Cosy Cinema

In 1908 in Swalwell, a village in County Durham that has become a district of Gateshead, an assembly hall was constructed above a series of shops.

Two years later, the hall was converted into the Central Cinema. (It was later renamed Bijou Cinema, before acquiring its final name, the Cosy Cinema, in 1926. It is not know when these name changes occurred - it not listed in the Kinematograph Year Books for 1914 or 1931 - and by the 1940 edition it is the Cosy Cinema, listed under Gateshead.)

The entrance to the Cosy Cinema (as I will call it) was on Spencer’s Bank, a cobbled street off Market Lane. At various times, the shops below the cinema were occupied by Arthur Kimber’s newsagents, Ken Waite’s fruit shop, Spoors, a greengrocer, Ella Wright’s ladies hairdressers and Mrs Goodson with her sweet shop. A little further up Spencer’s Bank was the Seven Stars public house.

The Cosy Cinema had gas lighting and rather basic wooden seats, joined together in sets of about seven or eight. These were all on one side of the hall, with a single aisle down the other side of the bare floor. The auditorium was reached up stone stairs and payment made at a cubbyhole at the top.

The Watson family ran the Cosy Cinema in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Patriarch Hockley Watson, manager and projectionist, was assisted by his two daughters his son, also called Hockley. Apparently one daughter, Bella, had a voice like a foghorn and was used to keep the kids in order!

The 1940 and 1953 Kinematograph Year Books list the proprietor as James Ritson, with shows being presented twice nightly. From 1939, until closure, the cinema was managed by Louisa Wright.

The Cosy Cinema was always a very basic operation, so it was probably not too surprising when, in 1957, a police inspection led to magistrates refusing to renew its licence (mainly on the grounds of poor ventilation, but there were probably other issues). Perhaps what is surprising is that it lasted as long as it did!

The auditorium became a dance hall, but only for a few months. Subsequent use is not known, but the whole block, plus the Seven Stars pub, was eventually demolished. The site is now a grassy bank. It is opposite two other pubs, The Three Tuns and The Sun.

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.