Carlton Cinema

Located in the Sparkbrook district of Birmingham. The Carlton Picture Theatre was opened on 28th May 1928 with Rod la Rocque in “Brigadier Gerard”. The entrance was dominated by a half domed ceiling. Seating was provided in stalls and circle levels, and the proscenium was 30 feet wide. It was the first cinema to be built in the city with a lift to carry patrons from the foyer to the circle.

On 25th October 1940 during a screening of the film “Typhoon” starring Dorothy Lamour, the cinema was hit by a German bomb, killing several patrons.

Repairs were carried out and it was taken over by A.W. Rogers and re-opened as the Carlton Cinema on 18th December 1943 with Myrna Loy in “The Rains Came”. The Carlton Cinema soon came under the ownership of the Victoria Playhouse Group. It was closed in around 1966, and was converted into a bingo club.

It later re-opened as an Asian cinema screening East Indian (Bollywood) films, which closed in December 1980. In February 1983, it was converted into a concert venue for Reggae music, but this was a short lived venture, closing later in 1983.

The building then stood empty until it was demolished in December 1985.

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