Scala Cinema

287 Chillingham Road,
Heaton,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5LL

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Essoldo Circuit (Contol) Ltd., Gaumont-British-Picture Corp., Ltd., General Cinema Corp.

Architects: Percy Lindsay Browne

Styles: Neo-Classical

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Scala Cinema

Located in the east Newcastle upon Tyne district of Heaton. The Scala Cinema was opened on 10th March 1913. It was built for and operated by Armstrong Electric Theatres Ltd. Seating was provided in stalls, circle and four private boxes. The proscenium was 24 feet wide, and for the first year it showed films with variety acts included in the programme. It was equipped with a Vincent organ. It was later taken over by George Black.

In March 1928 it was taken over by the General Theatres Corporation, part of the Gaumont British Theatre chain. In April 1936 it was leased to the Essoldo chain, and they operated the Scala Cinema until it was closed on 1st July 1961.

The building was demolished and a supermarket was built on the site, in 2013 operating as a Tesco Express.

Contributed by Ken Roe

Recent comments (view all 1 comments)

Biffaskin
Biffaskin on June 19, 2022 at 4:13 pm

Some extra information from the Tyne & Wear Heritage website:

Opened by Armstrong Electric Theatres Ltd on 10 March 1913. The architect was Percy L. Browne. The Scala had a spacious tiled entrance with marble staircases to the dress circle. There were 1200 seats which were upholstered in red plush. Reseating later reduced the capacity to 986. The organ was a 2-manual Vincent. Throughout the 1920s music was provided by the Scala Orchestra. In 1928 the General Theatres Corporation (later Gaumont-British) took over. Talkies arrived in 1930. In April 1936 Sol Sheckman (Essoldo circuit) took over the Scala. The cinema closed on 1 July 1961. It was demolished and replaced by a supermarket.

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