CTA visit members were told that the Art Deco ceiling light and ceiling actually covered the front of a very steeply raked gallery that stil exists. The work was done in the 1950s and in the same 1930s style. The stalls seating had to be re-spaced to make more room for the (now)larger members of the audience…
This theatre was alleged to be in a converted restaurant. It was situated in the basement down a set of stairs. The access areas looked to be smart Art Deco. As perfomances were continuous, I never saw the audiorium with the house lights up. As the ceiling was very low, there was little, or no rake. Audience members' head’s shadows would be cast on the screen when they stood-up.
This building have been converted for use as a college. THis wil preserve the building. The last theatrical use was by the Dewsbury Operatic Society. The projection room was under the clock tower to the audience’s left and a special lens system had to be used to correct the keystone effect.
Local gossip states that one of the local brewers bought the cinema and had it demolished, because it was derelict. The site is now just and area of grass.
This was the best cinema in Derby. The projectors were remotely operated from a position to the audience’s right of the projection room. It had Cinemecannica Victoria 8 duel-gauge projectors and six-track stereophonic sound. It was the best place to see a film in the town. Mrs. O'Frear was the manager, when I was in the town. I was lucky enough to see the film “Ben Hur” in 70mm on the big screen in this cinema and it was awe-inspiring.
Major revamp plan to transform old Gaumont cinema
26
News
27th August
Major revamp plan to transform old Gaumont cinema
By Christian Barnett @cbarnettWN Local Democracy Reporter
AN EMPTY historic cinema could be transformed into a music venue under new plans.
Worcester-born actor Sam Barriscale wants to raise money to bring the historic Gaumont Cinema in Foregate Street back to life as a music venue emulating its history when it hosted some of the biggest acts in the 1960s and 70s.
Mr Barriscale had been working for two years to transform the historic Scala Theatre in Angel Place into an arts cinema but after plans fell through, he has turned his attention to the Gaumont.
“Our initial plans are to make it a music venue,” Mr Barriscale said.
“I think we can get some big bands. It will bring people into Worcester.
“The different groups I have been speaking to, particularly those involved in music in Worcester, are so up for it.
“I think people are so desperate, and the lockdown has definitely exacerbated how desperate people are to have something positive happen to the city.
“It can be a place that has big names as well as local bands. It will be a chance for a local band to play in a venue that holds 700 people which is huge.
“There is a lot of love for the Scala and what I have seen so far is that people are willing to go with us on this one too. There is a lot of positivity there.
“People want to see the Arts brought back in Worcester and for it to be bigger and better.
This theatre had a very attractive painted safety curtain, which should have been preserved. The architect forgot to include a projection box in his scheme and it was not until an engineer arrvived to see to fitting the projectors that this ommission was realised. The rearmost stalls area was partitioned-off to provide space for a projection room… That is why there is no projection ports at the rear of the circle in the picture.
This cinema orignally had a most attractive plaster procenium arch. There is a picture of this in one of the CTA magazines. This feature was lost when the cinema was conveted for “cinemascope”. It looked very bland after this. It is now a curry house.
The only time I went to this cinema was to see “Hook”.
The screen got smaller for ‘scope as a top mask came down as in the smaller converted silent cinemas designed for Academy aspect ratio films. I never went back as a result.
I visited this cinema in about 1963. It had obviously been converted from a variety theatre. It was almost full and I got a seat as I was on my own. The projection room must have been at the back of the “Gods” where the “limes” used to be; the room would have already been fireproof. I was sitting in the circle and the screen was obviously leaning backwards, so the view of it from the stalls must have been poor. There were acoustic tiles on the back wall of the circle, presumably to absorb reflected sound. I was most impressed with the many boxes on the side walls. I tried to glimpse them through the cracks in the doorways opposite when I left. Sadly, I never saw it again, as it was demolished after the Odeon was split into two auditoria. It was a very sad loss of a fine auditorium. I have never found any photographic records of how it looked.
This cinema had an attractive “cash register” auditorium with cove lighting running down the centre. All seats were on one level. It should have been preserved.
You had to buy ice creams and sweets in the foyer. The closure was as a result of Classic Cinemas buying the former and much larger, Gaumont Cinema in Hendon Central. The tragedy was that the Gaumont was never full. One Friday I counted three people in the house for a musical. Smaller cinemas like The Gala Classic would have had lower overheads and been more profitable than the thousand-seater + houses that distributors liked.
The was not quite as good as the Scala in Birmingham, which was a similar design but did not have the exit adjacent to screen left. There were stage lights for the screen curtains but these were not used latterly as an economy measure. There were coloured lamps above the wall curtains which were supposed to give a multi-coloured wash, but were so close they gave a striped appearance. It was considered to be the best cinema in Derby. It was equipped with Italian, Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 duel-gauge projectors, so that it could show 70mm films. Usually the Odeon, Nottingham, had these “Road Show” films first, so that Derby did not get as much benefit as it might. The sound and picture quality were always excellent
There was much regret when it closed when the former Gaumont / Odeon, London Road was tripled.
The story about the owner being killed by a lion in Africa was told to me by my mother, who was born and raised in Midleton, so it is probably true. I inspected this building when it was an auction house in the early 1960s. The projection ports, high on the back wall were still in place. Like the Ormond cinema, it had high windows that were covered by shutters on the auditorium side walls. Perhaps this saved the cost of day-time electricity for cleaning?
My mother told me that they had improvised sound effects behind the screen operated by a local person, or two. She said that they usully played the tune “ A Whister and His Dog” during the intevals.
This theatre did run pantomimes. It had two proscenium arches, the original one and a later plaster one inserted, further forward, to take the screen curtains when a larger screen was installed for 70mm road shows. This was later taken out of use so that the stage could be used again for pantomimes.This could be seen after bingo took over.
It had a Compton organ installation under the stage, that was removed before bingo started.
The same staff used to operate the projectors for both this and the Odeon. The bingo staff could relieve those at the Odeon at times before Rank sold-off the bingo halls.
This cinema boasted of its original art deco furniture in its circle lounge into the 1970s. The proscenium arch looked as though it had been altered as the plaster did not match, as though it had been reduced in height to accommodate Cinemascope. It had double doors in veneered dark wood with window openings with the squared-off Odeon ‘O’ in each door. It had a good feel to it as a cinema and it is sad that it closed, probably when the lease on the land was up.
The ballroom in the former Restaurant was called the “Arnold Rudge Rendezvous for Dancing” which sounded like something invented by comedy script writers. In the 1970s it lacked much of its original grandeur. The organ had gone. The side walls looked as though much of the decorative detailing had been removed for economy or modernity. The last stage show was probably the musical, “Hello Dolly!” performed by a local amateur operatic society in 1971. The theatre had a full fly tower with the words Gaumont Place written on the back wall which survived into its Odeon days.
For showing 70mm films the lower part of the circle centre was cut-away to allow a direct “throw” to the huge screen from the centre-rear stalls. Oddly the adverts in 35mm were shown from the original projection room at the back of the circle. This was odd as the Phillips DP70 projectors favoured by ABC cineams, could show both gauges. Perhps it was easier not to have to alter the projecter between the trailers / ads and the main feature? The manager said that the cinema was profitable up to the day it closed…
David Perry rented the stage area for use as a scenery workshop. He did theatrical and television scenery there and he was best-known as a supplier of scenery for rock bands. He used one of the former organ chambers as his office, stage right. The owners asked him to leave, as they wanted to use the area for other purposes. The 1920’s lighting board was still in place during David’s time there. The Stage roof was full of holes. The dressing rooms were under the stage and had been abandoned for many years.
This cinema was not as good as the Ritz Edgware up the road. It felt like a large shed. However, it played films that the Ritz did not exhibit. It was latterly painted a dark blue colour with the grillwork picked out in gold. I never saw or heard the organ being played.
The theatre was on a back street separate from the main road entrance. As a result, the public had to go down a flight of steps to go through a tunnel under the back street to enter the stalls and over bridge above the back street to enter the circle. The autiorium block has now been demolished. This was a new 1930s building and not an adptation of the former theatre.
(The Gaumont down the road had the same arrangement.)
This cinema had rising Venetian drape screen curtains as there was not enough room at the sides for centre opening tabs when Cinemascope was installed. It usuallay played the Odeon circuit releases.
The auditorium of this cinema was irregular. Think of it as four squares with the the front half by the screen being the full width of two squares and the rear half being only a quarter square with seating only on the right. Presumably a shop unit occupied the left rear quarter of the space.
This cinema was unusual as the projection room was at the rear of the stalls. In later years the open arcade was glazed-in to enlarge the foyer area. The circle boxes were never occupied to my knowledge.
The intersting thing about this conversion for Todd AO is that a chunk had to be taken out of the centre front of the circle to allow the beam of the downstairs 70mm projetors to miss the over-hang. The curved screen and wall curtains were in yellow. For some reason the trailers and adverts were in 35mm and from the original projection room at the rear of the circle. ABC cinemas had Phillips DP70 projectors, which were considered to be the Rolls-Royce for 70mm exhibitions. Sadly, many of these were scrapped as they were not suitable for automated operation like the rival Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 machines.
The downstairs projection room was removed and replaced by seating after Todd AO screenings ceased. The original projection room can still be seen at the rear of the circle. At one time it had a theatre organ, which has since been removed. The pink light fittings are the original ones.
On a CTA visit members were told that the Art Deco ceiling light and ceiling actually covered the front of a very steeply raked gallery that stil exists. The work was done in the 1950s and in the same 1930s style. The stalls seating had to be re-spaced to make more room for the (now)larger members of the audience…
This theatre was alleged to be in a converted restaurant. It was situated in the basement down a set of stairs. The access areas looked to be smart Art Deco. As perfomances were continuous, I never saw the audiorium with the house lights up. As the ceiling was very low, there was little, or no rake. Audience members' head’s shadows would be cast on the screen when they stood-up.
This building have been converted for use as a college. THis wil preserve the building. The last theatrical use was by the Dewsbury Operatic Society. The projection room was under the clock tower to the audience’s left and a special lens system had to be used to correct the keystone effect.
Local gossip states that one of the local brewers bought the cinema and had it demolished, because it was derelict. The site is now just and area of grass.
This was the best cinema in Derby. The projectors were remotely operated from a position to the audience’s right of the projection room. It had Cinemecannica Victoria 8 duel-gauge projectors and six-track stereophonic sound. It was the best place to see a film in the town. Mrs. O'Frear was the manager, when I was in the town. I was lucky enough to see the film “Ben Hur” in 70mm on the big screen in this cinema and it was awe-inspiring.
Major revamp plan to transform old Gaumont cinema 26
27th August Major revamp plan to transform old Gaumont cinema By Christian Barnett @cbarnettWN Local Democracy Reporter
AN EMPTY historic cinema could be transformed into a music venue under new plans.
Worcester-born actor Sam Barriscale wants to raise money to bring the historic Gaumont Cinema in Foregate Street back to life as a music venue emulating its history when it hosted some of the biggest acts in the 1960s and 70s.
Mr Barriscale had been working for two years to transform the historic Scala Theatre in Angel Place into an arts cinema but after plans fell through, he has turned his attention to the Gaumont.
“Our initial plans are to make it a music venue,” Mr Barriscale said.
“I think we can get some big bands. It will bring people into Worcester.
“The different groups I have been speaking to, particularly those involved in music in Worcester, are so up for it.
“I think people are so desperate, and the lockdown has definitely exacerbated how desperate people are to have something positive happen to the city.
“It can be a place that has big names as well as local bands. It will be a chance for a local band to play in a venue that holds 700 people which is huge.
“There is a lot of love for the Scala and what I have seen so far is that people are willing to go with us on this one too. There is a lot of positivity there.
“People want to see the Arts brought back in Worcester and for it to be bigger and better.
This theatre had a very attractive painted safety curtain, which should have been preserved. The architect forgot to include a projection box in his scheme and it was not until an engineer arrvived to see to fitting the projectors that this ommission was realised. The rearmost stalls area was partitioned-off to provide space for a projection room… That is why there is no projection ports at the rear of the circle in the picture.
This cinema orignally had a most attractive plaster procenium arch. There is a picture of this in one of the CTA magazines. This feature was lost when the cinema was conveted for “cinemascope”. It looked very bland after this. It is now a curry house.
The only time I went to this cinema was to see “Hook”. The screen got smaller for ‘scope as a top mask came down as in the smaller converted silent cinemas designed for Academy aspect ratio films. I never went back as a result.
I visited this cinema in about 1963. It had obviously been converted from a variety theatre. It was almost full and I got a seat as I was on my own. The projection room must have been at the back of the “Gods” where the “limes” used to be; the room would have already been fireproof. I was sitting in the circle and the screen was obviously leaning backwards, so the view of it from the stalls must have been poor. There were acoustic tiles on the back wall of the circle, presumably to absorb reflected sound. I was most impressed with the many boxes on the side walls. I tried to glimpse them through the cracks in the doorways opposite when I left. Sadly, I never saw it again, as it was demolished after the Odeon was split into two auditoria. It was a very sad loss of a fine auditorium. I have never found any photographic records of how it looked.
This cinema had an attractive “cash register” auditorium with cove lighting running down the centre. All seats were on one level. It should have been preserved. You had to buy ice creams and sweets in the foyer. The closure was as a result of Classic Cinemas buying the former and much larger, Gaumont Cinema in Hendon Central. The tragedy was that the Gaumont was never full. One Friday I counted three people in the house for a musical. Smaller cinemas like The Gala Classic would have had lower overheads and been more profitable than the thousand-seater + houses that distributors liked.
The was not quite as good as the Scala in Birmingham, which was a similar design but did not have the exit adjacent to screen left. There were stage lights for the screen curtains but these were not used latterly as an economy measure. There were coloured lamps above the wall curtains which were supposed to give a multi-coloured wash, but were so close they gave a striped appearance. It was considered to be the best cinema in Derby. It was equipped with Italian, Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 duel-gauge projectors, so that it could show 70mm films. Usually the Odeon, Nottingham, had these “Road Show” films first, so that Derby did not get as much benefit as it might. The sound and picture quality were always excellent
There was much regret when it closed when the former Gaumont / Odeon, London Road was tripled.
The story about the owner being killed by a lion in Africa was told to me by my mother, who was born and raised in Midleton, so it is probably true. I inspected this building when it was an auction house in the early 1960s. The projection ports, high on the back wall were still in place. Like the Ormond cinema, it had high windows that were covered by shutters on the auditorium side walls. Perhaps this saved the cost of day-time electricity for cleaning? My mother told me that they had improvised sound effects behind the screen operated by a local person, or two. She said that they usully played the tune “ A Whister and His Dog” during the intevals.
This theatre did run pantomimes. It had two proscenium arches, the original one and a later plaster one inserted, further forward, to take the screen curtains when a larger screen was installed for 70mm road shows. This was later taken out of use so that the stage could be used again for pantomimes.This could be seen after bingo took over. It had a Compton organ installation under the stage, that was removed before bingo started. The same staff used to operate the projectors for both this and the Odeon. The bingo staff could relieve those at the Odeon at times before Rank sold-off the bingo halls.
This cinema boasted of its original art deco furniture in its circle lounge into the 1970s. The proscenium arch looked as though it had been altered as the plaster did not match, as though it had been reduced in height to accommodate Cinemascope. It had double doors in veneered dark wood with window openings with the squared-off Odeon ‘O’ in each door. It had a good feel to it as a cinema and it is sad that it closed, probably when the lease on the land was up.
The ballroom in the former Restaurant was called the “Arnold Rudge Rendezvous for Dancing” which sounded like something invented by comedy script writers. In the 1970s it lacked much of its original grandeur. The organ had gone. The side walls looked as though much of the decorative detailing had been removed for economy or modernity. The last stage show was probably the musical, “Hello Dolly!” performed by a local amateur operatic society in 1971. The theatre had a full fly tower with the words Gaumont Place written on the back wall which survived into its Odeon days.