ScottishCinemas.orgARCHIVE & DIRECTORYABOUT THE ARCHIVE
Scottish Cinemas is a volunteer-led, non-profit project dedicated to recording and archiving Scotland’s historic cinema architectural heritage—an often overlooked part of our social history.
We try to provide a photographic and historical record of all Scottish cinema buildings, including those now unrecognisable or otherwise highly altered over the years. Cinemas that have now been demolished are also featured where photographs exist and copyright allows us to use them.
We welcome contributions of information, photographs, memories or anything else related to Scotland’s cinemas. If you have material you would like to share, please get in touch.
Scottish Cinemas has been running since 2001 and was created by Gordon Barr and Gary Painter. We run it entirely in our spare time, so please be patient if updates take a little while.
Both Gary and Gordon are Scottish caseworkers and committee members of the Cinema Theatre Association.
We offer talks from ten minutes to two hours covering the story of cinemas in Scotland, and can also run walking tours on request. Contact us for more information.
GORDON BARR
Gordon Barr works as the Architectural Heritage Fund Scotland Development Manager. Before joining the AHF in 2014, he was Heritage Development Manager for the multi-award-winning Maryhill Burgh Halls project. Gordon has an academic and scientific software development background and in 2011 was shortlisted for the Scottish Civic Trust’s inaugural Civic Champion award.
GARY PAINTER
Gary Painter studied history and archaeology at the University of Glasgow and supported these studies with a part-time job in the Odeon Cinema in Renfield Street. Seeing photographs of the cinema’s former interior began a love of finding forgotten remnants in buildings altered over the years. He now works as a Stage Doorkeeper at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal.
RECENT UPDATES
ScottishCinemas.org has been rebuilt with a modern, searchable design covering cinemas throughout Scotland and beyond. The historic photographs, galleries and building records have been reorganised into consistent location and cinema pages, with improved image viewing, listing and at-risk information.