Windmill Theatre

Ian on October 23, 2018 at 9:29 am

Photos taken in September 2018 here:–

WINDMILL EXTERIOR

WINDMILL STAGE

Philip Picturedrome on October 31, 2012 at 10:25 am

This wasn’t built as a cinema. It was built as the “Palace of Light” for the showman C. B. Cochran, and opened 4 July 1908. It originally had 1,000 light bulbs on the exterior. Cochran was well-known at the time, and presented all kinds of live performances, usually called “Cochran Revues”. However, he didn’t present films. It was renamed the Gem in 1910, which is when it probably became a cinema. Incidently, there are hardly any purpose-built cinemas with original frontages dating from before 1911. The front of the Picture House in Birmingham survives. The Electric in Portobello Road, the Bedford (Edit: since demolished) and the Kensington, both in Liverpool survive. All 3 opened in December 1910. There might (arguably) be one or two more from 1910, but it has to be admitted that original cinema facades are now an endangered species.

Ken Roe on December 10, 2006 at 8:03 am

A set of photographs that I took of the Windmill Theatre in 2003:
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/318447309/
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/318448151/
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/318448782/
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/318448974/
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/318449315/