O2 Academy Glasgow

Ian on June 16, 2011 at 3:40 am

A night shot of the former Bedford in June 2011

ACADEMY AT NIGHT

garypainter on January 12, 2006 at 6:06 pm

Although now called the Carling Academy, Glasgow, the cinema is best known by it’s original name, the New Bedford. As mentioned, the cinema was built on the site of its predecessor, which was destroyed by fire in 1932. The first New Bedford had been a conversion of a church, and was still fairly recognisable as such externally. The New Bedford is right next door to the Coliseum, a conversion of a Frank Matcham music hall and theatre of 1905, originally opened as Moss’s Empire. The Coliseum was given major makeovers in 1931 and 1963, the latter being a total rebuild to become Glasgow’s Cinerama venue. After closure in 1980, and a spell on bingo, it now lies derelict, in sharp contrast to the newly restored Bedford next door.