Empire Cinema

In Lochgilphead, at the head of Loch Gilp, Argyll, the Empire Cinema opened in July 1939 - after having been dismantled and removed there at the end of the Glasgow Empire Exhibition.

At the Glasgow Empire Exhibition, the Empire Cinema had operated from 3rd May to 29th October 1938. It had been designed as a newsreel cinema, with 600 seats, but had a small stage for live performances.

The first film shown in Lochgilphead was Walt Disney’s “Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs”, on 10th July 1939.

By 1953, by then with 356 seats, it was owned by Mid-Argyll Cinemas.

In 1960 the cinema was hired for six weeks during the making of the James Bond film “From Russia with Love”. Some of the location scenes were filmed nearby, and the rushes were shown each day to the cast and crew, including star Sean Connery.

By 1980, ownership had transferred to Miss J.M. Brodie and Mrs C.M. Watson. It had 328 seats and bingo was played one night a week.

Film shows ceased around 1990, before use as snooker hall.

In 1991 it was converted into the Empire Travel Lodge.

Naturally, I had to use this as a base for a cinema trip to the area. Nothing remains inside of the former cinema, although one can get the ‘feel’ of its original use from the corridor that runs in the centre from front to back, where an auditorium aisle could have been, off which, to either side, are the guest bedrooms.

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