Pavilion Cinema

The Pavilion Cinema, on Attercliffe Common near the corner of Coleridge Road on the eastern edge of Sheffield, was opened on 23rd December 1915. The architects were J.A. Hickton and Harry E. Farmer of Walsall, and like their Sheffield Cinema House & Electra Palace, made good use of glazed terracotta on the façade of the cinema. The lower part of the walls were stucco but the upper section above the canopy was of green, white and yellow tiles on four pilasters up to the parapet, along which were embossed the titles of MUSIC - THE PAVILION - DRAMA. There was a small decorative veranda above the entrance with leaded stained glass windows above and a small wooden tower in the centre on the roof.

The auditorium was in a Tudor style in oak and white with the ceiling being segmented with ornamental ribs. Along with seating in stalls and balcony there were five private boxes on either side of the auditorium and the cinema seated 1,075.

Sound was installed in March 1930 with Bessie Love in “The Broadway Melody” being shown on 24th March 1930. The Pavilion Cinema was part of the Heeley and Amalgamated Cinemas Ltd. who were taken over by the Leeds based Star Cinema Group in 1955. They closed the cinema in January for modernisation.

Sunday opening and Saturday Children’s Matinees were introduced and from 1956 the Pavilion Cinema was let out on Sunday afternoons to various Asian film societies. In 1961 Bingo sessions were introduced on one night a week, becoming a full time Star Bingo Club in June 1963, although the Saturday Children’s Matinees continued. In September 1963 the cinema returned to full time film shows and remained this way for another five years until Bingo returned in August 1968.

In March 1970 the Pavilion Cinema was leased by Elite Cinemas of Birmingham who reopened the cinema with Asian films on Sundays and English language films the rest of the week, however on 24th October 1970 it became a full time Asian film cinema. Refurbishment was carried out in 1971 with new projectors installed.

The Pavilion Cinema finally closed in 1979 and was left derelict for three years, then like much of Attercliffe, was demolished in May 1982 and the site is now a small part of the large car park for the Sheffield Arena.

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