Historic Updates

25/02/2022

Update to add the Bridgeton Cross Electric Theatre to our Glasgow page.

14/06/2020

Major update for our page on the town of Forth , North Lanarkshire, with great images and memories of the marvellous Tinto cinema there, courtesy of John Fleming.
Added an image of the Kinema in Stirling, thanks to John Craig.

11/06/2020

First update in over 10 years for our Cinemas At Risk page, fixing all the broken links and bringing things somewhat more up to date!

09/06/2020

Update for the Cruden Hall / Electric Cinema in Greenock, with a rather nice cinema token added thanks to Paul Withers; and archive images of the Playhouse Thornhill and the Palace Castle Douglas thanks to Graham Maxwell and Mark Douglas.

07/06/2020

Fantastic new archive images of the Huntly Palace/Playhouse, courtesy of Richard Muir, added the modern Alloa Cinema to the Alloa page, and some updates to Ardrossan .

31/05/2020

Updates for our Fraserburgh page, and for the Picture House in Portobello.

30/05/2020

Updates for our Annan and Gretna pages, with new images courtesy of Alan J Towers.

28/05/2020

Major update for our Astoria page in Edinburgh, with new interior and exterior images courtesy of Larry Mcguire.

27/05/2020

A stunning new colour image of the Parkhead Picture Palace in Glasgow (thanks to James Campbell), and a new photo of the exterior of the St George's Cross Electric Picture Palace in Glasgow (thanks to Rod Campbell).
Major update for our Anstruther page, with a gallery of images of the Regal thanks to James Berwick.

20/05/2020

It's alive! First update for 2020 coming soon...
Although the main site hasn't been updated in a while (what's seven years between friends?!), we've not stopped reporting on cinema news - follow us on twitter as ScottishCinemas , or have a look at our ScottishCinemas Facebook page for the latest news.

Tweets by ScottishCinemas Archived News Updates
2011-2013 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

18/05/2013

Two new galleries are added today - a full interior survey of the current condition of the former Orient cinema in Ayr, with thanks to the new owners who have exciting plans for the building, plus an extensive new gallery covering the sad demolition of the auditorium block of the Odeon, Renfield Street in Glasgow.

12/06/2012

ScottishCinemas is pleased to announce a new collaboration with fellow Scottish film website, ReelScotland.com . Together we are launching a new resource for those interested in the past, present and future of the moving image in Scotland: Cinematic Scotland .

While ReelScotland tends to focus on Scottish made and set productions as they head to our screens and ScottishCinemas continues to be dedicated to recording and archiving our historic cinema architectural heritage, Cinematic Scotland will complement both by taking a closer look at the places those films were shot as well as the cinemas they're watched in.

Cinematic Scotland's first two big projects are a cinematic walking trail of Edinburgh, created in partnership with the National Library of Scotland's Going to the Pictures exhibition, and a tour of the locations that inspired Disney Pixare's upcoming film, Brave.

Other launch features include a look at Linlithgow's cinematic connections, a search for Sean Connery in Edinburgh and a look at the biggest cinema ever built in Europe.

Regular updates from Cinematic Scotland can also be found on Twitter .

31/01/2012

Dr Michael J Timmons, son of cinema manager James J. Timmons, has kindly contributed a number of photos and details for the buildings managed by his father in both Saltcoats and Stevenson , and the cinema connection of his grandfather and wider family to Denny .

We've also added an image of the Central Picture House in Broxburn , thanks to Shawn Watson, and a great image of the Star, Armadale before it was converted from a pub!

19/09/2011

If you've missed hearing from us recently, why not follow our somewhat more frequent updates on Twitter ?
We've also recently partnered with the Cinema City project being run by the Glasgow Film Theatre, and have just released a free podcast covering a wander down Sauchiehall Street in its Glasgow and its many cinemas! Find out more and download it here .

Some great new images have been added to the site - a stunning night-time view of the New Tivoli in Edinburgh, all lit up and decorated for the Coronation, thanks to Nigel Baxter.
Also in Edinburgh, a great program for the pre-cinema days of the Albert Hall in Shandwick Place - find out about the Psychognotic Seance, plus the Burmese Mystery!
In Bathgate , a new image of the Pavilion cinema, decorated to advertise the film Cleopatra, thanks to Ian Hossack.

In the Articles section, a fascinating new article and accompanying pictures from Norman Allan, on the mobile cinemas that served the north of Scotland in the 1950s - the Highlands and Islands Film Guild , which predated the current Screen Machine by some decades!

18/03/2011

Thanks to Alistair Goldsmith, we've been able to add a detailed demolition photo gallery for the former Picture House in Troon. The decoration in the auditorium had been hidden away for many years, and was surprisingly intact.

06/03/2011

We're delighted to be able to make available in an electronic version - exclusively and for the first time ever online - the full text of the seminal research work on Edinburgh cinemas - Edinburgh Theatres, Cinemas and Circuses 1820 - 1963 , by George Baird.
More details - and the download - are available here .

16/02/2011

New archive images let us add pictures of the Broadway in Blantyre , the Embassy in Edinburgh, the Gaiety and Grafton in Glasgow, the Cinema in Inverbervie , Green's Picturedrome in Irvine , the Town Hall in Lockerbie , and the Central Picture House in Musselburgh .

11/02/2011

DHP have announced that they are not going to accept any of the three formal offers that were submitted for the Edinburgh Odeon/New Victoria , and are instead going to press on with re-submitting their plans to demolish the cinema auditorium to make way for a boutique hotel. Details in the Scotsman article here .

The Edinburgh South Side Community Council have started a petition to the Council to perform repairs on the building, and ideally compulsory purchase it to allow one of the interested bidders to take the building.
The petition (up to 1,488 signatures at time of writing, but still rising fast) can be found here ; some background to their campaign is here .

In Aberdeen, it looks like a similar scheme to replace the audtorium of the former Capitol cinema with a hotel seems likely to go ahead, according to reports in the Press and Journal .

25/01/2011

Thanks to information from Alex Braid and Bill Dailly, we've a positive identification for the Unknown cinema in Dundee as the Electric Theatre (not to be confused with the Electric Theatre in Dundee!) - and have updated things accordingly. Bill has also positively identified one of the mystery Projection Box photos on the Unknown Page as that of Screen 2 at the New Picture House, St Andrews (as the photo was originally taken by himself!).

22/01/2011

More new additions:
the Darvel Picture House, the Dumbarton Regal and Picture House, the Dumfries Lyceum, Dunoon Pavilion, Forfar Reid Hall, Haddington Codona, Leslie Town Hall, and the Town Hall in Port Glasgow .
New pages/images have also been added for the: Falkirk Grand Theatre , the Greenock Central , the Palladium in Kirkcaldy, the Gaiety Theatre in Leith, the Castle in Paisley, the Pavilion in Perth, Marine Park Concert Hall in Portobello, and the Electric Theatre in Stirling.

For Ayr, we've added photos of the Picture House/Gaumont , the Electric Pavilion/Green's Playhouse , the Town Hall , and the former Theatre Royal . Edinburgh sees the Theatre Royal added, with Aberdeen gaining pages for the Electric and the Gaeity .

In Dundee, newly added images for the Her Majesty's / Capitol / Majestic , the New Hippodrome / Princess , and the Cinema / BB Cinerama .

Finally, two new images have been added to the Unknown Cinemas page - can you help identify these buildings?? Let us know!

All this also lets us bring our site statistics up to date: we now have an inpressive 1,142 cinemas in the database, of which we have images of over 780 buildings, in over 250 different places around Scotland !

21/01/2011

Come May 2011, it will be ten years since this website was started - quite a long time in internet years!

To get started with that, thanks to the Cinema Theatre Association Archive, we're able to add a host of new archive images of buildings not previously shown on this site. The first batch includes new pages for: the Ballantrae Cinema, Blantyre Picture Theatre, Colmonell Public Hall, Crail Airds Picture House, Dysart Memorial Hall, Eastriggs Carlyle Hall, Forth & Wilsontown Tinto, Gatehouse of Fleet Town Hall, Kinlochleven Public Hall, Laurencekirk Cinema, and the Nethybridge Community Centre - bringing the total of Scottish towns featured on this site to over 250!

More cinemas added to existing pages include: the Town Hall in Aberfeldy , the New Cinema and Pavilion in Airdrie , the Aytoun Hall in Auchterarder , the Cinema House in Bathgate , the Picture House in Bellshill , the Regal in Bonnyrigg , the Grand in Broughty Ferry , the Picture Palace in Burntisland , the Pavilion in Carnoustie , the Cinema in Castle Douglas , the Cinema and Theatre Royal in Coatbridge , the Playhouse in Couper Angus , and the Regal in Dalry .

Plenty more to come, so stay tuned!

Archived News Updates
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

13/10/2010

Fairly big update for our Inverness pages, including up-to-date shots of the Eden Court complex, and soon to be demolished former Palace cinema, plus some new archive shots of the former La Scala, courtesy of the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

22/05/2010

Odeon Cinema, Clerk Street, Edinburgh - Call-In Decision

"Duddingston House Properties applied for planning permission and listed building consent for the former Odeon building in Clerk Street, Edinburgh.

City of Edinburgh Council granted the application, which included partial demolition of the B-listed building, while Historic Scotland maintained its objections to the extent of the scheme.

A campaign to prevent the demolition of the auditorium was created and a petition calling for Scottish Ministers to call in the decision for their consideration was presented to Historic Scotland Chief Executive John Graham in May.

On June 03 2009 Michael Russell MSP, Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, announced that Scottish Ministers would consider the application.

The applicant chose to have the case considered by written submissions to the Independent Reporter.
Scottish Ministers announced on May 21 2010 that the application had been refused."

(from )

Decision letter from Scottish Ministers and the Full independent report recommending the application be refused:

Submission from Historic Scotland to the independent planning reporter.

Press Coverage:
Urban Realm:
Edinburgh Council overruled on Odeon demolition

Scotsman News article,

22/05/2010

Ministers throw out plan to knock down landmark cinema

Scotsman Opinion Piece:
Now get the Odeon Building back into productive use

Edinburgh Evening News,

22/05/2010

Old Odeon granted a reprieve from the bulldozers

06/03/2010

Is 2010 going to be the year of the community-run cinema?
Work by the Leven Community Cinema group to turn the Regent in Leven from a bingo hall back into a cinema is far advanced, with new seats, a new screen and full 35mm projection installed. Pictures of the restoration work is available on Facebook here , and the gala re-opening night is planned for 12th of March, with the Scottish premiere of British Film "I Know, You Know" starring Robert Carlyle.
In Aberfeldy , at the former Birks cinema builders are expected on-site this week to begin work to strip out the old amusement arcade interior, and begin the conversion back into a cinema for the local Friends of The Birks Cinema group.

Quick news roundup:
A nice, constructive review of the ScottishCinemas.org website and database was featured recently on the Bioscopic Blog

Evening Times: Cinema City plan to put film focus on Glasgow

Page/Park to take Glasgow Theatre Royal goers ' from the street to the seat '

Want to buy the B-listed former Lyceum cinema in Govan? Got £275K+ kicking about ?

Regeneration plans for B-listed Olympia Bridgeton revealed - first image unveiled

Perth & Kinross Council pass plans to demolish former Regal, Auchterarder for flats - application details here .

East Ayrshire Council grants itself permission to demolish 1913 Cumnock Picture House

New 650 seat cinema brings the movies back to Aviemore

Scotland's most southerly cinema - Machar Movies at the Isle of Whithorn - scoops an award ( BBC News )

The Guardian lists the Cameo Edinburgh as one of the 10 best independent cinemas in the UK

Nice new virtual tour of Alhambra , Dunfermline on their website

16/02/2010

Talk on the Cinemas of the West End of Glasgow & Cinemas At Risk as part of the Glasgow West End Lectures series. Details here .

17/01/2010

Fantasic new image of the La Scala, Clydebank in the 1950s - with the Singer factory clock in the background - thanks to Charles McNab. Thanks to Jock Brown, there are also a couple of images from the projection room about the same period.

Also thanks to Jock Brown, there are new archive images and information about the Palace / Strand cinema in Alexandria .

Thanks to a grant from Scottish Screen , both the Buccleuch Theatre, Langholm and the Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh can both now show films. Langholm has a roll up screen, whilst Mussleburgh’s is flown out of the way when not in use. Both are equipped for 5.1 surround sound, with Panasonic DLP digital video projectors. Thanks to Pete Naples for the information.

Local councillors have voted to demolish the former Civic Theatre in Ayr.

The recent cold weather and a burst pipe temporarily closed the Cineworld in Glasgow, according to the Evening Times .

The former King's cinema in Brechin is now on the Buildings at Risk list - there is also a planning application to demolish the rear and convert the frontage into flats.

04/01/2010

In Glasgow , we have database entries for 174 cinemas - but for 20 of those, we don't have any images. See the list of missing Glasgow cinemas - can you help?
In Edinburgh , we have database entries for 72 cinemas - but for 15 of those, we don't have any images. See the list of missing Edinburgh cinemas - can you help?

Up to date interior images of the New Tivoli in Edinburgh after its restoration have been added, thanks to Owen Lima.
In Aberdeen, the Palace cinema page has been updated with a current exterior thanks to Emma Mykytyn, plus a new gallery of images of the interior from 1985, thanks to Alan Rennie.
New archive images of the WMR / George in Irvine have been added, thanks to Bill Mather.
Thanks to David Low, images of the demolition of the Playhouse in Huntly , and the interior of the Town Hall in Elgin can now be seen.
In Coatbridge , we have a new image of the BB Cinema, thanks to Bruce Peter.
Plus, in Falkirk, the Casino has been added, and better images of the Salon and Melville Street cinemas added, thanks to Ian Scott and Joanne Hynd.

03/01/2010

Happy New Year!
New pages have been added for the following demolished Glasgow cinemas: the original BB Cinerama , the Cambridge , the Florida , the rebuilt Palaceum , the original Princes , and the Standard Picture House , thanks to the Cinema Theatre Association Archive.

A new page for Kinglassie has been added, thanks to Robert Clark, for Bannockburn , thanks to Maxine Adams, for the Isle of Whithorn , thanks to Harry Rigby, and for Balloch .
The Town Hall has been added to the page for Clydebank , and the Corn Exchange to Bathgate (thanks to Ian Hossack), the Heart of Hawick to Hawick , thanks to David Simpson, the Buccleuch Hall to Langholm thanks to Harry Rigby, the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, thanks to Robert Clark, and the Town Hall in Jedburgh . Plus, on the Military Cinemas page, we have a new image of the former cinema at RAF Kinloss, thanks to Tez Watson.

The Database and other detailed information has been updated thanks to new information from: David Simpson, Harry Rigby, Douglas Bryson, David Skinner, Robert Clark, Neil Darlington, Eddie Dowd, Steve McCabe, Iain D Foster, Shona White, Johnny Black, Ian Grant, Marlen Smith, Alexander Mullay, Tez Watson, Charles Morris, Barry Ferguson, David Shearer, Gareth Jones, and James McArdle.

A ceremony was held in Paisley on Hogmanay to commemorate the 80th anniversay of the Glen Cinema disaster - details here .

A blog for the campaign to return cinema to Nairn can be found here .

Great selection of Glasgow Film Theatre / Mr Cosmo archive stuff on Flickr here .

The Friends of the Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy have launched a new website , and have take possession of the building; Alan Cumming has announced his support for their fundraising campaign.

15/12/2009

The A-listed Tivoli theatre in Aberdeen has changed hands, and a new restoration plan has been mooted - details here .

£320K has been awarded from the Town Centre regeneration fund to the Friends of the Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy to help plans to refurbish & reopen - details here .

The Gaiety Theatre , Ayr (currently dark) is to benefit from Town Centre regeneration fund money - details here.

The Corn Exchange in Biggar is to benefit from Town Centre Regeneration funding - details here .

The Cameo , Edinburgh has launched a refurbishment fund-raising scheme - details in Evening News here , and a more recent article here .
One of the Cameo's small modern screens was closed due to a mystery stench, which was eventually traced to a broken cast-iron pipe in the wall of the adjacent tenement. The screen has now reopened after repairs were made .

The bid to secure Town Centre Regeneration funding to purchase & help restore B-listed Glasgow Bridgeton Olympia theatre as a community venue of some kind has been successfull, being awarded £1.95M. Details here .

Perth's 7-screen Playhouse cinema, formerly a Caledonian Cinemas venue, is now being run by Glasgow-based G1 Group , who also own the two-screen Glasgow Grosvenor cinema.
The Playhouse, a Category B listed building, opened in 1933 to designs by Alex Cattenach Jr. There is planning permission extant to build an extension with additional screen in a gap site to the side, and convert the large Screen 1, the original balcony, to a restaurant.

The former Grange in Stevenston has now been demolished.

Coverage of the falling attendences at the Highland Theatre cinema, Oban in the Scotsman .

A new campaign has been launched to return cinema to Nairn - details .

The Edinburgh Playhouse sold by Live Nation to Ambassador Theatre Group - details .

Local press interest in the former Odeon Edinburgh remains high, with the Edinburgh News featuring articles highlighting Historic Scotland's report saying the building should be kept, and also interviewing DHP developer Bruce Hare, in which he claimed the only way to safeguard the building for the future is to demolish the auditorium. See here and here .
There is also coverage of a break in and vandalism at the site here .
The independant Reporter considering the planning application has sent his report to the Scottish Ministers, who must now make the final decision. A timescale for this is currently unknown.

The S cottish Civic Trust , who maintain the official Buildings at Risk register for Scotland, have added several more cinemas to it: including the former Cumnock Picture House, and the former Kings/ABC/Regal in Kilmarnock, the Broadway in Prestwick, the Vogue in Girvan, and the Orient in Ayr. Details on our Buildings at Risk page.

Two two multi-purpose developments have been announced for Glasgow - one at Glasgow Harbour, and another at the former railway yards at Cowlairs. Both have multiplex cinemas mooted as part of the plans, although neither have specific operators attached as yet, so it will be interesting to see if they ever materialise. Similar developments at Silverburn on Glasgow's south side, and Glasgow Fort at Easterhouse both had cinemas announced as part of the original plans, yet neither materialised. Details here .

Glasgow Theatre Royal owners Scottish Opera is planning for a potential £8.5 million upgrade of the theatre's foyer spaces. It has bought a small piece of land adjacent to its current cramped foyers which could allow for them to be rebuilt and expanded, subject to funding availability. Details here .

As part of the Shetland Film Festival, a bus stop was converted into a 2-seat cinema, according to BBC News . The opening night was a sell-out.

BBC 4 program Time Shift's documentary on the Golden Age of Liners featured scenes filmed in the B-listed former Rex in Stonehouse , Lanarkshire. The entire interior of the Rex was taken from the liner Homeric when it was broken up. Other parts of the fixtures and fittings from the ship were used in the Regal in Broughty Ferry , Dundee, although that building is far less intact than the Rex.

15/12/2009

The A-listed Tivoli theatre in Aberdeen has changed hands, and a new restoration plan has been mooted - details here .

£320K has been awarded from the Town Centre regeneration fund to the Friends of the Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy to help plans to refurbish & reopen - details here .

The Gaiety Theatre , Ayr (currently dark) is to benefit from Town Centre regeneration fund money - details here.

The Corn Exchange in Biggar is to benefit from Town Centre Regeneration funding - details here .

The Cameo , Edinburgh has launched a refurbishment fund-raising scheme - details in Evening News here , and a more recent article here .
One of the Cameo's small modern screens was closed due to a mystery stench, which was eventually traced to a broken cast-iron pipe in the wall of the adjacent tenement. The screen has now reopened after repairs were made .

The bid to secure Town Centre Regeneration funding to purchase & help restore B-listed Glasgow Bridgeton Olympia theatre as a community venue of some kind has been successfull, being awarded £1.95M. Details here .

Perth's 7-screen Playhouse cinema, formerly a Caledonian Cinemas venue, is now being run by Glasgow-based G1 Group , who also own the two-screen Glasgow Grosvenor cinema.
The Playhouse, a Category B listed building, opened in 1933 to designs by Alex Cattenach Jr. There is planning permission extant to build an extension with additional screen in a gap site to the side, and convert the large Screen 1, the original balcony, to a restaurant.

The former Grange in Stevenston has now been demolished.

Coverage of the falling attendences at the Highland Theatre cinema, Oban in the Scotsman .

A new campaign has been launched to return cinema to Nairn - details .

The Edinburgh Playhouse sold by Live Nation to Ambassador Theatre Group - details .

Local press interest in the former Odeon Edinburgh remains high, with the Edinburgh News featuring articles highlighting Historic Scotland's report saying the building should be kept, and also interviewing DHP developer Bruce Hare, in which he claimed the only way to safeguard the building for the future is to demolish the auditorium. See here and here .
There is also coverage of a break in and vandalism at the site here .
The independant Reporter considering the planning application has sent his report to the Scottish Ministers, who must now make the final decision. A timescale for this is currently unknown.

The Scottish Civic Trust , who maintain the official Buildings at Risk register for Scotland, have added several more cinemas to it: including the former Cumnock Picture House, and the former Kings/ABC/Regal in Kilmarnock, the Broadway in Prestwick, the Vogue in Girvan, and the Orient in Ayr. Details on our Buildings at Risk page.

Two two multi-purpose developments have been announced for Glasgow - one at Glasgow Harbour, and another at the former railway yards at Cowlairs. Both have multiplex cinemas mooted as part of the plans, although neither have specific operators attached as yet, so it will be interesting to see if they ever materialise. Similar developments at Silverburn on Glasgow's south side, and Glasgow Fort at Easterhouse both had cinemas announced as part of the original plans, yet neither materialised. Details here .

Glasgow Theatre Royal owners Scottish Opera is planning for a potential £8.5 million upgrade of the theatre's foyer spaces. It has bought a small piece of land adjacent to its current cramped foyers which could allow for them to be rebuilt and expanded, subject to funding availability. Details here .

As part of the Shetland Film Festival, a bus stop was converted into a 2-seat cinema, according to BBC News . The opening night was a sell-out.

BBC 4 program Time Shift's documentary on the Golden Age of Liners featured scenes filmed in the B-listed former Rex in Stonehouse , Lanarkshire. The entire interior of the Rex was taken from the liner Homeric when it was broken up. Other parts of the fixtures and fittings from the ship were used in the Regal in Broughty Ferry , Dundee, although that building is far less intact than the Rex.

Archived News Updates
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

Unless otherwise specified, all photographs and other material copyright (c) 2001 - 2011 Gordon Barr and Gary Painter .
All rights reserved. Permission for use elsewhere normally granted, but please ask first!
No attempt is made to infringe any existing copyrights or trademarks. Please contact the editors in case of any queries.
Page design by Andreas Viklund .

27/08/2009

A new image of the restored frontage of the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall in Glasgow has been added, with details about the restoration work, thanks to Euan Adamson & the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall Trust.

26/08/2009

A new gallery of interior pictures of the Rex, Lockerbie has been added, thanks to Murray Thomson and Sam Hayward.

Better images inside and out of the Playhouse in Galashiels are now online, thanks to manager Andrew Poole.

New pages for Biggar , Coalburn , Kilsyth and Lochmaben , plus interior shots of the Town Halls in Airdrie and Darvel have been added, thanks to Harry Rigby. He's also kindly provided images of the inside and outside of the former Cinema, Glenboig .

Quick news roundup:

A planning application has been submitted to demolish the 1913 Picture House in Cumnock , to replace it with a car park.

The bingo in the former George cinema in Girvan has closed, and the building is up for sale.

A new 9-screen cinema is proposed for new site near Cambuslang and Rutherglen, off the M74

The Cameo , Edinburgh launches a refurbishment fund-raising scheme (Evening News)

New Historic Scotland book on post-war architecture: 'Scotland - Building the Future' - is a free PDF download

Evening Times feature on Glasgow Film Theatre history & Doors Open Day events - 'A trip to the stars' (The ET also incorrectly claims the GFT is the city's oldest remaining cinema, forgetting about the Grosvenor, which opened 18 years earlier!)

Biggar Corn Exchange to benefit from Town Centre Regeneration fund

Ayr's Gaiety Theatre (currently dark) to benefit from Town Centre regeneration fund money

£320K from Town Centre regeneration fund to Friends of Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy to help plans to refurbish & reopen

£1.95M Town Centre Regeneration fund to help restore B-listed Glasgow Bridgeton Olympia theatre: and

Cash plea for Paisley Glen Cinema disaster documentary DVD

'Scratch'n'Sniff'-style showing of Gregory's Girl in 'Odorama' in Edinburgh's Festival Square:

Former ABC Regal , Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow being considered for listing by Historic Scotland

2pm Sun 20 Sept Free talk on Glasgow Cinemas @ the GFT ; delivered by Neil Baxter using images from ScottishCinemas.org & Scottish Screen Archive

Glasgow Doors Open days programme published; includes Citizens, Kings, Tron, Ramshorn & Scottish Youth theatres; GFT, Britannia Panopticon, Waverley and Grosvenor cinemas

List of Scottish cinemas on the official Buildings at Risk Register updated; Stirling Alhambra theatre added

Gala closes 2 bingo halls in old cinemas: Port Glasgow Plaza and Leven Regent

Historic Scotland launches Raising the Bar - new free PDF book on Scotland's historic public houses:

Perth Playhouse cinema, formerly a Caledonian Cinemas venue, now being run by Glasgow-based G1 Group (also owners of the Grosvenor , Hillhead)

Theatres Trust: Scottish Theatre Buildings at Risk:

Guardian: Best places to watch film features GFT, Hippodrome, Dominion, Belmont & Campbeltown Picture House

BBC News: Revival plans for Leith Theatre

17/06/2009

An image of the frontage of the Coliseum , hidden behind metal cladding for 30+ years and very briefly revealed during the demolition works, has been added thanks to Steven Parkes.

The BBC News website has a feature on the possible re-birth of the Leith Theatre here .

15/06/2009

The demolition of the Glasgow Coliseum is now all but complete; a gallery of demolition images can be found here . The cinema has therefore been moved into the Demolished section of the Glasgow Cinemas index.
Today's Evening Times features a piece on the demolition and history of the building, including quotes from ScottishCinemas.org.

Further coverage of the Edinburgh Odeon call-in decision was in the Scotsman here , the Evening News here , and was also featured on Forth FM. The actual official 'call-in' notification from Historic Scotland to the council can be seen on the council planning website here .

The Guardian newspaper is asking for comments and votes on people's favourite cinemas for a forthcoming series of articles - more details here .

The former Miner's Welfare Hall / Randolph cinema in Stirling has been demolished, according to information from Murray Thomson.

The Evening Times reports that one of a number of Townscape regeneration bids involves purchasing the former Olympia in Bridgeton for use as a sporting or events venue.

Tilda Swinton leads the chain gang pulling mobile cinema across Scotland - details here .

A new campaign to return cinema to the town of Paisley has sprung up - details on the Paisley Film Society website here .

03/06/2009

Historic Scotland has announced that the planning application to demolish the auditorium of the former Odeon Edinburgh has been 'called in' for determination by the Scottish Ministers. This is a highly unusual step that is only taken for less than a handful of listed building planning applications each year. The statement from Historic Scotland is here , and there is coverage of the call-in on the BBC News website here .

Planning permission has been granted for the conversion of the former Birks cinema, Aberfeldy , from a derelict amusement arcade to a cafe bar and single-screen cinema. The plan is being mooted by the 'Friends of the Birks', who are hoping to see cinema return to the town. The AGM of the Friends is on Thursday; details here .

South Ayrshire Council have started the process of looking for tenders for new owners for the Gaiety Theatre in the Ayr. Details here .

The demolition of the Glasgow Coliseum continues, with most of the stage end now gone. Updated gallery of pictures here .

28/05/2009

Glasgow's former Coliseum / Cinerama theatre suffered a serious fire in the early hours of Monday 25th May, after which the roof is all but gone, the top of the tower has collapsed, and the side walls are bulging. The future for the building does not look good at this point.
Gallery of post-fire images here , plus press coverage on the BBC News website here , the Evening Times here , here and here , and the Scotsman here . The Urban Glasgow forum has some images looking into the fire-ravaged building here .
As of this afternoon, some demolition work had started at the former stage end of the building (pictured above).

The campaign to convince Historic Scotland to call in the planning application for the former Odeon Edinburgh Clerk Street continues; the petition is at over 5,100 signatures, the press coverage continues , and a report released under the FOI has raised hopes that an inquiry might forthcoming. The Nemesis Republic blog has also covered the ongoing saga.

Coverage of the Glasgow Film Theatre 's 70th birthday was featured on the BBC News website here .

Demolition works at the Grange, Stevenston are due to start within the next few weeks.

The former Roxy in Kelso is now an Italian restaurant; the website for it is here .

Thanks to David Baker, Stephen Elliot, Neil Darlington, David Low, & Andy Wilson, for other information and updates.

31/03/2009

The petition to try to save the former New Victoria/Odeon in Edinburgh now has over 2,300 signatures, having been running for less than a week. Some coverage in the Edinburgh Evening News here .

29/03/2009

Britannia Panopticon Music Hall - Fundraiser at Oran Mor
Music Hall Memories Goes West – Gala Night
Sunday 29th March from 7.30pm
(Booking hotline: 0870 013 5464)
Location: Oran Mor, Corner of Byres Road and Gt Western Road
The celebration of the Panopticon’s immense history of Comedy as the oldest music hall will continue with a fundraising Gala Show in Oran Mor on 29th March. This show marks the end of Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival and celebrates the history of music hall with a 3 course dinner and 3 courses of entertainment.

Details here.

25/03/2009

A petition has been launched to try to save the former New Victoria/Odeon in Edinburgh.
Details on the GoPetition website here .

16/03/2009

Some new interior images of the Britannia Panopticon , on the occasion of Tony Roper unveiling a collection of theatre images, have been added; images thanks to Jenny Bann.

In addition, we have a new gallery of some stunning interiors of the Cameo , Edinburgh on its 60th Birthday weekend.

Better old postcard images of the Odeon , Ayr have been added, thanks to Kevin Phelan.

Thanks to Bill Mather, former owner of the WMR (George) in Irvine , we have some great photos of that cinema in 1983 and the re-opening night programme, plus exterior and interiors of the Classic ( Cranston's de Luxe ) in Renfield Street, Glasgow.

More stunning images from 'dusashenka' - be sure to visit his Flickr page to see the original high-resolution versions of all of these great images.

Norwood Cinema, Glasgow

The Bank and Empire in Clydebank , the ABC and Plaza in Dundee, the ABC Regal and Lyceum in Edinburgh, ABC Regal in Falkirk, the ABC Regal in Greenock, the ABC Regal in Kilmarnock, and the ABC Regal in Kirkcaldy.

Plus, in Glasgow, the Norwood / George , the Govanhill Picture House , the Princes , Springburn, the Olympia , Bridgeton and the Picture House , Dennistoun.

A fantastic gallery by Miss Mass of the interior of the 1912 Bo'Ness Hippodrome, all ready for its grand re-opening as a cinema next month, can be seen on Flickr here .

King's Theatre , Edinburgh gets £500,000 Historic Scotland grant - details here .

14/03/2009

The Scotsman has run a piece on an open letter calling on Historic Scotland to call the Edinburgh Odeon planning application in for a public enquiry; details here , and a follow up selection of reader letters on the subject can be seen here .
Other Press Coverage includes Trainspotting star Ewan Bremner supporting the campaign here and here and the EdinburghGuide.com here .
The online petition is up to 4191 signatures. Coverage of the Historic Scotland booklet on cinemas is here and here .

The Glasgow Film Theatre is celebrating its 70th birthday on May 10th; they're looking for votes as to a film from 1939 (when it first opened as the Cosmo), and from 1974 (when it became the GFT) to show at its birthday bash. You can vote here . (Voting closes May 1st).

There's a film showing of Slumdog Millionaire on May 3rd at 2.30pm at the refurbished Alhambra Dunfermline theatre - a chance to see a film in this building that was a cinema for most of its life. Details on the Alhambra website here . The same website also has a great gallery of up to date interior images here .

A new website to photographically archive the dead and/or dying cinemas of Southeast Asia has been launched; visit it at The Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project .

Coverage of the re-opening of the Bo'Ness Hippodrome can be found in The Times here , and the BBC News website here , plus some video of the interior then and now here .
The Hippodrome film program is online on their official website at www.falkirk.gov.uk/hippodrome

14/03/2009

Steven Elliott has kindly provided us with a gallery of recent images of the interior of the Grange in Stevenston , which has closed to bingo and is shortly to be demolished.

More up-to-date images of the mostly-demolished B-listed La Scala in Hamilton are also up, thanks to Murray Thomson and Sam Hayward. The foyer block is all that's left, and most of that is now open to the elements...

Thanks to George Millar, we have two fantastic posters advertising shows at the Regal, Macduff , and the Picture House, Banff .

Rare archive images of the interior of the Palace , Aberdeen, have been added, many thanks to Alan Rennie [via Jim Brooks].

Interiors of the C-listed Savoy, Cambuslang have been added, just before it is due to be converted to a Wetherspoons bar. Many thanks to Chris Bradley for the images.

A recent colour image of the La Scala Dunoon has been added, thanks to Sam Haward.

A new archive image of the Argosy , Aberdeen has also been added.

13/03/2009

The Hippodrome in Bo'Ness is due to re-open as a cinema at the start of April; details on the BBC News website here , and the Press and Journal here .

The bingo in the former Picture House in Cumnock has closed, and the building is up for sale; the sales particulars say it is in a poor state, and likely to be demolished.

The Paisley Daily Express has a write-up about the Regal demolition here .

A new website, Scotland's Images , brings together pictures from a variety of national collections. A new partnership between Scottish Screen and Glasgow Museums has resulted in the launch of the Reel Lives website.

The Scotsman has a nice long article on the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall in Glasgow, and its latest fund-raising efforts, here .

An ongoing project to record all of the films shown at the Edinburgh Odeon/New Victoria is now online here .

The former Strond cinema in Orkney is now an Arts Centre; details on its website here .

An options appraisal study to determine new uses for the former Leith Theatre is to be carried out, according to EdinburghArchitecture .

The 1914 B-listed former Lyric in Ardrossan is covered in scaffolding, as its auditorium is to be demolished and the facade retained as the building is converted to flats. Details here .

A picture of the staff of the former Cinema de Luxe in Denny in 1969 can be seen on the Falkirk Herald site here .

The former Parade in Dennistoun would appear to be in a precarious state, going by these flickr images.

STV reports that the Odeon Dunfermline is to have a screen fitted out for 3D films.

Plans to dramatically rebuild the Theatre Royal in Dumfries are being reconsidered; details here .

Former projectionist Gordon McTavish is hoping to find murals in the former Palace in Huntly , before it is due to be demolished. Details in the Press and Journal.

The former New Bedford in Glasgow, until recently the Carling Academy music venue, has been rebranded as the O2 Academy . Similarly, the Picture House in the former Caley in Edinburgh is now the HMV Picture House .

The Perthshire Advertiser reports that the former Picture House in Blairgowrie is to be demolished for flats; although the article seems to suggest the frontage will be kept, the planning application online here seems to show the whole site being cleared.

The Edinburgh Evening News reports that plans to extend the stage and rehearsal space of the Festival Theatre are set to go ahead; details here and here .

The recent Glasgow Film Festival highlighted some of Glasgow's old cinemas by showing short films and clips in or on them; details here and reported on here .

The database and other pages have been updated, thanks to new info from David Thom, Pete Naples, Robert Clark, Ian Grant, Trevor Griffiths, Mervyn Gould and others.

06/03/2009

A gallery of photos of the demolition of the former Regal , Paisley can be seen on Flickr here , thanks to HistoricalPaisley. Some other images showing the demolition work even further along are also on PaisleyPicture's Flickr page here .

Cameo celebrates 60 years [and 95 years!]
The weekend of 7/8 March 2008 will see Edinburgh's favourite cinema marking 60 years since it opened as the Cameo (and 95 years as a cinema). To celebrate, on Saturday 7 March it will screen classic silent double bill featuring Buster Keaton, featuring live piano accompaniment. On the Sunday, an archive print of LA SYMPHONIE PASTORALE will be screened which was the very first film shown at the opening of The Cameo in 1949. The screening will be preceded by some interesting Cameo-related archive material onscreen, and a display of photos and cuttings about the cinema will be on display in the bar and foyer.

Details here.

14/01/2009

The plans for the gutting of the auditorium of the Edinburgh Odeon to convert it into a boutique hotel were passed by the local council (planning report here ); however the final OK has yet to be given by Historic Scotland. While HS legally have 28 days from the date of the council decision to decide if they want to do this, they wrote to the council just before Christmas to request extra time to make their determination, and to ensure that no binding decision is issued prior to that happening. Coverage in the Evening News here .

In related news, the plans to demolish most of the Glasgow Odeon and replace the auditorium with an eight-storey glass office block are now officially on hold thanks to the credit crunch; this may also have implications for the Edinburgh redevelopment plans, as the same company - Duddingston House Properties - is behind both schemes. Details on the Architecture Scotland website here .

A fire in October damaged the former State cinema in Leith; this is currently empty awaiting conversion to flats behind a retained facade. The fire in the foyer block does not appear to have caused too much damage, as far as can be seen from an external inspection. Details in the Evening News .

A revised version of Historic Scotland’s new Scottish Historic Environment Policy - incorporating guidance on listed buildings and listed building consent - can be seen online here .

The nightclub Jumpin Jaks, which is in the upper half of the former Capitol cinema in Union Street, Aberdeen, has closed. The Chicago Rock pub in the former stalls and screen area is still open, but the former cinema cafe area is also now empty. Photos from urban explorers show that some of the original light fittings are now smashed, and that the roof is apparently in poor condition and may be leaking already.

News reports suggest that a new 10 screen multiplex cinema, operated by Vue, will be part of expansion work scheduled to take place at Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries shopping centre. Work is scheduled to start in 2010. Details here and here .

Cromarty Film Festival organisers held a showing of the film ‘The Maggie’ on a ferry between Cromarty and Nigg, according to the BBC News website .

Plans are set to be lodged to establish a temporary cinema in Fort William – as a precursor to the potential re-opening of the town's picture house at Cameron Square, which closed suddenly in September 2006. Details here .

A selection of archive photos of Falkirk cinemas can be seen on the local council website here . Thanks to Joanne Hynd for the link.

Redevelopment of the site of the former Palace in Burntisland is going ahead, according to this report. No word yet on possible re-use of the stained glass windows rescued from the building prior to demolition.

The Perthshire Advertiser reports that plans for a large multi-use site on the outskirts of Perth could include a multiplex cinema. This would obviously impact on the 9-screen Playhouse in the centre of town.

Demolition work has started at the unlisted former Regal in Paisley (CJ McNair, 1934). Michael Fediginan has a gallery of pictures monitoring the building here .

The Evening Times reports that there was panic when a snake was reported to be loose in Glasgow’s CineWorld .

The Gaiety Theatre in Ayr is to close in January 2009 while the local council decides what to do with it, and whether it can afford the funds to refurbish it. This is despite an offer by the owners of the Glasgow Pavilion to take over the running of the theatre as a going concern. The Theatres Trust have expressed concern. Details in The Herald .

Some of the most remote parts of Scotland will benefit from investment in cinema screening facilities. Eight venues will share more than £200,000 from Scottish Screen to install digital projection equipment. These include new cinemas for the village of Langholm, and Isle of Whithorn, as well as new equipment for the Newton Stewart cinema, Robert Burns Centre Dumfries , Highland Theatre, Oban and the cinema in Fort William . Details in The Times .

A local youth group are campaigning for a new cinema to be built on a brownfield site near the centre of Cumbernauld . The original Cumbernauld cinema, built in 1978 as a two screen cinema, and a condition of planning for the bingo hall next door, remains closed and mothballed, having shut in the early 1980s.

The former 2-screen Allanpark cinema in Stirling could be converted for church use, under plans submitted by the Destiny Church group. The Allanpark opened in 1938, and was divided with bingo in the former stalls, and a two screen cinema in the former balcony in 1977. The cinema closed earlier in 2008, when a new Vue multiplex opened elsewhere in the city. The Destiny Group owns two former cinemas in Edinburgh - the former New Tivol i in Edinburgh, and the Central in Leith.

The Stornoway Gazette had a behind the scenes feature at the An Lanntair cinema here .

Plans are well advanced to test using Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre as a venue for red-carpet premieres for the Edinburgh Film Festival. The Festival has been without a suitable venue since the Clerk Street Odeon closed. Details here .

Also thanks to the following for additional information and reporting: Mervyn Gould, Jay Saint, Graham Kelly, Joanne Hynd, Bill Mather, Scott McCutcheon, Alan Bunting, Ross McNeillie, Michael Fediginan Olive Sharpe, Kenneth Duncan,Trevor Griffiths, and Alex Banks.

Archived News Updates
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

Unless otherwise specified, all photographs and other material copyright (c) 2001 - 2010 Gordon Barr and Gary Painter .
All rights reserved. Permission for use elsewhere normally granted, but please ask first!
No attempt is made to infringe any existing copyrights or trademarks. Please contact the editors in case of any queries.
Page design by Andreas Viklund .

20/10/2008

A gallery comprising a detailed photo survey of the King's Theatre , Glasgow, taken earlier in 2008, has been added.

This should provide a useful record as the theatre is embarking on a major upgrade and refurbishment program over the next few years.

A new page for the demolished Tudor cinema in Glasgow has been added, thanks to new images from Kevin Phelan.
An up-to-date image of the Beach Pavilion in Leven has also been added.

Several new galleries of interiors have also been added: up-to-date pictures from September 2008 of the interiors at the George , Portobello, the Capitol , Leith, the Pavilion, Dalkeith , the Regal, Bathgate , plus the Playhouse , King's , Edinburgh Festival and Lyceum Theatres, Edinburgh.

18/10/2008

Update for the Edinburgh ABC Regal page, with a 1939 description from Ideal Kinema, and more wonderful images from Dusashenka.
From the same issue of Ideal Kinema, opening descriptions of the Grange, Stevenston , Playhouse, Fraserburgh and the State, Leith .

A gallery of great detailed images from the Picture House in Thurso has been added to the Thurso Picture House website .

15/10/2008

A big selection of new pages, added cinemas, and more up-to-date images, all thanks to Harry Rigby and his travels round Scotland - the Good Templar Hall, Auchterarder , the Victoria Hall, Ballater , the Lyceum, Buckie , the Town Hall, Cullen , the Picture House, Dingwall , the Victoria Hall, Ellon , a great shot of the ceiling of the Picture House, Forres , the Nevis Centre, Fort William , the Town Hall, Inverurie , the Palace, Keith , the Little Theatre, Nairn , the Glen, New Pitsligo , the Corran Halls, Oban , the Glen, Peterculter , the Electric, Peterhead , and the Old Theatre, Pitlochry .

14/10/2008

A video of some of the highlights from the recent Cinema Theatre Association visit to Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife can be seen on YouTube here , or by clicking to play the embedded video below.

A new page for Bonnybridge has been added, thanks to images and information from Ann Barber and Richard Higgins, plus a new page for Ellon , thanks to Harry Rigby.

A gallery of interior images of the former Regent, Leven , has also now been added.

Many thanks to Alex Braid, for a selection of great new images, including: colour images of the County Kinross and George Beith , interior images of the Paisley Kelburne , Plaza Hilltown, Dundee and the Edinburgh La Scala , plus archive exteriors of the Perth Playhouse , and some great circuit adverts for both CAC and the JB Milne circuit. Many more of these can be seen on Flickr here .

Stunning interior images of the Glasgow Olympia , Kilmarnock Regal , and Edinburgh Regal in their primes have been added, thanks to Dusashenka .

A new image of the demolition of the Regal, Armadale has been added, many thanks to Kenny Duncan.

A new book on the history of Glasgow's Theatre Royal has been launched; more details here .

As part of the change of use into a church, the projectors from the former New Tivoli in Edinburgh have been dismantled and removed by the Regal Group .

The Fife Free Press is reporting on a possible new multiplex cinema in Kirkcaldy - thanks to Ian Grant for the link.

09/10/2008

Historic Scotland has listed two more cinema buildings: the former Savoy, Cambuslang , and the former Globe, Johnstone , both at Category C(s).

A new planning application - 08/01487/LBC - has been submitted for internal and external alterations to the Playhouse , Perth, although it's not currently clear how these differ from plans passed in 2005 to convert the main screen in the former balcony to a flat-floored restaurant, and erect a new extension with additional screens to the side of the building.

Pictures of the inside of the newly refurbished Caley , Edinburgh - now The Picture House music venue - can be seen on its official website here .

Images of the preserved Bioscope box at the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, can be seen on the Mercia Cinema Society blog .

Some information on the history of Tayport Picture House can be found on the Tayport website here , and an article on cinemas in Kilbirnie can be seen here .

The Highland Theatre in Oban is to host the premiere of the film The Stone of Destiny on October 10th, according to the Daily Telegraph .

16/09/2008

The bingo in the former Grange, Stevenston has closed, and the building is up for sale , complete with planning permission to demolish it for flats.

Plans to redevelop part of Kilmarnock includes restoring the derelict former Opera building there, according to this article .

An image of the former Regal in Dalry can be seen on the Dalry Burns Club website here .

15/09/2008

A nice opinion piece in the Evening News points out how suitable the former Odeon Clerk Street would be as a new, larger home for the Filmhouse, at a much more practical cost than building something new from scratch! ' Odeon is ideal for city 'performance quarter '.

There is also more information on the Picture House venue in the former Caley cinema here , as well as more on the Filmhouse's current plans here and here .

The Evening Times has an article on the conversion of the former Old Athenaeum Theatre in Glasgow to retail space; the photo manages to avoid showing most of the dramatic alterations to the building, such as the removal of the balcony rake, and the insertion a new floor halfway up the stage. Full article here .

The bingo in the former Savoy, Cambuslang has closed. JD Wetherspoons has a planning application in for a change of use to a public house (CR/08/0201).

St. Andrew's University library has an archive photo of the Picture House, Renfrew available here , and one of the New Picture House available here .

09/09/2008

The Gala bingo in the former King's Cinema in Montrose may soon close; the building is scheduled to be converted to a bar, but local residents are campaigning for the balcony area to be made available for cinema use again. Coverage in BBC News and the Press and Journal .

The former Caley in Edinburgh is due to re-open shortly in its new guise of a live music venue called The Picture House; details in the Evening News .

The Herald reports on a surviving Wurlitzer organ being installed in Pollokshaws Burgh Hall by the Scottish Cinema Organ Trust . More details here .

The UK Film Council have given a grant of over £50,000 to the Glasgow Film Theatre, the Edinburgh Filmhouse , and the Screen Machine to improve their facilities and equipment, according to The Herald .

Work to convert the former ABC Regal in Falkirk into a bar and nightclub has been completed, according to the Falkirk Herald. BBC News also reports that the company involved in the construction work has been fined after a worker died during construction.

A new bid to rebuilld the Theatre Royal in Dumfries has been launched, according to BBC News , and the Edinburgh King's Theatre is also now in line for a £12M refurbishment, says the Evening News .

The church in the former New Tivoli in Edinburgh is also now just about finished its refurbishment, according to the BBC News .

A rather nice program for the Govan Lyceum Theatre can be seen on Flickr here .

Highland Council's new Historic Environment Record includes some nice images of the La Scala in Inverness just prior to demolition here .

24/07/2008

Some new interior and exterior shots of the two-screen Highland Theatre in Oban have been added.

Many thanks to Gavin Fraser for taking the time to show us around the building.

Some archive images of the demolition work at the former Roxy , Edinburgh have been added, thanks to Kenneth Duncan.

The former Caley in Edinburgh is to re-open as a music venue run by the Mama Group in early September. The name for the new venue is The Old Picture House .

Robert Clark has provided some dates and information on cinemas in Cardenden , and Fraser Millar has added information on the former Broughton High School projectors etc. to the Database .

A rather nice 1919 programme for the Star Palace in Partick can be seen on Flickr here .

14/07/2008

A large gallery of archive photographs and postcards of the Green's Playhouse in Dundee have been added, plus copies of some of the original plans for the Vogue in Govan, and Tivoli in Partick, thanks to the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

Some archive images of the construction and opening of the former Regent in Aberdeen are also new to the site.

The restoration plans for the former Picture House/Town Hall in Tain are gathering pace, according to the Press and Journal .

11/07/2008

A new page for the demolished New Picture House in Edinburgh has been added, with images and plans, plus a new page for Poole's Synod Hall , and some construction images of Poole's Roxy .

Some interesting documents have been added: A copy of a share prospectus for the Britannia / Panopticon Music Hall , a the front cover of the 1923 Cinematograph, Scotland regulations, and some excerpts from a 1919 issue of The Scottish Cinema weekly journal.

All thanks to the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland and the Cinema Theatre Association Archive.

The Database has been updated with new information from Robert Clark.

10/07/2008

Update for the Regal , Stirling page, with new archive images of the exterior and interior, plus a scan of the opening night souvenir brochure.

Archive images of the auditorium of the Picture House and Granada in Glasgow have also been added.

New images have been added: Interiors of the Orient in Ayr, the State in Leith, the Gaumont in Perth, the Allanpark in Stirling, and the Rutland / Gaumont and Ritz in Edinburgh. Exteriors of the Kingsway in Galashiels , the Ritz in Linlithgow , the Monseigneur News Theatre in Edinburgh, and the Central in Portobello. A new page has also been added for Stronsay .

Todays updates are all thanks to the Cinema Theatre Association Archive and the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

09/07/2008

Major update for the Alhambra in Stirling; we now have a detailed history, archive images and plans, as well as a full current photo survey, all thanks to Murray Thomson and Sam Hayward, who also kindly provided new archive images for the Queen's and Regal cinemas in Stirling as well. Thanks also to George Pollock from Arcade Developments for access.
We now have a colour image of the Picture House Stirling as well, thanks to Hugh Thomson, via Alan Bunting.

We also have a fantastic selection of stunning new archive images added today:

The ABC Clydebank , ABC Coatbridge , Regal Dumfries , ABC Dundee, Ritz Edinburgh, Picture House Falkirk, Regal Greenock, ABC Hamilton, ABC Kilmarnock, ABC Kirkcaldy, Rex Motherwell and Regal Stirling.
Plus in Glasgow the Norwood , Olympia and Waverley .

Many many thanks to dusashenka for permission to reproduce these; be sure to visit his Flickr Page for more fantastic images from elsewhere!

A new page for the demolished Palace cinema on Edinburgh's Princes Street has been added, thanks to Carol McIntyre.

A new page for Aberdour has been added, thanks to a photo from Kenneth Duncan.

In Dundee , we now have better images of the Savoy / Palace , Plaza and La Scala , thanks to Bruce Murray, plus current interiors of the King's/Gaumont as a nightclub, thanks to 'LesleyC'.

Thanks to 'Silversurfer', we have an interesting addition to the Aberdeen page - a matchbook advertising James F Donald cinemas in the area...

Thanks to Gavin Christie, we have some interior photos of the current state of the former Springvalley cinema in Morningside, Edinburgh.

Recent images of the former cinemas in Banff and Buckie have been added, thanks to Derek Mathieson.

A gallery showing the demolition of the former Palace in Burntisland has been added. Many thanks to Douglas Speirs and Fife Council Archaeology.

08/07/2008

The Ayr , Dunfermline , Elgin , Falkirk , Greenock , Hamilton , Inverness , Kilmarnock , Kirkcaldy , Leith , Paisley , Perth , Portobello , Stirling and Wishaw pages have all been upgraded to the new-style thumbnail image layout, with a separate page for each individual cinema added where necessary. If you spot any broken links, please let us know!

The former Regal, Bathgate has been upgraded to a Category B listed building by Historic Scotland (it was formerly Category C(s)).

The planning application to demolish the remaining facade of the B-listed former La Scala in Hamilton has been passed by South Lanarkshire Council; the committee reports are here and here ; there was press coverage was in the Hamilton Advertiser and Evening Times .

There's an application (08/00465/FUL) for change-of-use to convert the former King's cinema in Montrose to a lounge bar from a bingo hall; oddly Gala's website still lists it as being open.

The application to demolish the auditorium of the former State , Leith was passed earlier in the year by Edinburgh City Council.

Radio 4's Making History program has a feature on the former travelling and Palace cinema in Lochwinnoch , including photos, online here . Thanks to Chris Doak for spotting it.

The pipe organ of the former City Hall in Perth is being gifted to Haileybury College, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia according to this report .

The UCI Fort Kinnaird in Edinburgh has been demolished, according to Tommy Stuart.

Nairn is to get its very own film festival, held in the former Princess Ballroom, according to The Herald .

A feature on the restoration and re-opening of the Alhambra in Dunfermline is on the Scotsman website here .

A Theatres Trust article on Hippodrome theatres has a heavy slant towards Glasgow, and is reproduced on the Arthur Lloyd website here .

Sam Hayward has a gallery of interior photos of the former Empire, Huddersfield online here .

The Cinema Database has been updated with new information courtesy of Larry McGuire, Robert Clark, Anita Razzell and Dave Stewart.

09/06/2008

Three cinemas have just been upgraded by Historic Scotland to Category A listed building status - meaning they are considered to be buildings of national or international importance. The three are :

The Picture House , Campbeltown
( Listing Description )
Playhouse , Edinburgh
( Listing Description )
Hillhead Picture Salon , Glasgow
( Listing Description )

Additionally, the former Green's Playhouse in Ayr has also been upgraded to Category B (it was formerly Category C(s), as has the former Central in Leith.

The former Arrow cinema in Wishaw has now been demolished, according to David McNay.

The planning application to restore the interior and exterior of the former New Tivoli in Edinburgh has been passed by Edinburgh City Council.

The page for the Edinburgh Playhouse has been updated with lots of detailed information about the history of the building, courtest of Larry McGuire.

02/06/2008

Three cinemas have just been newly listed by Historic Scotland; these are the Riddrie , in Glasgow ( Category B ), the Regal/Vogue in Lanark ( Category C(s) ), and the Pavilion in Bathgate ( Category C(s) ).

The planning application to remove the raked floor and stage, and insert glazed windows in the side wall of the former Regal, Broughty Ferry has been passed by Dundee City Council, who felt that " the removal of the raked floor and stage are not considered to impact upon the character of the building ".

A new planning application to improve the toilet facilities at the Cameo in Edinburgh is currently being considered by Edinburgh City Council ( 08/01457/LBC ).

Dunfermline's Alhambra Theatre is now open for business and hosting several live shows; details on the TicketMaster website here .

AllMediaScotland reports that the Glasgow Film Theatre has had a record year in terms of admissions.

Work has started on a new free-standing glass extension to the Waverley Tea Rooms/Tusk in the Category A-listed former Waverley cinema, Glasgow.

Glasgow's Lyceum cinema in Govan is part of the new Govan Conservation Area, and also falls under the Govan Townscape Heritage Initiative.

Carlton Bingo sold its Edinburgh New Tivoli to the Destiny Church for £900,000, and its Grangemouth La Scala to Cabri (Three) for £450,000, according to the Scotsman Business . The consultation plans for the latter building - proposals to entirely demolish it - can be seen on the Falkirk Council website here .

Responding to all the recent closures, a new page of Lost Bingo Halls has been set up by the Playing Bingo website.

Images of the rebuilding work going on at the former ABC Falkirk can be seen here , thanks to Sam Hayward.

A online discussion forum here claims that John Lennon used to frequent the New Tivoli in Edinburgh...

The former Springvalley cinema in Morningside, Edinburgh is up for sale - details here - and some of its history, and that of the interesting mini-western town at the back of it, can be found on this blog .

Plans to demolish the C(s)-listed former Broadway, Prestwick for a hotel have been rejected by South Ayrshire Council.

The Scotsman reports that controversial plans for 'Mareel' - a large new arts venue in Lerwick, Shetland, which is to incorporate a cinema, are being discussed by councillors.

Burntisland 's Palace cinema has now been totally demolished, as demolition work is all but complete on the site; as reported in the Fife Free Press (thanks to Ian Grant).

The bingo in the former Cinema De Luxe in Denny has closed, according to a discussion thread here .

An excellent resource on Theatres in Scotland is the Arthur Lloyd site, which comes highly recommended...

The Pitt Family website has a rare photograph of cinema magnate JB Milne here . Thanks to Donald Kirkbryde for finding it!

Further afield, a new gallery of images from a CTA cinema tour from in and around Nottingham can be seen here .

24/04/2008

A new photo survey of the former New Tivoli , Edinburgh has been added, thanks to the kind co-operation of its new owners, the Destiny Church group.

A gallery of photos taken of the projection suite of the Carlton Allanpark , Stirling, taken on its closing weekend have been kindly provided by Pete Naples.

Several new archive images of the New Savoy , Glasgow have been added, thanks to Frank Watson, plus an interior of the both of the Vogue/Odeon Dundee from 1945.

Further coverage of the proposals for the former Ritz/Victoria Hall, Linlithgow , can be seen here , plus news coverage of the former Odeon/New Victoria Edinburgh in the Scotsman here . The Evening Times reports that a bad fire severely damaged the former Centre Cinema, Barrhead .

14/04/2008

More Glasgow updates: images of the projectors and organs of the ABC Regal , Paramount/Odeon , Gaumont and Tivoli Partick, thanks to Frank Watson, images of the former New Bedford and Ascot as bingo halls, plus archive interior shots of the former La Scala , thanks to the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.
We also have new image galleries for the King's and Theatre Royal in Glasgow, plus updated photos of the Pavilion and Tron exteriors.

In news, the Scotsman reports on new plans for a new, underground version of the Edinburgh Filmhouse here , with an artists impression here , and there is a description of a plan to rebuild and refurbish the former Victoria Hall in Linlithgow here .
The Evening Times has picked up on the story of a potential new cinema in Glasgow's southside; details here .

12/04/2008

A selection of updates for Glasgow, including new interior images of the King's , Bridgeton, thanks to Sam Hayward & Murray Thomson, a new gallery of exterior photos of the Riddrie cinema, a new image of the Cineworld at sunrise, an image of the 'Merry Magnets' at the Dalmarnock Picture House , the original entrance of the Grosvenor , an image of the organ of the BB Cinerama / Odeon Eglinton Toll , thanks to Frank Watson / SCOT, and a better copy of the exterior of the Scotts Anfield Electric , thanks to Mark Nixon of Glasgow Culture & Sport, plus a new image of the New Kent .

11/04/2008

A demolition order has been issued for the former Palace cinema in Burntisland , as 23 years after the building was gutted by a fire, it is apparently now a danger to public safety.

One positive outcome is that one of the original metal-framed, stained glass windows - featuring the prancing deer logo of the cinema - has been rescued thanks to Fife council's archaeology department, and the local Building Heritage Trust. Images of the newly-rescued window can be seen here , thanks to Douglas Speirs.

A new gallery of current interior pictures of the former Caley , Edinburgh have been added, thanks to Pete Naples. Also in Edinburgh, we've added a page for the Central Halls , new images of the Cameo and Dominion , and thanks to Alistair Kerr, new images of the Playhouse and Tudor .

Some better images of the demolition work at the Hamilton La Scala have been added, thanks to Sam Hayward & Murray Thomson, and more images of the demolition of Aberdeen's City Cinema , thanks to Jim Brooks. He's also provided two new archive images of the building.

A new image of the side entrance to the former ABC Falkirk has been added, plus new images of the exterior of the ABC Kirkcaldy , and the former Regal in Kinghorn .

Thanks to Frank Watson and the Scottish Cinema Organ Trust , we have added some archive images of the organ of the Capitol , Aberdeen, and the Paisley Picture House , plus in Edinburgh the New Victoria , Rutland and Astoria .

The database information for New Cumnock has been updated, thanks to Robert Guthrie and Stephen Kennedy .

Sam Hayward has a gallery of images of the interior of the Stirling Alhambra online here .

09/04/2008

Stirling's Carlton / Allanpark Cinema will close on 20th April, a victim of reduced business since the new Vue cinema opened nearby. Bingo will continue in the building however. Thanks to Alan Bunting for the information.

Archive images c.1977 have been added courtesy of Alistair Kerr for the Palace, Rosyth , the Playhouse, Peebles , the Troxy in Leven , the Regal in Armadale , the Playhouse in Dalkeith and the the Pavilion and Regal in Girvan .
A colour image of the Regal, Pitlochry c.1981 has also been added, thanks to Jim Brooks.

A new page for Bishopbriggs has been added, thanks to Raymond Orkonski providing images of the Kenmure cinema there.

David Low has provided images of a projector from the cinema run in the Ladysbridge Hospital, Banff , as well as images of the old and new Town Halls in Elgin . He's also added a couple of new images to the Military Cinemas page.

A new image of an old postcard of the Odeon Ayr has been added, as has an updated image for the Hillfoot Picture House, Alva .

Mark Zimmerman has kindly provided an image of the building that actually was the Sackville in Dublin, to replace our incorrectly located photo!

07/04/2008

Updates for the page for Grangemouth , with new images of the Empire Electric Theatre / La Scala there, plus an archive image from 1977, courtesy of Alistair Kerr.

Kevin Phelan has kindly provided an image of the original frontage of the Picture House in Galston .

A new planning application has been submitted (08/01027/LBC and 08/01027/FUL) for the Cat. B-listed former New Tivoli in Edinburgh, part of its new use as a church. There are plans to replace the doors, remove modern external cladding and refurbish and alter the interior. Details of the plans can be seen here .

The website of the Theatres Trust now has access to their extensive database of theatres; to see all of Scotland's theatres, follow this link .
The Scottish Screen Archive now has a new website at the National Library of Scotland. Scottish Screen have a list of all Scotland's open cinemas, split up by region, on its website here .

The Evening Times reports that the Cineworld in Glasgow city centre had to be evacuated after a power failure on Easter Monday.

New information and photos have been received from (in no particular order): Kenny Duncan, Norrie Mcnamee, David Low, Alistair Kerr, Raymond Okonski, David Robertson, Mary Bradford, Sam Hayward, Murray Thomson, Robert Guthrie, Donald Grant, Marc Zimmerman, and Stephen Kennedy.

12/03/2008

The free Southsiders newspaper is reporting that the owners of the Glasgow Grosvenor , the G1 Group, are planning to open a 4-screen cinema in part of the former White Elephant on Glasgow's South Side. Thanks to Norrie McNamee for the details. The Herald also reports [ link ] that G1 have bought Bonhams - a pub on the site of the original foyer entrance of the Grosvenor, and may intend to reconnect it to the rest of the cinema building.

There's a planning application for change of use for the former Rialto, Airdrie to convert it from bingo use to a restaurant (C/08/00186/FUL). It also transpires the building is listed Category C(s) , which we were not previously aware of.

The Falkirk Herald reports [ link ] that as part of the redevelopment of the town centre, the former La Scala, Grangemouth may be demolished to provide better access to an Asda superstore. It is one of only 10 listed buildings in the entire town....

The B-listed former Caley cinema, Edinburgh, has been bought by the Mama group, who intend to turn it into a live music venue.

The Edinburgh Gig Archive is an excellent site, and features many former cinemas in their guises as live music venues...

04/03/2008

The Picture House in Galston has now been demolished, according to the comments here .

A new planning application to further alter the Regal in Broughty Ferry , involving removing the stalls rake and stage, and setting new glass windows in the side wall, has been lodged with Dundee City Council. Details here .

The Vue in Inverness was ram-raided and a cash-machine stolen, according to the Inverness Courier !

Updated information on the Lundin Links cinema, thanks to Jean Goodwillie.

There are a lot of photos of inside the disused Odeon at the Stack , Lochee, Dundee on the 28 Days Later website, showing the mural, and some of the old equipment and light fittings that were on display in the foyer still in place...

28/02/2008

The Grosvenor should re-open today at 6pm, according to The List .

24/02/2008

A fire that started earlier today in the restaurant next door has closed the Grosvenor in Glasgow's Ashton Lane; the level of damage is not yet known. Initial coverage in The Herald , some photos here , more details on the BBC News website , which says the roof of the Loft - the original 1920s ceiling of the Grosvenor - has partially collapsed...[later found not to be the case thankfully!]. The Evening Times also now has more.

Glasgow's Cineworld was also evacuated earlier this week due to an electrical fault .

New, detailed writeups have been added for the pages of the Ayr Odeon , the Ayr Playhouse , the Playhouse in Elgin , the Regal and Pavilion in Bathgate , and the Edinburgh Playhouse .

19/02/2008

An archive image of the Regal in Tarbert has been added, thanks to Margaret Smith.

Alan Bunting has kindly provided an image of the new Vue Multiplex in Stirling , which opened in January 2008. Colin Shearer has also provided a gallery of interior and behind the scenes images of the Allanpark in Stirling .

In Hamilton , we have images of the demolition of the auditorium of the La Scala / Vogue , and up to date pictures of the Victoria / Granada / Playhouse , also currently under threat of demolition for housing.

18/02/2008

New archive images of the New Tivoli and Caley cinemas in Edinburgh have been added, thanks to the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

15/02/2008

A gallery of the newly refurbished A-listed Hippodrome in Bo'Ness has been added, on the occaison of its official handover to Falkirk Council, who will soon be re-opening the building to the public as a cinema.

This has also been covered on the BBC News and the Linlithgow Gazette .

A short season of films is being shown at the Salon in Hillhead, Glasgow (now a bar/restaurant) during February and March at 8pm Monday-Thursday, and 3pm at weekends. Entry is free. Thanks to Graham Kelly for the information.

A list of Scottish cinemas featured on the international gazetter of cinemas at Cinema Treasures can be found here .

06/02/2008

The New Picture House in St. Andrews has just been listed Category B by Historic Scotland.

The GFT are having a public meeting on June 29th to discuss their plans to set up a network of 6 - 8 local digital cinemas in the west of Scotland. More details here .

01/02/2008

New images have been added for the Playhouse , Thornill in Dundee, the Tollcross cinema in Edinburgh, and the Pavilion Johnstone , thanks to the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

An archive image of the original frontage of the Crosshill Picture House in Glasgow has been added, thanks to Emma Mykytyn.

31/01/2008

A new 1950s image of the Victory in Portobello has been added, thanks to Archie Foley.

New pages have been added for Kilwinning , Lesmahagow , Mossend , Prestonpans , Renton , and West Calder.
New archive images have also been added for the Picture House, Gourock , the Pavilion, Greenock , the Tower and Plaza in Helensburgh , the Plaza and Empire in Kilmarnock , the Picture House Kinross , the Rio, Kirkcaldy , the Regal, Kirkconnel , the Picture House, Lanark , the Grand Central, Larkhall , the Beach Hall and Jubilee, Leven , the New Cinema and Pavilion in Motherwell , an interior of the Rex, Newmilns , Alexandra, La Scala, Astoria and Paisley Theatre in Paisley , the Moorpark in Renfrew , the Cinema de Luxe in Rothesay , the Electric Picture Palace, Green's and the Rio in Rutherglen , the Regal Shotts , Cinema de Luxe, Stevenston , the Olympia, Stirling , the Avondale in Strathaven , and the Picture House in Wishaw .

29/01/2008

A new planning application has been submitted to Edinburgh City Council for the former New Victoria / Odeon in Clerk Street. The new plans involve retaining and restoring the facade and foyer spaces, but the stripping out of the entire auditorium interior to allow construction of a new courtyard and hotel within the brick shell.
The application documents can be viewed here , there has also been local news coverage of the application in the Scotsman and the Evening News . Public comments on the application are welcomed until 22nd February.

New images of the sites of several old Edinburgh cinemas have been added, including the Waverley , Infirmary Street, and the Roxburgh , Drummond/Roxburgh Street.

New images of the Kinema , as well as the Oxford and Astor in Springburn in Glasgow have been added, thanks to the Old Springburn website, via Norrie Mcnamee.

Interior photos of the Robins Cinema, Dunfermline , when it closed as a cinema, have been added courtesy of Bobby Nicholson, via Pete Naples.

A new picture of the interior of the Picture House, Thurso , and an updated shot of the burnt-out shell of the Pavilion, Wick , courtesy of Darren Manson, have been added, plus a new image of the All Star Factory, Thurso , courtesy of John McRae.
There is also a new gallery of interior photos of the Picture House, Tain on the Cinema for Thurso website here .

A new image of the City Hall , Perth, has been added, thanks to Fiona, plus a new page for Forteviot , Perthshire, thanks to an image of the Village Hall there from Frank Haughey, via Norrie Mcnamee.

A new website has been created by Alex Cooper - covering information and resources on aspects of technical cinema and theatre equipment - which can be found at www.regalgroup.org.uk .

In early January, a small electrical fire took hold in one of the projection rooms of the Edinburgh Filmhouse , leading to Screen 1 being out of action for around a week, although little permanent damage seems to have resulted. Coverage on Talk107's website here .

New information about the Rex, Newmilns , added to the database thanks to Jim Mitchell.

The Webster Theatre in Arbroath has reopened after a £4m refurbishment. Coverage on the BBC News website here .

A new Vue multiplex opened in Stirling on Friday 25th January, featuring 8 screens, some of which will have balconies. Coverage can be seen on the BBC News website here . The Vue website for the new cinema is here .

The Dominion cinema in Edinburgh, still run by the Cameron family that built it, is celebrating its 70th birthday on January 31st this year. Details in the Evening News , plus details about the cinema potentially looking to fit an additional screen into the building here .

Finally, thanks to the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland, we've been able to add a copy of the souvenir opening brochure for the Commodore , Scotstoun, Glasgow.

Archived News Updates
2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

Unless otherwise specified, all photographs and other material copyright (c) 2001 - 2008 Gordon Barr and Gary Painter .
All rights reserved. Permission for use elsewhere normally granted, but please ask first!
No attempt is made to infringe any existing copyrights or trademarks. Please contact the editors in case of any queries.
Page design by Andreas Viklund .

29/12/2007

A series of new interior and exterior images of the demolished George Bellshill have been added, thanks to Grant McLeod, Bruce Peter, and the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

New interior shots have also been added for: the New Parade in Dennistoun, Glasgow, the Paisley Picture House , the Penicuik Playhouse, the Picture House Alva , the King's Brechin , the Savoy Cambuslang , the La Scala Clydebank , and the Regal Coatbridge . All of the above are courtesy of the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

A planning application has been submitted for a change of use for the B-listed former New Tivoli in Edinburgh from a bingo hall to a 'place of worship and community facility'. The building has been empty since the bingo closed in 2006.

The B-listed Olympia in Bridgeton is up for sale; complete with planning permission to convert it into flats.

A Listed Building Consent application ( HM/07/0836 ) to demolish the B-listed La Scala in Hamilton has been submitted to South Lanarkshire Council.

First success for the ' Unknown ' cinemas page - it looks very much like one of the sets of photos of the 'Unknown CAC Cinema' is of the Playhouse Buckie (compare with this modern interior photo here ); many thanks to Jim Brooks and David Low for their comments and memories!
However, another unknown cinema has now been added to replace it - so please have a look and see if you can help with more information...

21/12/2007

In Edinburgh, we have new pages for the demolished Alhambra , the Blue Halls , the Gaumont , and the Salisbury , as well as the Electric Theatre in Dundee. Plus, new pages for the La Scala / Coliseum in Airdrie , the Regal in Anstruther , and the Playhouse in Oban .
These new additions are all courtesy of the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

19/12/2007

A new page has been added for photographs and images of unknown buildings , that we'd welcome some help in identifying!

Another new page has been added for Military Cinemas - can you help fill in the gaps or give more information on the buildings pictured?
Thanks to Kenny Thomson, Bryan Groat, David Low, Melvyn Gould and Paul Francis for the images so far.

Thanks to the Cinema Theatre Association Archive, we can now add images of the Picture House Selkirk , an interior of the Playhouse in Peebles , and an advert for the Grand Central in Glasgow, plus new images of the Argyle cinema in Glasgow and an artists impression of the Aldwych , Glasgow.

18/12/2007

A 1908 colour postcard advertising the Glasgow BB Wellington Palace has been added.

More information has been added about the County Kinross , thanks to Dave Stewart.

Kirkaldy 's Rio Bingo has closed because of the smoking ban - thanks to Ian Grant for the information.

The bar in the former Parade cinema in Glasgow has closed, according to Norrie Mcnamee.

Detailed information about the equipment visible in the Star Palace has been added thanks to Frank Watson - it's a spotlight, not a projector!

11/12/2007

A new page for Loanhead has been added, thanks to images from Paul Francis.

Thanks to the Scottish Screen Archive at the National Library of Scotland , we can add a page for the demolished Edinburgh Palladium , as well as interior shots of the Regal in Broxburn , the Playhouse Dunbar , the Vitagraph / Curzon in Glasgow, the Empire at Larkhall , the Playhouse Peterhead , and the Allanpark in Stirling .

07/12/2007

Thanks to George Millar, we've added a new page for Kinross , new pages for the Dundee cinemas the Kinnaird , the Regal , and the Palladium/Rex , plus new 1950s archive photos - including interiors - of the Regal in Peterhead , the Regal in Blairgowrie , the Regal in Macduff , the Palace in Methil , the Rex in Crieff , the Picture House in Tayport , the La Scala in Cupar , the Regal Auchtera rder , the Playhouse in Stornoway , and in Dundee, for the Victoria , and the Broadway .

A page for Rutherglen has been added, incorporating a plan of Green's cinema there, courtesy of Chris Doak, plus images and details of the Grand Central Cinema there.

Pictures of the long-hidden and forgotten projection equipment in the Star Palace , Glasgow, can now be seen thanks to 'Socceroo'.

06/12/2007

As part of a project to create a complete 3D computer model of the 1938 Glasgow Empire Exhibition , a lovely 3D interactive model of the Empire Cinema can be seen here .

Dundee City Council have passed an application to convert part of the ex King's / Gaumont / Odeon in the Cowgate into a casino by creating a new floor level at the top of the first balcony, and restoring the remaining decorative ceiling dome.

A new planning application is being considered by South Lanarkshire council to demolish the C(s)-listed former Victoria Music Hall / Granada / Playhouse in Hamilton.

There's an interior picture of the proscenium and organ of the La Scala , Glasgow in the ' Christie Book of Golden Notes ', on the Theatre Organs website. Scroll down to page 14.

03/12/2007

A large gallery of new interior photos from the Open Day of the Alhambra Dunfermline have been added, showing the impressive scale and design of the interior.

The open day was also covered on the BBC News website here .

The former UCI (now Odeon) Fort Kinnaird, Edinburgh is due to close on 13th January 2008 - thanks to Graham Kelly for the information.

26/11/2007

Glasgow City Council has passed the revised plans for the former Paramount/Odeon building: the auditorium is to be entirely demolished and replaced with an eight-storey glass tower. The planning committee report can be read here . Coverage in the Evening Times is here ; and generally negative public comments on the scheme in the Evening Times letters page here .

The Scottish Civic Trust have added several more cinemas onto its official Buildings At Risk list. The new additions are:
Odeon, Renfield Street, Glasgow
Alhambra, Dunfermline
Palace Cinema, Burntisland
Robins Cinema, Dunfermline
Lyceum, Glasgow
Coliseum, Glasgow

The Campbeltown Picture House has re-opened after having work done to repair the auditorium roof. Details in the Cambeltown Courier here .

A new book has been published to celebrate 150 years of the Britannia / Panopticon Music Hall in Glasgow.

Called ' Stan Laurel & Other Stars of the Panopticon - the story of the Britannia Music Hall ', it is written by Judith Bowers and is available here .

Fort William 's cinema could re-open according to reports in the Lochaber News here .

The application to demolish the fire-damaged Rialto in Lochee, Dundee has been withdrawn by its owners.

Plans to completely demolish the remains of the Palace in Burntisland appear to have been shelved for the moment, according to Fife Today .

Councillors in Dunfermline passed plans to re-open the ex-Robins cinema as a lap-dancing club, as they hadn't been told what sort of club it was going to be! Link .

There have also been numerous updates to the Cinema Database , thanks to information from Robert Main, Ross McNeillie, Alastair Kerr, Ian Grant, Isabel Fry, and Tom McPherson.

29/10/2007

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, due to real world issues intervening!
Normal service will hopefully be resumed shortly, and in the meantime, here is a roundup of some of the cinema news from the last month or two:

The Odeon Multiplex at the Braehead X-Scape centre finally opened on October 18th, over 18 months later than originally planned. It has 12 screens, ranging in size from 110 to 355 seats. Official site here .

The Alhambra in Dunfermline will soon hopefully be re-opened and restored to its former glory. Details on the Alhambra website ; there will also be an Open-Doors day allowing folk a look round on Saturday 1st December. This has also been covered on the BBC Website .
There is also an interesting page of photos and information on Dunfermline's cinemas on the KineMagigz.com website here .

A new planning application has been submitted (ref.HM/07/0676) to entirely demolish the B-listed La Scala in Hamilton, and replace it with an office block. Previously, an application for partial demolition, retaining the street facade, had been granted, though no work was ever done.

The owners of the New Victoria / Odeon Clerk Street in Edinburgh have applied for to extend planning consent for flats on the site of an old garage to the rear of the cinema. This consent had previously been granted, but had since lapsed. The future of the main cinema building itself is still uncertain; although several formal bids to buy the building were received before a revised closing date in September, it is unclear as to whether or not the current owners will accept any of them.

The plans for replacing the auditorium block of the Paramount / Odeon Renfield Street i n Glasgow with a 9-storey glass tower have been revised slightly; removing one storey, but increasing the floor-print of the remaining stories. It provides slightly more detail in its plans to restore the foyer facade, but also now includes punching several new windows into the retained fabric.
The plans are still being considered by Glasgow City Council.

A Which? report into cinema going, highlighted in the Independant, picked out the Cameo in Edinburgh as an example of the best of British cinemas; particularly highlighting its excellent range of films. The full article can be read here .

A planning application to insert a rooftop smoking terrace on the B-listed ex- Caley cinema in Edinburgh has been declined by Edinburgh City Council.

Historic Scotland have published a summary of the responses to their consultation on changing the way they list historic buildings; the summary can be seen here .

BBC News reports that an archaeological dig at a military base near Fort William unconvered the concrete floor of a military cinema in a Nissan hut - details here .

A house owned by cinema magnate Sir Alexander B King, and which was stayed in by Laurel & Hardy when they visited Scotland, has been up for sale, and had problems finding a buyer, according to the Daily Record .

An archive image of the Regal cinema in Shotts , now demolished, featured in the RCAHMS 'Treasured Places' survey - details here .

The new cinema in Hawick , part of the Heart of Hawick complex, opened on October 8. Details here .

Cinema has returned to Leven , in the form of film showings at the Denbeath Miners' Welfare Institute, according to Fife Today .

Plans to turn the old ABC Regal in Kirkcaldy into a recreation centre for children and teenagers have been mooted, also according to Fife Today .

The Oddfellows Hall in Edinburgh, a short-lived cinema, has had something of a makeover, according to new photos in Architecture Scotland .

15/08/2007

Norman Harper has kindly provided photos and information about the Glen Cinema, Alford , Aberdeenshire.

The programme for the 2007 Doors Open Days has been published, and includes the Aberdeen Tivoli , the Bo'Ness Hippodrome , and the Newton Stewart Cinema .

The Edinburgh Evening News has run a story with the latest news on the Edinburgh New Victoria/Odeon ; details here .

New pages have been added in the Paisley section, for the Town Hall and Electric / Central Hall cinemas there.

Outside Scotland, a new page has been added for Cambridge , following a visit there.

09/08/2007

New photos of the proscenium area of Pringle's Bijou Hall have been added, temporarily revealed during demolition works.

31/07/2007

The Gala bingo in the ex-Rialto, Airdrie , is to close on 25th August.

A worker has died after a floor collapsed during work to convert the Falkirk ABC into a sports bar, according to BBC News .

English Heritage have put their Buildings At Risk list online; it includes a number of English cinemas .

Cinema for Thurso have put up a gallery of photos from their explorations of the ex-Breadalbane Cinema, Wick - click here for more.

24/07/2007

The Hillhead Picture Salon has reopened after major refurbishment works as the Salon Bar & Restaurant. Much of the unique ceiling plasterwork has now been revealed and restored.
A gallery of photos of the ceiling and the the opening night has been added, as well as some archive shots courtesy of the Scottish Screen Archive.

An opinion piece in the Scotsman names the New Victoria / Odeon cinema as one of the Seven Wonders of Edinburgh .

The Ritz cinema in Edinburgh features in the background of a nice shot on EdinPhoto.org.uk

06/07/2007

The BB Cinerama in Eglinton Toll was demolished in 1986, and the site is currently being excavated to allow flats to be built on the site. Some familiar looking bits of stonework have turned up!
Thanks to the eagle-eyed Rod Alexander of Pure Dead Brilliant Tours for spotting these!

There's to be an Evening of Laurel & Hardy on Sunday 5th August at the Regal Cinema in Larnark - see here for details.

The Scotsman reports that the UCI Fort Kinnaird , Edinburgh - recently rebranded as an Odeon - is to close. This was the first multiplex in the Edinburgh area, opening in 1988.

A giant open-air cinema could be a feature in Glasgow's Kelvingrove Park, according to the Evening Times .

Planning permission has been granted for alterations, involving restoring the unique ceiling decoration, at the former Salon cinema, Hillhead, according to The Herald.

New information has been added about the Magnum cinema in Irvine , and the Douglas, Milngavie , thanks to Graham Kelly.

In other news, the Cinema Newton Stewart is celebrating 10 years since it re-opened, and film is to return to Hawick as part of the ' Heart of Hawick ' regeneration of the town centre.

The Dounreay Social Club in Wick is to close; this was formally the Breadalbane Cinema.

The website of the Cinema for Thurso group has been updated with new galleries, including ones of the ABC Lothian Road, Edinburgh, the Phoenix and New Phoenix Kirkwall, the All Star Factory and more.

Thanks to Darren Manson, we can add a couple of interior pictures of the ABC Lothian Road , and Kenneth Duncan has sent some shots from its closing night.

The Town Hall Picturehouse cinema in Tain is to be refurbished; there are some photos and plans on the website here . It turns out this is Category B listed, and has therefore been added to the Listed Cinemas page.

A photo of the demolished Pollok Picture House can be seen at theGlasgowStory.com website here .

13/06/2007

Thanks to manager Ross McClung giving us the chance to look around, we have a new gallery of photos of the ex-La Scala Clydebank ; we've also updated the photos of the ex-UCI cinema there to show its new signage as the Empire .

A new panoramic photo of the Govanhill Picture House in Glasgow have been added; showing it from a different angle than usual.

Updated photo of the refurbished exterior of the La Scala, Helensburgh , in its new guise as the Logie Baird pub.

New photo of the Regal in Larkhall , taken from an old postcard of the town.

The bingo in the Regal, Macduff , will close later this month due to the smoking ban; new photos courtesy of David Low and Colin Munro.

New photos have been added of the exterior of the Radio in Kilbirnie .

Thanks to Jim Brooks, more photos of the demolition of the City Cinema in Aberdeen.

Better photos of the Plaza , Hilltown, and Victoria , Dundee, thanks to Donald Kirkbryde.

Latest press coverage about the ex- Odeon in Edinburgh in the Evening News, here and here .

The New Picture House in St. Andrews won a UK Independant Cinema Award in February; in Aberfeldy the 'Friends of the Birks' cinema have been given £10,000 towards a proposal for a 100 seat cinema in the building; in Grantown-on-Spey , the former Picture House, now a British Legion, has shown a film for 1st time in 50 years.

Films are now being shown at the 'Montrose Picture House' - actually the Mitchell Centre in George St, a former church with pew seating - see their website here .

Updates to the Scottish Cinemas Database , thanks to David Low and Gordon Adams.

18/05/2007

A new article has been added - Memories of being a projectionist in Edinburgh's cinemas in the 1960s, by George Field.

17/05/2007

The Evening Times letters page featured some feedback on the proposed Odeon Glasgow plans (see

16/05/2007

Thanks to Dorothy McCallum of the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, we've added a gallery of photos of the work-in-progress to restore the A-listed Hippodrome in Bo'Ness .

The City Cinema in Aberdeen - latterly used as a bowling alley - is in the process of being demolished. Thanks to Jim Brooks for the information and photo.

A three-part video tour of the Edinburgh Odeon Clerk St can be found on YouTube here (thanks to 'Dr Bloodsplatter' for the link!).

Outside of Scotland, we have new pages of photos of cinemas in Bath and Huddersfield .

10/05/2007

below) on both the 15th and 17th of May, which can be seen online here and here .

10/05/2007

The front cover of today's Evening Times features the latest plans for the B-listed old Paramount / Odeon building in central Glasgow. These new plans involve demolishing the auditorium block entirely, and replacing it with an 11-storey high glass office and leisure block. The corner facade would be retained and refurbished. Full details and an artists impression of the plans in the story here . A similar story in The Herald suggests the new block may be capable of having films projected onto it; the full plans are due to be lodged with the council later this week.
The BBC News website also has a story on the plans here , and more pictures can be seen on the ArchiSeek website here , and the Glasgow Architecture site here .

The ex-La Scala in Grangemouth has been listed Category C(s) by Historic Scotland; the building is currently sitting empty after the bingo closed earlier this year.

The proposed redevelopments at the ex- Hillhead Picture Salon in Vinicombe Street, Glasgow were covered in the Evening Times on 25th April .

A letter in The Herald on April 23rd commented on conversion of the Old Athaeneum theatre on Buchanan Street, Glasgow into retail space.

Plans have been granted to demolish the ex-Cinema in Galston , currently a vetinary surgery, to put flats on the site.

An exhibition of the history of cinema-going in the St. Andrews area can be seen at the St. Andrews Museum , Kinburn Park, from 16th May to 24th June. Open 10am - 5pm, 7 days a week.

13/04/2007

The council decision to allow demolition of most of the Govanhill Picture House to go ahead was covered by the Glasgow Evening Times yesterday here ; there are some very interesting comments from readers after the article!

A new multiplex may be constructed in Kirkcaldy , returning cinema to the town which has had none since the 3-screen ABC closed in 2000, according to Fife Today . Thanks to Ian Grant.

The Lyceum in Glasgow would seem to have changed hands in January for the surprisingly small amount of £285,000 . No information is currently available as to who the purchaser was though.

11/04/2007

We can now present stunning new pictures of the neon displays of the Toledo , New Bedford , and Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.

New pics of the Odeon and Green's Playhouse in Ayr lit up at night have been added.

Thanks to Emma Mykytyn, photos of the Barrhead Centre Cinema have been added now it has closed as a bingo hall.

Steve Lynch has sent more photos and a fantastic 1950s playbill for the Kelty Gothenburg Picture House.

New photos of the fire damage to the Rialto , Lochee have been added, thanks to Keith Todd.

More information and photos of the Inverkeithing Majestic have been added, thanks to Rose Brown (via Harry Rigby).

Thanks to new photos from Scott McCutcheon, we've been able to add interior photos from the Hall and Strand cinemas in Alexandria , as well as new interiors of the Allanpark in Stirling .

A picture of the interior of the Keith Picture Palace has been added, thanks to David Low, who has also provided a nice advert for the Picture House in Elgin .

In Aberdeen, Jim Brooks has kindly provided a series of pictures of the stage and projection areas of the Capitol cinema there.

We also now have more photos of the demolition of the Hampden Picture House .

10/04/2007

Planning application round-up:
Glasgow City Council has today passed plans to demolish the B-listed Govanhill Picture House (pictured above), retaining just the entrance portico with new build flats behind and around it. The final decision on whether to go ahead now rests with Historic Scotland.
A new application has been lodged to completely demolish the B-listed ex- Rialto cinema in Lochee, Dundee [ref. 07/00230/LBC ], and there is also another application to demolish the long derelict Palace in Burntisland , Fife [ref. 07/00862/CFULL ].

The news earlier that the Gala bingo in the ex-La Scala cinema in Clydebank had closed was incorrect - it's still open, and will remain so until the Autumn at least. Thanks to manager Ross McClung for the correction.

The Helensburgh La Scala will be re-opening as a pub called The Logie Baird on the 11th of April - thanks to Graham Kelly for the information.

6 /4/07
In a somewhat depressingly demolition-themed update, we have galleries of photos of the Opera House in Lochgelly being flattened thanks to Ian Ross, the Playhouse in Fraserburgh biting the dust thanks to George Basterfield and Eric Morrice, and the Hampden Picture House in Glasgow losing a fight with a bulldozer, thanks to John Duncan and Norrie Mcnamee.

We've also added a nice weekly programme for the Regal in Dunfermline , from September 1963.

John Pottage managed to gain access and take photos of the disused balcony area of the ex- Palace cinema in Leith, which seems to remain reasonably intact.

The restaurant Gong, in the ex- Hillhead Salon Picture House in Glasgow closed on 31st March. A planning application for refurbishment works to punch skylights in the ceiling and extend the balcony fully forward is currently being considered by Glasgow City Council, and stripping out works have already commenced.

Plans to demolish the ex-Pringle's Picture Palace (later Gateway Theatre ) in Edinburgh have been passed by the local council; coverage in the Evening News .

The Edinburgh Filmhouse is continuing to explore possible sites for a new 5-screen Sean Connery Film Centre to replace its existing facilities. One option is in Leith, according to the Evening News .

A new Screen Machine mobile cinema has been purchases for the south of Scotland, according to BBC News .

A planning application to demolish the auditorium of the ex-Palace cinema in Rosyth , and to put flats on the site, is being considered by Fife Council. The Planning Application can be seen online here [ref. 07/01064/WFULL].

New and updated information has been added to numerous entries in the Scottish Cinema Database , thanks to information from: David Baker, George Basterfield, Jim Brooks, Rose Brown, Martin Carroll, John Duddy, John Duncan, George Field, Allan Goodall, John Hector, Tommy Henry, Alan Ingram, Donald Kirkbryde, Jim Lindsay, David Low, Steve Lynch, Norrie Mcnamee, Colin Mayall, Jim Mitchell, Alexander Murray, Harry Rigby, Ian Ross, John Pottage, David Thomson and Keith Todd.

21/03/2007

Outside of Scotland, we have new photo galleries for 4 stunning London cinemas & theatres: the Odeon Muswell Hill , the Gaumont Wood Green , the Phoenix Charing Cross Road , and the State Kilburn (the State was the largest cinema ever built in England - beaten in seating capacity only by the Greens Playhouses in Glasgow and Dundee !).
More photos of English cinemas can be seen on the English Heritage website here .

The Shetland News reports that the nightclub in the former 1913 North Star cinema in Lerwick is due to close, and the building is likely to be converted to housing.

The Leith Film Festival will be held in August from the 6th-11th, in what was originally the Central cinema in Leith, projecting films onto its original plaster screen.

The Herald had a story about the impact of the smoking ban on Scottish Bingo Halls.

Two have been charged after a boy fell through the roof of a bingo hall in Peterhead - originally the Kingsway cinema there. Coverage in the Buchan Observer and BBC News [thanks to Donald Kirkbryde for the links].

The Cinema for Thurso group have added more photos to their website, including some fantastic photos of the interior of the La Scala, Inverness , and of the Moving Picture Show mobile cinema in Thurso Town Hall - see here for more details.

01/03/2007

Thanks to new images from Paul Francis, we have new images of cinemas in Bonnyrigg , Eyemouth , Haddington , Kinghorn and Newtongrange .

23/02/2007

25 new pages added to Glasgow ; with basic coverage now of the: Ardgowan , Argyle Electric , Coronation , Empress , Govan Cross Picture Palace, Grafton , Kinema , Louvre , Lyric , Lyric Theatre , Majestic , Maxwell , New Bedford (I) , Palaceum , Paladium , Parkhead , Picturedrome , Royal , Scenic , Seamore , Scotts Annfield Electric , Sun , Temple , Tollcross / Greens , and Wellington Palace cinemas.

18/02/2007

New images courtesy of the Gould Theatre Collection - a new page for the Crown in the Gorbals, an interior photo of the New Star in Maryhil, and the original facade of the Salon , Sauchiehall Street, plus nice interior shots of Pringle's Picture Palace in Edinburgh, and an exterior of the original Picture House in Princes Street.

There are also now improved images of the Stobswell / Ritz and West End / Shands cinemas in Dundee .

The bingo in the Hayweights Cinema in Musselburgh has closed, another victim of falling attendances due to the smoking ban, according to the Edinburgh Evening News .

11/02/2007

Major update for the St. Andrews page, with new photos and details of the Cinema House, and La Scala, thanks to Lesley Lettice of the St. Andrews Museum.
The Scottish Screen Archive has also kindly provided stunning interior pictures of the Cinema House.

Thanks to new images courtesy of the Scottish Screen Archive , we can also now add new images for: the Gem , the New Grand , the New Star , the Star / Pringle's , the Rhul and the Roxy in Glasgow , the second Palace in Arbroath (plus colour interiors of the third Palace), the Regal in Brechin , the Bank in Clydebank , the Palace / Savoy in Dundee , the Regal, Palace and Opera House in Dunfermline , the Playhouse in Dunbar , the Playhouse in North Berwick , the Hippodrome in Hamilton , the Carlton, the Palace and the Port Brae Picture House in Kirkcaldy , the La Scala in Motherwell , the Winton in Tranent , and the Pavilion / Plaza in Wishaw .

A new page for the Kinema, Newmills , in Fife has also been added, thanks to images from Ian Ross, and also a new page for Aberlour , thanks to David Low, who has also sent a photo of the Town Hall Cinema in Lossiemouth .

In other news, a new 8-screen multiplex has begun construction in Stirling, to be run by Vue Cinemas, which may have a damaging impact on the Allanpark .

A new Cinema Heritage Group has been set up in Ireland - see here for more details.

08/02/2007

Brand new pages for Buckhaven , Cupar , and Lundin Links , the Grand in Edinburgh, plus new photos of the Odeon in Hawick , and the Imperial and Palace cinemas in Methil , thanks to Paul Francis.

06/02/2007

New page with images of the Empire Cinema from the 1938 Empire Exhibition in Glasgow.

05/02/2007

New images added for: the Palace in Arbroath , the Regal in Forfar , the Alhambra in Monifieth , the Alhambra/Odeon in Perth , the West End/Gray's and the Queen's Hall in Dundee , the Rex in Cardenden and the Regal in Kelty , plus fantastic new images of the interior of the Crieff Cinema, all thanks to Paul Francis.

02/02/2007

The Gala bingo in the former La Scala cinema in Clydebank has moved out, leaving the future of the building uncertain - thanks to Jim Lindsay for the information.

In Grangemouth , the Carlton bingo in the former La Scala cinema there has also closed, according to Falkirk Today (thanks to Lindsay Hutton for the info).

The Mission bar, in what was the former Queen's / Tonic cinema in Glasgow, is up for sale.

24/01/2007

New pages for some more demolished Glasgow cinemas - the Casino , the Mayfair , the Mosspark , the Palace , the Phoenix , and the Plaza , plus the Oxford Playhouse thanks to the CTA Archive, as well as new images of the Viking in Largs .

22/01/2007

Major update to the page for the ABC Regal in Glasgow, with a much more detailed history of the building, and many new images of the building from all points in its history, all thanks to new photos from the Scottish Screen Archive, the CTA Archive, Kevin Gooding, Scott McCutcheon and Bruce Peter.

In addition, we have a new page for the demolished Rex / ABC in Riddrie, Glasgow, thanks to the Scottish Screen Archive, and new colour images from inside the Tivoli , Crow Road in Glasgow, thanks to Bruce Peter.

18/01/2007

www.scottishcinemas.org.uk
As you may have noticed, we are no longer the Scottish Surviving Cinemas project, but rather simply the Scottish Cinemas project - this better reflects the ever-increasing coverage we have of cinemas long since gone. The web-address has also changed from scottishcinemas.org.uk to scottishcinemas.org.uk , but all existing links, bookmarks and email addresses should continue to work correctly and transparently forward [Please let us know if you encounter any problems].

Thanks to the very nice people at the Scottish Screen Archive , we're now able to bring you some new pages and photos of a few long demolished cinemas:
In Glasgow : the Arcadia , the Camphill , the Dennistoun Picture House , the Govan Cinema , Scott's Electric Theatre and the Western .

In Dundee : the Astoria , the Broadway , the Empire , the Forest Park , the Regent , the Stobswell / Ritz and the Victoria .

Plus, in Clydebank : the (original) Empire.

Thanks to Kenny Duncan for confirming that the Rialto , Lochee is still standing at present. Not so lucky is the Royal in Dundee, which has sadly been demolished in the last few weeks, according to Jimmy Smith.

The Evening Times published a letter following up on the Odeon Renfield Street story mentioned below.

10/01/2007

New pages for Brightons , Larbert , and Lennoxtown are now in the Scotland A-Z , and there is new coverage of the demolished Rio in Canniesburn, Glasgow, and of the Dalmuir Masonic Hall, thanks to new photos from Paul Francis.

David Low has provided a gallery of current interior photos of the Playhouse in Elgin .

A recent story and lead editorial in the Evening Times highlights that the Odeon Renfield Street is still empty, a year after closing.

A demolition warrant has been issued for the B-listed, fire-damaged Rialto , Lochee, although it's unclear if this work has taken place or not yet [if anyone from around Dundee can go and check, that'd be very handy!].

06/01/2007

New pages have been added for Holytown , thanks to Paul Francis, and for Kingussie and Newtonmore , thanks to photos from Frank Haughey (via Norrie Mcnamee).

More photos from Paul Francis means we can also add new coverage for the Regal in Greenock, the Roxy in Hamilton, the Electric in Motherwell , and the Palladium in Paisley.

In Dundee , a new page for the Plaza , Hilltown has been added thanks to Neale Elder, one for the Royalty thanks to Jimmy Smith, and some archive postcards of Green's Playhouse and the King's , thanks to Ronnie Ray. We've also got a guide to ' What's On ' in Dundee cinemas and theatres from September 1950.

In Aberdeen , we have updated images of His Majesty's Theatre , thanks to Jim Brooks, details of the entrance to the Kingsway cinema, thanks to Alison Thewliss, colour interior shots of the Capitol , thanks to Bruce Peter, and an updated shot of the Palace cinema, thanks to Mike Wood.

Several cinemas in Rothesay have had their pictures updated, thanks to Emma Mykytyn, and a photo of the house of the manager of the Windsor cinema in Carluke has been added, thanks to Alison Thewliss.

05/01/2007

Happy New Year!
We have a lot of updates and new material planned for the next few months, but first something a bit different - a new interactive, zoomable map of over 180 of Glasgow's cinemas, past, present and future.
This lets you see where all the cinemas were, and once you've found a cinema of interest, you can click on it to go directly to its information page. Click here to go to the map.

A planning application has been lodged with Perthshire council to demolish the ex-Regal in Auchterarder and replace it with flats; the application can be seen online here . Thanks to Donald Kirkbryde for letting us know about it.

The proposed refit of the Kings Theatre in Edinburgh has been shelved due to financial considerations, according to the Evening News on December 28. It also reports plans to re-open the Odeon Clerk Street as an artists studio and cinema have stalled.

According to AllMediaScotland.com , 6 cinemas in Scotland are amongst 50 UK-wide to benefit from grants to improve their facilities, especially for wheelchair access.

There have also been updates to the Cinemas Database , thanks to new information from Kevin Adams, Neale Elder, Willie MacFarlane, Derek Mathieson, and Jim Mitchell.

Archived News Updates
2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

Unless otherwise specified, all photographs and other material copyright (c) 2001 - 2007 Gordon Barr and Gary Painter .
All rights reserved. Permission for use elsewhere normally granted, but please ask first!
No attempt is made to infringe any existing copyrights or trademarks. Please contact the editors in case of any queries.
Page design by Andreas Viklund .

21/12/2006

A new gallery of interior photos of the Regal in Saltcoats has been added, thanks to the generosity of Paul Francis.

These were taken in June 1985, shortly before the cinema closed, and while it was being run by Kemp Cinemas.

New pages have been added for Auchinleck , Catrine , Dalmellington , Kirkconnel , Langholm , Whithorn , and Wigtown , as well as new 1985 photos of the Lonsdale in Annan , the Gaiety Theatre, the Odeon , Orient and Ritz in Ayr , the Regal in Armadale , the George in Beith , the Palace in Castle Douglas , the Cumnock Picture House, the Picture House in Dalbeattie , the ABC / Odeon and the Electric Theatre / Theatre Royal in Dumfries , the Picture House in Galston , the Regal in Girvan , the Prize Cinema in Gretna Green , the Globe in Johnstone , the Radio and Picture House in Kilbirnie , the George in Kilmarnock , the Rex in Lockerbie , the Ailsa in Maybole , the Rex Newmilns , the Cinema in Newton Stewart , the Grange in Stevenston , and the Empire in Stranraer , again all thanks to Paul Francis.

There are also new pages for the demolished Carlton in Edinburgh, and Glasgow's Embassy and Aldwych , thanks to Bruce Peter.

20/12/2006

Thanks to a fantastic early Christmas present of photos from Paul Francis, we can present two galleries of extremely atmospheric photos taken in 1986, of the now demolished Empire in Cambuslang , and possibly the oddest looking cinema ever, the Windsor in Carluke .

08/12/2006

Selection of updates to the Database and To-Do list , thanks to new information from John Anderson, Jim Brooks, Sybil Cavanagh, Donald Kirkbride, David Low, Willie MacFarlane, Richard McLean, Donald Munro, Pete Naples, Harry Rigby and the South Ayrshire Council archives.

The Paisley Daily Express reports that the delayed 12-screen Odeon at Braehead will not open until Spring 2007 at the earlies - almost a year behind schedule.
Meanwhile, a new medi-cinema is opening in January in Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow, according to the Evening Times .
There's a nice photo of the demolished Plaza, Govan on the Sunny Govan website.

02/12/2006

Ted Easdon has kindly provided a photo and information on the Pavilion / George in Barrhead , as well as a stunning playbill for the cinema from 1939.

Thanks to Donald Kirkbride, we've added 1990s photos of the Alhambra and Orient Express in Dunfermline , some new photos of cinemas in Leven and Lochgelly , as well as a gallery of the ABC / Cannon in Kirkcaldy , including some interior shots.

Harry Rigby has been working on the To Do List again, resulting in new pages being added for Whitburn , Armadale , and Blackburn [thanks also to Sybil Cavanagh of the West Lothian Local History Library for some of the photos].

30/11/2006

We've introduced a new design and menu on some of the main pages, which we plan to roll out across the site. We hope you like it - comments and suggestions welcomed!

29/11/2006

Last night's BBC Scotland Reporting Scotland news program, and the Radio Scotland Newsdrive radio news program, featured a 3 minute story about the current planning threat to the Govanhill Picture House .

You can Listen Again to the radio story online here [approx 1 hr 15 mins into the program] for the next 7 days.

The story was also featured in the Evening Times on November 21st.

Edinburgh news roundup: The Scotsman reports that there are plans to demolish the C(s)-listed Gateway Theatre for a new development. This building has a long and complex history, and was at one stage Pringle's Picture Palace . Details of the planning application, featuring a very nice history of the site, can be found here , and the original article here .
The planned makeover of the ex- Caley cinema by Luminar Leisure has been abandoned as too expensive, leaving the building closed indefinately - full story here , and the plans for the conversion of the State , Leith into flats have been put on hold due to noise concerns - details here . Interestingly, this is the same reason the previous planning application for the site last year was turned dow, but later reports suggest it is now going ahead anyway.
Finally, there may be a glimmer of hope for the New Victoria / Odeon after a developer revealed plans to re-open and refurbish it as a 'boutique' cinema - full details here .

The ex- Palace theatre and cinema in Aberdeen has re-opened as the ' Liquid ' club after a spell of dereliction.

The new Classic Grand nightclub in Glasgow - originally the Grand Central / Classic Grand cinema - apparently retains some of the original interior decoration, according to this article about the venue.

During December, some of artist Adrian Brannan's original collages will be on display in the Glasgow Film Theatre. Many of his stunning images feature cinema - see the galleries on his website for details.

The Greenock Town website has a nice page on the cinemas of the place here .

29/10/2006

An article called ' A Thousand Miles of Filmgoing ' from a 1931 issue of Film Weekly has been added to the Articles page; this has a staff reporter visiting some of Glasgow's cinemas, including Green's Playhouse, the Black Cat and the Picture House, and talking about her impressions of cinema going in the city at that time.
It also includes an interview with George Green, talking about his plans for 'Cinemas of the Future'... including gyroplane landing facilities on the roof of his cinema in Ayr!

A new page for Invergordon has been added, thanks to John McNaught and Wendy Sanders of the Arts Centre there.

Thanks to Bruce Murray, we have some fascinating galleries of the Glasgow Coliseum being converted from cinema to bingo use in the late 1980s, including shots that show that some of the 1930s decoration had survived behind the Cinerama curtains until this point.

There are also interior pictures of the King's Dundee when on bingo, as well as some pictures of the Tivoli in Glasgow.

27/10/2006

Some more images of the stunning interior of the Govan Lyceum have been added, taken now that bingo has vacated the building, and it is now up for sale.

An archive shot of the original Lyceum theatre, which the cinema replaced after it burnt down, is also now on the page.

23/10/2006

New pages have been added for Dunblane and Inverkeithing , as well as updated pictures on the Dunfermline and South Queensferry pages, courtesy of Harry Rigby.

Graham Kelly has sent updated photos of the Porte cinema in Burntisland .

We now have a gallery of photos of the interior and exterior of the ex-Rialto in Airdrie , thanks to Bruce Murray.

Further afield, a new gallery of photos of some London cinemas has been added - thanks to Eva Branscome and Richard Gray for arranging access to all these fantastic buildings.

19/10/2006

The editors of this site are now involved in running a new Scottish branch of the Cinema Theatre Association . The CTA is the national body for the protection and promotion of cinema buildings.

If you're reading this, you may well be interested in becoming a member - click here for more details of the benefits.

Our new role will in no way alter the projects involved on this website.

Gala closed the ex-County bingo hall in the Govan Lyceum on October 8th. The B-listed building is now sitting empty. This has been covered in today's Evening Times.

The Hampden Picture House is in the process of being demolished for flats; coverage in yesterday's Evening Times (complete with a rather inaccurate quote and a photograph taken from this website without permission).

Film showings in the Regal / Vogue in Lanark have begun; as reported in Lanark Today . Showings are on Wednesday and Thursdays, at 6pm and 8pm. Showings next week are of Taxi Driver and Carrie.

A revised planning application has been lodged for the Govanhill Picture House ; (05/02663/DC and 05/01050/DC) - these involve retaining the central portion of the facade, and building new flats behind it. Unfortunately, the current building line is not respected - the entrance portico currently sticks out, with the rest of the building set back. The new plans have two large wings on either side of the entrance, coming almost as far forward as it; so the retained portion would be almost subsumed. There is also still no written supporting evidence that any attempt has been made to find a use for the building in its current form.

The Evening Times is reporting that plans to extend the St Enoch shopping centre in Glasgow may involve a new multiplex cinema - it will be interesting to see if this happens - earlier plans by Warner to open a multiplex on the same site in the 1990s came to nothing.

04/10/2006

Lots of archive images, including the opening brochure, of the Regal in Lanark have been added - thanks to Mike Lee, the son of George Lee, the original manager there.

02/10/2006

More updates to the Scottish Cinema Database , thanks to Mary Barker, Allan Goodall, David Low, Willie Macfarlane, Sandy Mullay, Dave Stewart and Fionn Young.
Currently, the database covers 995 cinemas. 479 of them have coverage on the website. Of the remainder, 322 are known to be demolished, leaving 194 unknowns. So, lots of work still to do ....

30/09/2006

The page for the Regal in Paisley has been updated, with more information about its opening, and four new galleries of detailed photos, courtesy of Bruce Murray.

Thanks to Harry Rigby painstakingly working his way through our Help Wanted list, we can now add new pages for Alyth , Anstruther , Auchtermuchty , Coaltown of Balgonie , Couper Angus , Dunbar , East Weymss , Earlsferry , Kirriemuir , Markinch , Strathmiglo , Thornton and Windygates .

There are also additional cinemas on the pages for Dundee (the Caird Hall and the Gilfillan Hall ), Portobello (the Picture House ), and two additional possible cinema buildings in Crieff (any information on these warmly welcomed!), plus updated images for Arbroath , Blairgowrie , Callander , Dundee Kings , Forfar , Leslie , Leven , Methil , St Andrews , and Tayport , again all thanks to Harry.

Pete Naples has also supplied photos of the surviving projection room at the Caird Hall .

The B-listed Regal in Kirriemuir has also been added to the Listed Cinemas page.

In other news, the Studio Cinema in Fort William is to close today, according to the Oban Times .
Coverage of the launch of the Cameo 500 in the Edinburgh Evening News .
The BBC news website reports that work is commencing on the restoration of the Bo'Ness Hippodrome .
The ex-Ritz cinema in Rothesay is up for sale - details here .

29/09/2006

An updated page for the Plaza in Port Glasgow, incorportating three detailed galleries of interior photos courtesy of Bruce Murray, has been added.

This is quite timely given that Gala bingo are currently refurbishing the building.

27/09/2006

Thanks to Bruce Murray, we now have a fantastic series of galleries of interior photos of the stunning Lyceum in Govan, showcasing both the current use of bingo in the stalls, as well as the disused circle space, last used as a cinema in 1981.

25/09/2006

A new section for Articles has been added to the ; it provides a focus for our existing articles on the George Palmer circuit, and being an Edinbugh Projectionist .
It also gives a place to present a new detailed article by Tom Widdows on James McKissack , one of Scotland's most prolific cinema architects.

24/09/2006

New archive photos have been added on the pages for the Ascot , Astoria , BB Cinerama / Odeon and Picture House / Gaumont cinemas in Glasgow, the Regent / Odeon in Aberdeen, the Kings / Gaumont in Dundee, and the Odeons in Hamilton and Motherwell .
In addition, we have new coverage of the Empire / Odeon in Coatbridge , the Odeon in Dundee, the Regent in Edinburgh, the Odeon and the Gaumont in Greenock, the Rialto / Odeon in Kirkcaldy , and the Pavilion / Gaumont / Odeon in Falkirk .

The additions above are all thanks to archive photos from Ben Dowell, and you can see many more fantastic cinema photos on his Odeon Calvalcade website, as well as order high-quality copies of the photos here .

In other excellent news, the Cameo in Edinburgh has been upgraded to B -listed status by Historic Scotand - as reported by BBC News and the Edinburgh Evening News . City Screen is to launch a new membership scheme for the Cameo next week; more details after the event!

Further afield, English Heritage and the National Monument Record have digitised a lot of their photo collection - including a lot of nice cinema pics. Visit the new site here .

18/09/2006

A full history and detailed photo survey of the stunning Regal / Vogue in Lanark has been added.

Many thanks to manager Martin Carroll for his time and enthusiasm when showing us around the building.

12/09/2006

More detailed information page, with a 1911 archive programme and current interior photos of the Frank Matcham's derelict Coliseum / Cinerama cinema in Glasgow.

Some interior photos are courtesy of Lilimouse of the Urban Desertion website.

The main index page has also been updated to include a new link to a directory of all of Scotland's listed cinema buildings - this is still a work in progress, so please do let us know if we've missed anything!

10/09/2006

A new page for the demolished Carlton cinema in Glasgow has been added, as has an additional picture on the page for the Douglas cinema in Milngavie .
A few pictures of the Kingsway demolition have also been added.

On the Thurso page, we have an updated image of the Picture House, courtesy of John Swanson, and an interior photo taken just after closure in September 1983, courtsy of Darren Manson - you can see a full gallery of these interior photos on the website of Cinema for Thurso .

The Edinburgh Cameo has officially been upgraded to B-listed status by Historic Scotland - excellent news that much better reflects its importance and rarity as an intact Edwardian cinema.

03/09/2006

The page for Bo'Ness has been completely redone, incorporating a full photo survey and detailed history of the Hippodrome cinema there - probably the oldest surviving purpose-built cinema in Scotland.

Many thanks for Pete Reid and Gareth Jones for allowing us access and being such welcoming and enthusiastic hosts.

BBC News and the Scotsman have also featured articles on the Hippodrome redevelopment.

An interior photo survey of the ex- Central cinema in Leith has been added - highlighting the surviving plaster screen, still being used by the new owners Destiny Church to project films on to.

Many thanks to Peter Anderson and the staff of the Destiny Church for giving us a tour of the building.

The page for the Helensburgh La Scala has been upgraded with additional photos and information, courtesy of Phil Worms.

All of the Inverness pages how also been tidied up and added to, thanks to new information from Allan Goodall.

More detail about the interior of the Hillhead Salon has been added, thanks to Frank Watson and Jim Mitchell, and the Kingsway has been moved to the Demolished section of the Glasgow index page.

Images of the demolished Regal, Blairgowrie have been sent in by Dave Stewart, and more information has been added to the Grangemouth page.

Plans to convert the State cinema in Leith to flats, retaining the foyer block, have been passed, according to the Scotsman .

A gallery of some interior photos of the Coliseum , Eglinton Street can be seen on the Urban Desertion website.

Further afield, we've added a gallery of photos from the the last night at the Odeon in York (following a 467-mile round trip from Glasgow especially to catch the last film!).

28/08/2006

A new, more detailed history of the B-listed Salon in Hillhead has been added, incorporating stunning interior photos just before it closed as a cinema courtesy of Bruce Peter, and archive materials thanks to Chris Doak.

This timely update comes as owners G1 Group have submitted a new planning application (06/02511/DC and 06/02512/DC) to further alter the building.

This would involve replacing the Glasgow-style art nouveau panels on the exterior with similar designs in back-lit glass, to open out the entrance vestibule by removing the modern glass doors, to insert three sky-lights in the ceiling to get more light into the building, and to extend the balcony level right across to the screen, creating an additional 60 square metres of floorspace for the restaurant.

The Kingsway in Cathcart has finally been demolished - but not until after the long-running saga took a final controversial twist - as demolition began before all of the planning conditions for demolition consent had been met.

Edinburgh Cameo owners City Screen have issued a press release declaring that they will withdraw the Cameo from sale, and keep the it open as a cinema. Their new plan is to raise funds in order to undertake improvements which they hope will help it to compete against strong continuing local competition. The plans include upgrading the frontage, rejigging the foyer and revamping Screen 2. They have pledged that the plans to drastically alter the historic main auditorium have been shelved. Fantastic news. The Save the Cameo campaign website has updated with a new message from Genni Poole in response to this development.
This was featured on a BBC News website story, along with a photo from and link to this website!

The B-listed Coliseum in Eglinton Street was sold in March to new owners for £50,000, apparently for residential redevelopment.

A new music venue, called the Classic Grand, is to open in October in what was the Grand Central cinema in Glasgow, according to the Sunday Mail .
Work has started on the ex-La Scala cinema in Helensburgh in order to turn it into a Barracuda pub.

13/08/2006

Thanks to information and photos from Andy Simmonds, a new page has been added for Doune , as well as one for Auchtermuchty , thanks to Norrie Mcnamee. Andy Simmonds has also provided an archive shot of the Pavilion, Alloa .

David Low has sent a 1910 advert for the Miller's New Electric Theatre & Buckie Skating Palace, in Buckie , as well as some photos from an exhibition on the Playhouse in Huntly .
Ron Thomson has has given us some wonderful 1915 archive material on the Picture House, Denny .

There are new photos on the Ballater page, thanks to Helen Hopwood, and also a postcard archive exterior of the Picture House, Broughty Ferry .

Allan Goodall has provided detailed information about the history of the Playhouse in Peterhead , the Picture House in Banff , and the Playhouse in Nairn , as well as some pictures from them in the 1970s.

Added more information to the Auchterarder and Crieff pages, thanks to Willie Macfarlane, and Jim Brooks has sent some interiors of the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen.

The manager of the Picture House in Campbeltown has sent us an updated exterior photo now that the exterior renovations have been completed.

In cinema news, the B-listed Coliseum in Eglinton Street was sold in March to new owners, apparently for residential redevelopment.

The controversial Kingsway saga continues... an application (06/02195/DC) was published on June 29th to try remove one of the planning consent conditions required for demolition of the building - namely that no demolition should take place before legal contracts were in place for the replacement building.
This had a 3 week consultation period, but demolition started anyway the week beginning the 7th August - well before the consultation period had closed!

Local MP Tom Harris has published a gallery of interior photos from the B-listed Toledo / ABC Muirend , taken just before demolition of the auditorium in 2004, which show some of the then surviving atmospheric decoration - which has all now been lost.

The amusements in the former Birks cinema in Aberfeldy have closed, and the building is for sale. Local residents have established a 'Friends of the Birks' to investigate the possibility to reopen it as a 100-seat community venue and cafe, despite the fact that competing plans to convert it to a restaurant, bar and fast-food venue were passed in November 2005.

Further afield, we've added a basic gallery for Dublin cinemas.

22/07/2006

Updated page for Montrose , featuring archive photos, plans and other information about the now-demolished Playhouse cinema there.

Thanks to Chris Doak for the archive material, and to Allan Goodall for memories of the building.

Updated page for Troon , with new demolition photos courtesy of Alistair Mulhearn; also thanks to John Bigham for additional information.

21/07/2006

A new photo survey and more detailed history of the Caledonian Associated Cinemas flagship cinema - the Playhouse in Perth - has been added.
Thanks to Gavin MacKenzie and Cairnstar Limited for giving us access and taking the time to show us around.

A gallery of 1970s interior photos of the Playhouse in Edinburgh has also been created, thanks to John Storrier.

17/07/2006

Glasgow City Council has formally granted permission to completely demolish the B-listed Kingsway cinema in Cathcart, and build flats on the site.

The bingo in the B-listed New Tivoli cinema has closed, and the building is now up for sale. This opened in 1934, designed by James McKissack, and was a redevelopment of an earlier 1913 cinema on the same site - the current facade incorporates elements dating back to this original building. The interior is largely intact, and retains decorative coloured glazing in internal doors, as well as etched deco glazing on the exterior.
Carlton blamed the loss of takings following the introduction of the smoking ban in all enclosed public places in Scotland earlier this year. Others to have closed recently because of this is the Premier Bingo in Denny , and the Rio in Kirkcaldy .

The Mecca bingo in the ex- Coliseum cinema in Fountainbrige has moved to a modern site nearby, leaving the building empty. This opened in 1911, a conversion of a roller skating rink, and was part of a cine-ballroom complex also incorporating the Palais de Dance. Cinema portion closed in 1942.
The long-running planning wrangles over the site now appear to have been resolved and the building will be demolished in the near future.

The bingo in the ex-Palace cinema in Inverness has moved to a new site at Inshes. The Palace could be redeveloped for housing, despite it being the only remaining cinema building in Inverness.

Alterations to the B-listed ex- Caley cinema in Lothian Road in Edinburgh to make it more suitable for live music use involve removing extra floors in the stage space, and returning the focus of the building to being the proscenium. Planning link here .

North Lanarkshire council have granted an application to alter the C-listed Cinema Picture House / Gaumont / Classic in Wishaw for restaurant/bar use. (Refs: S/06/00554/LBC and S/06/00530/FUL) From the descriptions the exterior is to be restored under the plans and the original windows retained and repaired. The interior is to be altered to create a new rear opening to a terrace. Ground floor will have a bar/lounge with dance floor and kitchen facilities; a new dining area and mezannine floor will be created on the balcony. The proposals 'seek to preserve much of the original ornate character still existing and make best use of the former cinema auditorium'.

A new homepage for the Tivoli Theatre Trust in Aberdeen can be found here .

09/06/2006

Big updates to the cinema Database , thanks to new information from Willie MacFarlane, Paul Meechan, Kenneth Duncan, Allan Goodall, Bill Penman, George Will & Geoff Ruderham, and Jim Towle; plus information from the 1938 and 1953 Kine Year Books.

The rather striking ABC Clock from the ex- Regal , Paisley, is now in the hand of Renfrewshire Museums.

Unfortunately, the New Victoria / Odeon in Edinburgh is not to be used as a Fringe Festival venue again this year.

The Scottish Cinema Organ Trust has the original cinema organ consoles from both the Odeon Renfield Street, and the Wurlitzer from the Edinburgh New Victoria in their care.

The Rialto in Lochee is to be converted to a children's play centre; and the Roxy in Kelso seems most likely to become a restaurant.

31/05/2006

Again thanks to the CTA Archive and Clive Polden, we have a new page for the Elder cinema in Govan, a rare interior shot of the Elephant in Shawlands, and for the La Scala in Sauchiehall Street, closeups of the proscenium and organ, as well as a watercolour of the auditorium.

Courtesy of Frank Watson, we now have colour photos of the Pavilion in Wick , and the Picture House in Thurso .

Laurel and Hardy club the Sons of the Desert are staging monthly film showings of various classic L&H films at the Britannia Panopticon - the site of Stan Laurel's stage debut. Film showings are held on the first Wednesday of every month, free admission, doors open 6.30pm. See here for more information.

The Eglinton Electreum featured in a recent Evening Times Times Past feature.

Futher afield, a page for Colchester has been added, thanks to Anna Collins.

24/05/2006

More new pages of demolished Glasgow cinemas have been added, thanks to Clive Polden and the Cinema Theatre Association archive - the Boulevard , the Commodore and the Park cinemas in Glasgow.

21/05/2006

Today's Sunday Post has a full-page feature (page 40) on this website and its creators, entitled 'Hidden Secrets of Scotland's old cinemas' - if you're visiting the site after seeing the article then please look around, and if you can fill in any gaps in information or photo coverage, please get in touch !

We can now exclusively present a copy of the original 50-page opening night program for the Paramount (Odeon) Renfield Street in Glasgow.

Many thanks to the Cinema Theatre Association archive, and archivist Clive Polden, for permission and taking the time to scan it in!

Thanks to Colin Stewart, we've added a testimonial presented to his grandfather, David A. Stewart on occasion of his retiral as Scottish General manager of ABC.

Thanks to Bruce Peter, we can now reproduce an article he wrote in 1998 about the Scottish cinema chain Associated GP Cinemas - better known as the George Circuit.

Bruce has a new book on Scotland's Cinemas due out later in the year - keep an eye out for it!

The Cameo campaign was featured on Friday's BBC Radio 4 You & Yours; featuring director Ken Loach speaking out in support of the Cameo, it's available to Listen Again here until this Friday.

More coverage of the go-ahead for the expansion at Ayr racecourse, which may include a multiplex cinema, on BBC News and the Evening Times .

The Herald had a nice feature on Barney McCue, the projectionist at the GFT here (even if it does incorrectly call the GFT the oldest operating cinema in Glasgow!).

The fuss about the planning permission for the Edinburgh Coliseum demolition rumbles on in The Scotsman .

There's a nice Flickr gallery of vanished cinemas around the UK.

New pages have been added for the Oddfellows Hall in Edinburgh, thanks to Lee Brown, and new photos of the Alhambra theatre in Stirling , and the Victoria Hall in Linlithgow , courtesy of Harry Rigby, and the cinema in Glenrothes from Ross Camp.

Ann Scott has sent the following picture postcard of McIndoes Picture Palace travelling show; if anyone can shed any light on the history of the show or more information on McIndoe himself, please get in touch !

06/05/2006

Fame at last - we're featured in the Web section of this fortnight's List magazine!

The Scotsman reports that the nightclub in the A-listed ex- Queens Hall building in Edinburgh may have to remove alterations made without planning permission, including lighting rigs and a raised floor area.

A feasibility study is being drawn up to determine how best to re-use the derelict Leith Theatre .

A nice page on the history of the Rex Picture House & Machars Mobile Picture House of Wigtown / Newton Stewart can be found here .

A new gallery of photos of the ABC / Odeon Wester Hailes has been added thanks to Andy Simmonds.

A new page for the mobile cinema the Screen Machine has been created, thanks to photos from Graham Campbell.

Thanks to Norrie Macnamee and Joe Skivington, a new page for the Innerleithen Playhouse has been added.

We can also now present a stunning new gallery of interior photos from the Regal in Paisley.

08/04/2006

Quick news roundup....

After over two years of considering the application, Glasgow City Council has finally granted planning permission to completely demolish the B-listed Kingsway cinema in Cathcart in Glasgow, and replace it and the green space behind it with flats.
This is despite over 100 objections from a wide range of public bodies to the plans, and the decision has been strongly condemned by the local MP. It also goes against the wishes of Historic Scotland, who wanted the facade at least to be retained in any redevelopment. The plans are now being referred to the Scottish Parliament, as there is a conflict of interest in the plans, given that the council owns a large proportion of the land involved...
Coverage of the fiasco in the Evening Times .

Plans to run the Cameo and Filmhouse cinemas in Edinburgh as a single entity look likely to have fallen through, according to reports in the Edinburgh Evening News .

Plans to demolish the ex-Palace in Burntisland in Fife after it was compulsorily purchased by the local council appear to be proceeding, according to a report in Fife Now .

The opening of the Odeon at Braehead may be delayed up to 6 months, after structural problems culminated in part of a concrete ceiling collapsing into one of the auditoria. See coverage in the Daily Record and BBC News .

According to the Theatres Trust, the Webster Theatre in Arbroath is to be refurbished and expanded. This opened as the Webster Hall in 1867.

The ex-CAC Cinema (now bingo hall) in East Kilbride is set to be demolished under new plans for the town centre, as reported by BBC News .

A new site has been created by Darren Manson to cover cinemas in Thurso, which features the Thurso Picture house - visit the site here .

An exhibition about the Huntly Playhouse , featuring photographs by artist Elsebeth Jorgensen and including a film screening by ex-projectionist Gordon McTavish, is being held at 7.30pm on Thursday 27 April at Stewarts Hall in Huntly.

Further afield, Odeon have announced that the Odeon in York is to close its doors some time in August.

15/03/2006

A planning application has been submitted to radically alter the interior of the A-listed 1893 Old Athenaeum theatre into retail space – the stalls floor is to be retained as is, but the balcony raked floor is to removed entirely & made flat at the approx level of the top of balcony front (this also means the loss of the mezzanine bar/cloakroom under the balcony). A new glass balustrade is to be fitted round the balcony front. The stage will be removed and made level with current stalls floor level. Several new floors, a new staircase and liftshaft are to be inserted into current stage / fly area. A new floor at balcony front level in the stage area will be accessed directly from balcony side slips, opened out at their ends to new 'link floor' right across the front of the proscenium. The application numbers are 06/00590/DC and 06/00591/DC, and the closing date for any comments is 25th March.

Perth Councillors are to consider plans to radically extend and alter the B-listed Playhouse cinema in Perth. The plans would see two new 100-seat screens being constructed on waste ground alongside the current building, but also involve the removal of the rake in the current screen 1 (original balcony) to allow its use as a 'Restaurant Bar and Screening Room', very like the one that was proposed for the Cameo in Edinburgh.

The Evening Times reports the artist Pauline Goldsmith has been awarded £30,000 to put on a performance art show investigating the history of the Govan Lyceum , and the earlier Lyceum theatre that was demolished to make way for the cinema on the same site.

The cinemas in Oban and Fort William are currently up for sale as the current owners wish to retire. They are being sold as a going concern.

07/03/2006

A demolition gallery has been added for the Capitol / Bombay cinema in Glasgow - sadly not a lot left now...

Coverage of the closeure of the ex- Regal in Paisley as a bingo hall can be found in the Paisley Daily Express .

A new UK-wide cinema website & forum has been launched which is well worth a look - Picture Palaces of Yesteryear

26/02/2006

An updated history and photo gallery for the Rosevale in Partick has been added - thanks to Major Martin Whyte-Holt for granting us access, and to Bruce Peter for the archive photos.

Gala have decided to close the bingo hall in the ex- Regal in Paisley on March 5th, due to its proximity to of one of their more modern sites. Brian O'Malley managed to get some nice interior shots of the place, and Jim Brooks has contributed a ticket from 1968.

Harry Rigby has kindly provided a couple of interior shots of the Grangemouth La Scala.

Thanks to Bruce Peter, a selection of archive and interior photos has been added to the Capitol / Bombay page. The demolition of the building is sadly continuing apace...

The Glasgow pages for the Pavilion Theatre, the La Scala , the Picture House / Gaumont , and the Cineworld multiplex have been updated with additional photos, and there is a second gallery of demolition photos of the Hamilton Regal .

Thanks to more photos from Chris Doak, there are better archive shots of the Orient , the Metropole , and Cranston's Cinema DeLuxe . He has also kindly provided some additional photos for the Greenock pages.

A selection of archive postcards have been added to the pages for the Ayr Odeon , Aberdeen His Majesty's Theatre, Kings Theatre Glasgow, the Picture House Newton Stewart , and the Glen , Paisley.

BBC News is reporting that the Roxy in Kelso is to be turned into a restaurant and function suite, but in happier news the Bo'Ness Hippodrome is to form the centrepiece of a £5M town centre refurbishment plan, according to the Daily Record .

A new page has been added for Darvel in Ayrshire, thanks to Norrie Mcnamee, and there are additional shots on the Elgin page, thanks to David Low.

Further afield, we have post-closure photos of the Berwick Playhouse from Malcolm Crow, a new page for the cinema in Wivenhoe , courtesy of Anna Collins, and a gallery of cinema photos from New Zealand , thanks to Tom Widdows.

Various updates and corrections to the Database have been made, thanks to information from Ryan Moir, Paul Hunter, Walt Davidson, John Robb Mcnab, Ian Ross, Pete Naples, and David McNay.

16/02/2006

A new thorough history and photo survey of the ex-Broadway cinema in Prestwick has been added, showing the wealth of original features that still survive inside, despite its conversion to squash courts!

Many thanks to the Buzzworks Group for the opportunity to tour the building, and to Bruce Peter for the archive photos.

13/02/2006

Two new archive galleries have been added - interiors of the Odeon Ayr before it was tripled, and the short-lived Odeon multiplex at the Stack , Dundee, both thanks to Jim Duncan.

A set of interior pictures from the Regal Lossiemouth in its current incarnation as a furniture have been added, thanks to David Low.

Demolition is now underway at both the Hamilton Regal , and the Bombay/Capitol in Ibrox. Photos of the ABC Regal demolition can be seen here .

A nice piece on sculpture on the RCAHMS website features the plasterwork reliefs by John Alexander, now in the Regal cinema, Bathgate .

A planning application to demolish the auditorium of the B-listed State , Leith and build flats and a restuarant has been resubmitted; coverage in the Evening News here and here , and the plans can be viewed directly here .
Also in Edinburgh, the long running saga of the plans to demolish the Coliseum and Palais de Dance continues - coverage in the Evening News here and here . A new guide to Edinburgh's style and night life wrongly called the Cameo the Carrero, according to the Evening News !

BBC News is reporting that permission has been granted to completely demolish the B-listed Dumfries Theatre Royal, and build a new theatre on the site. This is despite an earlier scheme for partial demolition and rebuilding was refused.

26/01/2006

As the Odeon now lies sadly boarded up awaiting its fate, we present an exclusive gallery from inside the cinema after it closed, as seats, screens and sound and projection equipment were stripped out, leaving the place a sorry shadow of its former self...

25/01/2006

A gallery of interior pictures taken just after closure of Green's Playhouse as the Apollo can be seen here , thanks to our friends at www.glasgowapollo.com .

Be sure to have a look at their detailed site, which also has both a book and DVD about the building available.

23/01/2006

If you accessed the updates page via the usual links, you will have noticed a new front page explaining and introducing roughly what the site is about.

Two-weeks of stripping out at the Odeon Renfield Street have now ended, and the building is now boarded up awaiting its fate. We have a series of exclusive pictures from inside during this process which will be available here very soon; as a teaser here is a rather sad then-and-now shot of Screen 1.

The Scotsman is reporting that Edinburgh councillors have refused an application for a late-night Entertainment license for the ex- Odeon Clerk Street , which could have paved the way for it to be converted into a nightclub or similar use. The future for the B-listed building therefore remains uncertain.

The Evening Times reports that County Bingo have been sold to Gala Bingo - the sale includes several ex-cinema buildings such as the Regal in Paisley, the Plaza in Port Glasgow, and the Lyceum in Govan. Let's hope the new owners put a bit more effort in the maintenence and upkeep of their buildings than County did.

11/01/2006

Three new Glasgow demolition galleries have been added, all thanks to Chris Doak:

Green's Playhouse / Apollo
BB Cinerama / Odeon Eglinton Toll
Victory / Avenue

08/01/2006

The Paramount Theatre / Odeon Renfield Street has sadly been moved into the ' Closed ' section of the Glasgow cinemas page after closing last night after 71 years.

03/01/2006

A gallery of interior pictures of the Hamilton Odeon , taken post-tripling in the early 1990s has been added, thanks to Jim Duncan.

Added the Langham Hall Pictures to the Glasgow page, thanks to Frank Watson. Norrie Mcnamee has provided a picture of the Little Theatre in Lockerbie , and a new gallery of demolition photos of the Phoenix in Kirkwall , Orkney thanks to Kevin Kirkness and Kenny Thomson. Graham Kelly has also provided photos and more information on the cinema in the Magum Centre in Irvine .

A rather nice advert for Caledonian Associated Cinemas has also been added, thanks to Derek Mathieson.

Much further afield, there is a new image gallery of the Palais Theatre near Melbourne thanks to Ross Mackay, and a photo of a cinema in Seward , Alaska courtesy of Chris Gilmore.

The Database has been updated with new information, courtesy Malcolm Crow, Lesley Thomson and Chris Doak. It now has information on over 870 Scottish Cinemas!

In other news, the Gateway Theatre in Edinburgh - originally Pringle's Picture Palace - has closed due to structural problems, and may be turned into flats, according to the report in the Edinburgh Evening News .
The Palace cinema in Burntisland is looking likely to be demolished for flats, after the council issued a compulsory purchase order on the building - details on Fife Now .
The Edinburgh Evening News covers the news about the Cameo planning application being withdrawn in an article Cameo campaigners celebrate victory after bar plan shelved

02/01/2006

Happy New Year!

A nice set of updates to start off the new year - firstly, the new look for the ex- Rosevale in Partick, and a photo of the new Odeon Braehead nearing completion.

In Glasgow, we have new archive images of the ABC Regal , the Odeon , the Toledo , the Anniesland Ascot , the Black Cat , the Bombay , Cranston's De Luxe , Grand Central , the Coliseum , the Empire Electric , the GFT , the Govanhill , the Grosvenor , the Hampden , the Imperial , the Kelvin , the Kings , the Kingsway , the La Scala , the London Road Picture Palace , the Lyceum , the Mecca , the New Bedford , the Parade , the Norwood , the Olympia , the Queens , the Riddrie , the Vitagraph , the Vogue , and the Waverley .
Plus slightly further afield, we also have upgrades to our coverage of Motherwell , Hamilton , Paisley , Airdrie , Alexandria , Bellshill , Coatbridge , Dumbarton , Larkhall , Lochwinnoch , Renfrew , Saltcoats , and Wishaw - all thanks again to more images from Chris Doak.

Archived News Updates
2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

Unless otherwise specified, all photographs and other material copyright (c) 2001 - 2006 Gordon Barr and Gary Painter .
All rights reserved. Permission for use elsewhere normally granted, but please ask first!
No attempt is made to infringe any existing copyrights or trademarks. Please contact the editors in case of any queries.
Page design by Andreas Viklund .

31/12/2005

Happy 71st Birthday to the Paramount / Odeon in Renfield Street in Glasgow!

26/12/2005

Thanks to more 1980s images from Chris Doak, we've been able to add new pages for Dalmuir , Dalry , Glenboig , Gourock , and West Kilbride , as well as adding new images on the Barrhead , Clydebank , Greenock , Kilbirnie , Kirkintilloch , Largs , and Strathaven pages.

24/12/2005

Two nice early Christmas presents - firstly, thanks to a fantastic cache of photos from the early 1980s from Chris Doak, we've added over 30 new pages in the newly expanded Glasgow Demolished cinemas section -- including the Astoria, Blythswood, BB Cinerama, Scotia and many more (and there are lots more photos from him to come in the new year!)...

Also, City Screen have withdrawn [.doc file] their current planning application for the Cameo in Edinburgh - the reasoning behind this and the future for the building are still uncertain however; check back regularly for the latest news in the new year...

09/12/2005

Despite claims to the contrary, City Screen have not yet withdrawn their planning application for the Cameo.
Article in today's Scotsman: City leaders set to play a Cameo role

A new cinema opened on Stornoway , in the new An Lanntair Arts Centre, on the 1st of December.

01/12/2005

The Evening News finally admits we're not a pressure group in a letter published today!
I have twice in recent days been referred to as representing the "Surviving Cinemas pressure group" (News, November 27, 28) with regard to my speaking at the Save the Cameo public meeting.

I'm afraid there is no such thing - the www.scottishcinemas.org.uk website I edit is not a pressure group, but simply a website dedicated to recording and archiving our historic cinema architectural heritage, and to act as a information resource for people interested in that often overlooked part of our social history.

The final closing date for the Glasgow Odeon Renfield Street has been revealed - it will close its doors on the 7th of January 2006, just a week after its 71st birthday on Hogmanay.

The new Odeon multiplex at Braehead in Renfrewshire is scheduled to open in March 2006.

30/11/2005

Edinburgh Evening News: Cinema chiefs announce a pub U-turn

27/11/2005

Edinburgh Evening News: Cameo owners to face public over pub plan
(and no, we didn't know we were a 'pressure group' either!).

The RCAHMS have put up a page on cinemas highlighing some of the archive material in their collection.

25/11/2005

Further coverage of the proposed rescue plan in today's Herald: Film festival backs moves to save historic Cameo cinema

Edinburgh Planning has so far received over 2000 objections to the application, and has also requested an official Change of Use application from Cameo owners City Screen, according to their acknowledgement letter.

24/11/2005

Some suggestion of a possible rescue plan for the Cameo involving it and the Filmouse joining forces in this Evening News article: Cameo's International rescuer

23/11/2005

There will be a public meeting to discuss the future of the Cameo on Tuesday 29th November at 7pm; click here for full details.
Both Cameo owners City Screen, and the Save the Cameo campaign have produced press releases; click here to read them.

The Scotsman continues coverage of the story, including the latest developments that City Screen have put the Cameo up for sale: Historic cinema for sale in face of outcry over superpub plans
and the Evening News has a similar story: Cameo pub plan is doomed, admit the cinema's owners and another letter on the subject.

22/11/2005

Edinburgh Evening News: Trailers released for new Cameo - now featuring an artists impression of the plans.

21/11/2005

Weekend Cameo coverage:
Saturday's Evening News: Curtains for Cameo and Royal High?
Not to mention being featured on MSP Sarah Boyack's homepage - including a petition to sign, and coverage on Ain't It Cool News!
Today's Evening News also has a short letter about the Cameo.

Thanks to David Simpson, added a photo of the old Palace in Huntly , and a picture of the Lighthouse in Aberdeen rebranded as the Vue. He has also kindly provided other various facts and figures to add to the Database for that part of the country.

A gallery of cinemas from various small towns in Australia has been added, thanks to Bill MacKay.

18/11/2005

More coverage in the Scotsman: New scene in cinema row as superpub claims denied

17/11/2005

Today's Edinburgh Evening News: 'Trojan Horse' superpub fears at Cameo Cinema
Yesterday's Evening News: Campaigners reel out a website to save cinema

The campaign to save the Cameo was featured on yesterday's Good Morning Scotland program on BBC Radio Scotland.

15/11/2005

More letters in today's Scotsman about the Cameo.
Comment feature in today's Edinburgh Evening News: Cinema sale would be a terrible scene

A stunning new 1920s archive photo of the Eglinton Electreum has been added to the Demolished Glasgow cinemas page - courtesy of Andy Carberry (via Norrie Mcnamee).

14/11/2005

A new website has been launched to increase awareness about the threat to the Cameo - www.savethecameo.org
More news coverage of the situation:
Saturday's Scotsman: Directors and top actor join fight to save Cameo cinema
Sunday's Scotland on Sunday: More than a Cameo in film history
Monday's Herald: Points of View
Monday's Scotsman: MSP and directors protest at threat to Cameo cinema
Monday's Edinburgh Evening News:
Film producer joins battle to save Cameo's big screen and Civil servants are putting the whole scheme in jeopardy

In other news, the Scotland on Sunday had details of a possible move to refurbish the Dumfries Theatre Royal rather than demolishing it; the full article can be found here .

11/11/2005

Cameo Edinburgh Under Threat

A planning application has been lodged with Edinburgh City Council to radically alter the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh. Under the plans the current bar area would be converted to a small 31-seater screen, and the current 250-seat Screen 1 - the original, largely unaltered and never subdivided 1914 original auditorium (photo above) - is to be converted to a large bar and restaurant (licensed to hold around 450 people). You can see a full history of the building - and lots of photos of the stunning interior here . Despite that this is quite clearly a change of use from a cinema with bar attached to primarily a bar with a cinema attached, the applicants appear to be hoping to get it through under their existing licenses. Unfortunately the cinema itself is not properly listed; however the surrounding buildings are C(s)-listed. We are writing to Historic Scotland to ask them to consider spot-listing the cinema itself. Detailed documents of the planning application (ref. 05/03696/LBC) can be viewed online here and here . The closing date for objections to the application is 9th December 2005. News coverage of the application Today's Herald has a large article and comment piece; the Scotsman also has an article on the plans. If you'd like to consider objecting to this application, you can do so online through the 'Submit Comments' link on either of the Edinburgh Planning links above, or (preferably) in writing, quoting the reference number 05/03696/LBC to City Development Department Planning and Strategy 1 Cockburn Street Edinburgh EH1 1BJ Note that you must give your full name and address for the comment to be officially registered.

10/11/2005

A page of Glasgow cinema newspaper adverts from 1945 has been added, thanks to Norrie Mcnamee.

The pages for Paisley have been tidied up and have many improved and updated photos on them.

More recent photos have also been added to the pages for the Toledo in Muirend, the Mecca in Possil, the Hampden Picture House in Govanhill, the BB Cinema in Greenock, and the ABC in Falkirk .

A program book from March 1938 for the Picture House, New Cinerama and New Savoy cinemas has also now been added.

09/11/2005

A full photo tour of the interior of the Odeon / New Victoria in Clerk Street, Edinburgh has been added.

These show what original features still exist in the building today...

Two new archive shots of Elgin cinemas have been added, courtesy of David Low.

Thanks to Norrie Mcnamee, we've created new pages for Thornhill and Sanquhar .

Courtesy of Derek Mathieson, new colour shots have been added to the pages for Forres and Nairn , and several new pieces on the Inverness page, including the Playhouse cinema and Empress theatre.

08/11/2005

Kenny Thompson has found more archive photos of the Phoenix, Kirkwall .

Thanks to Derek Mathieson's archive shots, we now have a gallery of the inside of the Kelburne in Paisley undergoing subdivision, new exterior shots of the City and Cosmo2 in Aberdeen , a new page for Carnoustie , and new photos on the Fraserburgh , Montrose and Arbroath pages.

A new gallery of photos from the closing night of the Odeon Clerk Street in Edinburgh has also been added, thanks to Graham Hughes.

Last but certainly not least, Kevin Gooding has very kindly supplied a colour interior shot of the Hamilton ABC Regal from around the mid-1950s.

06/11/2005

More Aberdeen updates thanks to the archive and interior photos courtesy of Jim Brooks: the Capitol , Picturedrome , Regent / Odeon , Queen's Cinema , Star , Picture House / Gaumont , Kingsway , Palace , and His Majesty's Theatre .
Additional thanks to Derek Mathieson for providing modern photos for some of these updates, as well as the archive shots of the Casino .

04/11/2005

Courtesy of Genni Poole, we've been able to add a couple of archive shots of Poole's Roxy and the Cameo in Edinburgh.

Thanks to David Low, we have plans of the now demolished Lyceum cinema in Forres .

A page of photos from the party held by C Venues to celebrate the 75th birthday of the Odeon Clerk Street can be found on www.ifEdinburgh.co.uk - thanks to Events Manager Brooke Laing for the link.

The planning application to largely demolish the Dumfries Theatre Royal and rebuild a new theatre behind a retained facade was turned down, according to BBC News . This leaves the future of the theatre in some doubt.

Work to convert the ex-ABC Cinema in Falkirk into a bar, restaurant and bowling alley has apparently commenced, according to the Scotsman . It is not clear if this is a new build on the site of the cinema, or a conversion of the existing building.

02/11/2005

Added a new page covering Oxford 's cinemas and theatres.

27/10/2005

The page for the La Scala in Hamilton now has a full history and photo survey, including details of the fascinating old circus posters hidden in the roofspace, unseen for 80 years...

Many thanks to South Lanarkshire Council for giving us access to record the building.

24/10/2005

More demolished Aberdeen cinema pages added and updated thanks to the archive photos of Jim Brooks...

The Astoria , the News Cinema / Cosmo 2 , the King's , the Playhouse , the Torry Picture House . and the ABC Regal (pictured left).

23/10/2005

The Hamilton pages have been redesigned, and a full history and interior photo survey of the long-derelict Regal / ABC has been added.

Many thanks to South Lanarkshire Council for giving us access to record the building.

The Regal / ABC is currently scheduled for demolition in early 2006.

In other news, the Evening Times reports permission has been granted for a nightclub to use some of the upper floors in the entertainment complex that the Odeon Renfield Street is to be converted into. No date is yet known for its closure as a cinema, but it is likely to be early 2006 at the very latest.

The Dublin-based Ward-Anderson group has bought up the UCI and Odeon sites that are having to be sold because of competition concerns; this includes the UCI Clydebank .

Thanks to the collection of archive photos very kindly provided by Jim Brooks, we have been able to create pages for the Picture House in Stonehaven, and add additional photos of the Victoria , Inverurie, the Picture House , Thurso, and the Picture House , Banchory.

Graham Kelly has kindly sent in some interior photos of the A-listed ex- Waverley cinema in Glasgow (now Tusk Restaurant).

A small collection of photos of cinemas in Florence has also been added.

A few additions and corrections have been made to the Cinema Database , thanks to information from Archie Foley, Pete Naples, David Stewart, Ronnie Campbell, Scott McCutcheon, Edgar Trestrail, Derek Mathieson, David Anderson, Brendan Macneil and Des Gorra.

29/09/2005

A planning application has been passed by South Lanarkshire Council to demolish the B-listed ex-La Scala in Hamilton , and build an entertainment complex behind the retained facade.

The first of the tenants in the planned redevelopment of the Odeon Renfield Street have been announced, according to the Evening Times article here (and they are still incorrectly claiming it is Glasgow's oldest cinema!) . No closure date for the cinema is yet known, but sometime towards the end of this year seems most likely.

Unfortunately, due to insurance reasons, the Rex in Stonehouse was unable to open for Doors Open Day as planned; however it is believed that the owners are looking into the possibility of showing a film there are some point in the future.

The website about the Helensburgh La Scala has been relaunched and now features discussion forums and more detailed plans of a possible future use of the building: visit it at

The buildings on either side of the ex- Star Palace in Partick have been demolished to allow for a new housing development; it is not clear if the existing entrance is to be retained and incorporated into the new buildings on either side, or if it will be replaced by a modern entrance.

The page for the UGC Parkhead Forge has been updated to show it in its newly rebranded form as the Cineworld Parkhead Forge .

31/08/2005

Lots of news in the last week or so...

A planning application has been submitted to Glasgow City Council to totally demolish the B-listed Govanhill Picture House , and replace it with flats. Bearing in mind that any application to demolish a listed building legally has to pass three tests - of importance, condition and possible alternative uses - no evidence whatsoever appears to have been provided with the application with regards to any of the above.
Although deteriorating, the main facade looks to be in reasonable condition, and there are no signs that the building has been offered for sale or has been considered for alternative uses.
The planning application reference is 05/02663/DC, and any objections can be emailed before 16th September to:
planning.representations@drs.glasgow.gov.uk .

Fencing has been erected around the former Capitol / Bombay cinema, suggesting that its total demolition for flats is about to begin.

A large article in the Evening Times of Saturday the 27th of August featured several of Glasgow's neglected cinema buildings; the article is unfortunately not available online, but you can read the full Cinema Theatre Association press release that sparked the piece here .

Doors Open Days - September 2005
Some of the cinema/theatre related highlights in this year's Scottish Doors Open Days are:

4th September - Ayrshire
Kilmarnock - Palace Theatr e

10th September - Aberdeen
Beach Ballroom and Tivoli Theatre

10th September - Lanarkshire:
The ex- Rex Cinema in Stonehouse is open, but only for 2 guided tours at 2pm and 3pm

17th/18th September - Dundee
Whitehall Theatre (ex-Queen's Cinema)

17th/18th September - Glasgow
Britannia Panopticon Music Hall ; Citizens Theatre ; City Halls /Fruitmarket;
Glasgow Film Theatre ; King's Theatre ; The Loft/ Grosvenor Cinema ; Tron Theatre ; Tusk (ex- Waverley Cinema )

24th September - Edinburgh
Edinburgh Festival Theatre , Royal Lyceum Theatre & King's Theatre

24/25th September - Dumfries
Theatre Royal

More details and times for all of these at www.doorsopendays.org.uk

18/08/2005

The very nice people at C Electric - as the ex- Odeon Clerk Street is called for the duration of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - are showing a selection of classic films all day, every day for the whole of August.

This could be your last chance to see films properly projected in 35mm in the stunning atmospheric surroundings of Screen 1 (pictured left) - so make the most of it!

Full details of films, times and prices at www.cthefilm.com

17/08/2005

A full photo gallery for the New Picture House in St. Andrews has been added - thanks to Paul Carey for giving us access.

The Evening Times featured an article on the A-listed Old Athenaeum theatre, and new plans to turn it into retail space. Full details here .

Good news: the wonderful Rex cinema in Stonehouse has finally been listed Grade B by Historic Scotland. Additionally, the Vogue Rutherglen has also now been C(s) listed.

The page for the Calton Studios in Edinburgh has been updated to show the correct building - correction and new photo courtesy of Adam Fuller.

The ex- Bungalow cinema in Portobello has now been completely demolished.

A new photo survey of the B-listed and long derelict Kingsway in Glasgow has now been added, circa July 2005.

A gallery of interior photos from the B-listed Regal, Broughty Ferry shows that despite use as a car showroom, an amazing amount of its original features are still intact.

12/08/2005

Yesterday's Herald newspaper also featured a story on the Odeon Renfield Street redevelopment plans - it is very similar to the Evening Times story, right down to the same glaring factual errors about the history of the building!

Today's Evening Times published a letter from me commenting on the story; in typical fashion they completely removed the main point of the letter which referenced the mistakes in the article, and left just the throwaway comment at the end; the full unedited version is below.
I read with interest the article about the future plans for the Odeon Renfield Street (Evening Times,

10/08/2005

). Unfortunately, the article contained several factual errors - while the building was indeed designed by architects Verity and Beverley, they were not Odeon's in-house architects. Indeed, the cinema was not even built for Odeon, but for the chain of cinemas owned by Paramount Pictures. The Paramount cinema was eventually bought by Odeon in 1939, and later renamed. Additionally, the Odeon is not Glasgow's oldest remaining cinema; that honour is currently held by the Grosvenor in the West End, which first opened in May 1921. The Odeon, as the Paramount, opened on Hogmanay 1934.

Given that Odeon have been happy to keep the place open for the last two years, surely this casts doubt on their claims in 2003 that it was not financially viable to keep it open as a cinema. It therefore seems very unfortunate that the new development plans for this 'entertainment complex' is not going include any form of cinema entertainment!

The Odeon itself has been closed since Tuesday due to electrical problems; it is believed it will re-open on Monday.

10/08/2005

The plans for the redevelopment of the Odeon Renfield Street have been dramatically revised; instead of a large casino, it is now going to be a multi-use entertainment venue, with bars, restaurants, nightclubs and shops. Sadly no cinema though!
Full details in the (somewhat factually inaccurate) Evening Times article here .
In terms of the differences to the building, the original scheme involved the addition of an extra glass floor above current roof-level; this is thankfully no longer part of the plan. Unfortunately, a much larger expanse of brickwork on the West Regent Street side is to be replaced with glass than before.
The new planning application references are 05/02453/DC and 05/02454/DC.

14/07/2005

Some interior photos of the ex-Pavilion / Rialto cinema in Dumbarton have been added, thanks to Robert Gollan.

Further afield, David Anderson has submitted some photos allowing the creation for pages for Leeds , Islington and Dublin .

13/07/2005

Thanks to the fantastically generous gift of a large cache of archive photos of Aberdeen from Jim Brooks, we can finally start to improve our coverage of the Silver City. To start with, new pages for the now-demolished Grand Central and Majestic cinemas. Lots more will be added in the next few weeks...

12/07/2005

Some good news for once...

Very happy to be able to report that the planning application to demolish the New Victoria / Odeon Clerk St in Edinburgh has been withdrawn by the developers, after Historic Scotland and Edinburgh City Council made very clear that demolition of the auditorium was not justified at present, would therefore not be supported. Details are on the planning website .

To celebrate, here are two new rather nice panoramic shots of the current interior of Screen 1:

11/07/2005

With the Kelvin now sadly reduced to rubble, it has been moved in to the Demolished section of the Glasgow cinemas page. Thanks to Graham Kelly for recording its demise.

05/07/2005

The Odeon Clerk St in Edinburgh has been added to the official Scottish Buildings at Risk list.

04/07/2005

More photos from the Kelvin .

Improved photos on the Glasgow pages for the Odeon at the Quay , the ex- Imperial and the Imax cinemas.

The Playhouse cinema in Berwick-Upon-Tweed is currently up for sale as a going concern; offers over £180,000 if anyone is interested!

The ex- Rialto in Lochee, Dundee sold at auction for £66,000.

01/07/2005

The Broadway cinema in Prestwick has been listed Grade C(s) by Historic Scotland; although squash courts have been inserted into the auditorium, the interior is almost entirely intact.

Photos of the Picturedrome in Elgin have been added, thanks to David Low for the photos, MA Grant for access, and Jimmy Falconer for background information .

More Kelvin demolition photos, thanks to Graham Kelly. Not a lot left now...

The ex- Tivoli cinema in Dundee is up for sale after the current owners plan to retire; also the ex- Rialto in Lochee was up for auction earlier this week.

Bill Reid has a fascinating web site here e describing his time working at the Tivoli theatre in Aberdeen; he has also kindly contributed photos and information about the Argosy cinema in Bucksburn, Aberdeen.

23/06/2005

More Kelvin photographs added, and a lot of the older Scottish pages have been tidied up.

22/06/2005

As part our our ongoing spring-cleaning, today we introduce our new look home page , which promotes Dundee and Aberdeen to the front. Comments welcome!

21/06/2005

More pictures from the latest developments at the Kelvin demolition have been added, courtesy Graham Kelly.

Added a picture of the surviving organ console from the Odeon Renfield Street , currently housed at Summerlee Heritage Park in Coatbridge.

Tidied up the index pages for Dundee and Aberdeen .

The ex- Central in Leith, now Destiny Church , is hosting Edinburgh's first religious film festival. Details in the Evening News article.

16/06/2005

The page for the Salon in Hillhead has been updated with new and better photos (including an archive photo from John and David Anderson ), and a lot of the older Glasgow pages have been tidied up a bit as well.

Two new summary pages have been added for easy reference - complete lists of all the demolished cinemas in Glasgow and Edinburgh .

15/06/2005

Thanks to new archive photos from John and David Anderson, the Glasgow La Scala page has been updated.

The page for the Old Athenaeum theatre in Glasgow has also been enhanced, and now includes a full photo survey of the A-listed building, which has been empty since 1997.

14/06/2005

Updated the pages for the Vitagraph , the Grand Central and the Lyceum with better pictures and a more detailed history.
The Gateway Theatre in Edinburgh, originally Pringle's Picture Palace, has been forced to close its main performance space for safety reasons. Details in the Scotsman article .

The Bombay cinema closed in December and has therefore been moved to the 'Closed' section of the Glasgow page - thanks to Stuart Kelly for confirmation of the date. No word yet on when its demolition is due to begin.

Updated information in the Database and To-Do list , thanks to information from Helen Lowe, Peter Aitchison, Jim Allardyce and Elizabeth Russell.

07/06/2005

Updated the pages for Helensburgh , Dumbarton and Alexandria with improved photos and better information.

More demolition photos of the ex- Kelvin cinema have also been added, including some interior shots.

The Clydebank UCI is amongst the several cinemas that are to be sold off to prevent competition concerns, following the merger of Odeon and UCI. It is not yet known if it will be sold as a going concern or not.

The redevelopment of the Pollok shopping centre in Glasgow may include an Odeon multiplex cinema.

The Odeon Dundee will be re-opening after several months closure on June 10th.

More coverage of the plans to demolish the Odeon Clerk Street in today's Scotsman .

29/05/2005

Added a detailed history and full photographic survey of the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh.
Thanks to Ian Hoey for giving us access and for taking the time to show us around the building.

The latest shots from the Kelvin demolition are now up; with a big hole in the back of the building giving access for a bulldozer...

Further afield, a page for Harrogate showcasing the stunning original Odeon there has also been added.

27/05/2005

An exhibition on the architecture of Glasgow's cinemas is to be held at the Lighthouse . Called Cinema City , it runs from June 9th - June 20th.
Click here for more information.

The Bo'Ness Hippodrome was damaged by an arson attack in April, according to its entry on the Buildings at Risk register. The building is believed to still be structurally sound, and attempts to re-open it as some kind of community venue are continuing.

The list of Scottish cinemas to benefit from the Lottery money towards the cost of outfitting for digital projection can be seen below: Cineworld Falkirk
Filmhouse Edinburgh
Glasgow Film Theatre
Macrobert Centre, Stirling
New Picture House, St. Andrews
Pavilion Cinema, Galashiels
Perth Playhouse
The Cameo Edinburgh
The Grosvenor Cinema Glasgow
UGC Aberdeen
UGC Dundee
UGC Edinburgh
UGC Glasgow Renfrew Street
Vue Hamilton
Vue Inverness

The full UK list of 209 cinemas can be found from this page of the UK Film Council.

19/05/2005

Demolition is continuing at the ex- Kelvin cinema in Glasgow. New photos courtesy of Graham Kelly.

The planning application to demolish the ex- State cinema in Leith has been withdrawn. It is not yet clear if the application will be modified and resubmitted or not. Thanks to Donald Kirkbryde for the information.

A plan to convert the ex-Edinburgh Odeon into a contemporary arts complex, led by the woman behind the Festival Gilded Balloon venue, has fallen through due to funding issues - full details in the Scotsman article . We are still awaiting the outcome of the planning application , currently being considered by Edinburgh City Council, to demolish the B-listed building and put student flats on the site.

Another story about the imminent opening of the ABC has appeared, this time in the Sunday Times . In particular it mentions: "... some of the original features have been rescued. Decorative scroll work in the foyer, for example, as well as marble floors and the old 9ft-tall ABC cinema sign remain. The false ceiling has been stripped away to reveal the huge original girders and a magnificent barrel-vaulted wooden roof."

12/05/2005

More photos of the new ABC logo on the soon-to-open ABC music venue on Sauchiehall Street have been added to the ABC Regal page.

In other news, scaffolding has gone up at the ex- Kelvin , as demolition proper begins.

06/05/2005

A news feature on the music venue taking shape in part of the ex- ABC Regal on Sauchiehall Street has revealed it will open on June 8th, and will retain the ABC name. The Evening Times article also says some original features including deco-style cinema signs, marble floors and a 'wooden dome roof' were uncovered during the building works, but it is not clear if these are being retained or not.

More detailed photos from the exterior of the Kelvin have been added, and the picture of the New Kent has been updated.

05/05/2005

With the removal of the canopy, it appears demolition of the Kelvin has begun. Thanks to Graham Kelly for the photo.

A fire in a nightclub has badly damaged what was the Picture Palace , Ayr's first purpose built cinema. Full details in the Evening Times .

25/04/2005

According to the Edinburgh Evening News , the Edinburgh Odeon is to once again be used as a venue in this years Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Additional photos have also been added to the Loughborough page, and new pages have been created for Whitehaven , Brighton and Reading .

22/04/2005

A selection of then-and-now photographic comparisons of the interior of the Odeon/New Victoria have been added, showing what original features still survive intact to this day. Many thanks to Iain Stewart of Duddingston House Properties for allowing us access to the building.
Derek Massarella has also corrected some of the dates for internal alterations on the New Victoria page.

The Hamilton page has been updated, with new photos of the Playhouse, and additional photos of the La Scala and Regal, thanks to Norrie Mcnamee. In a related news item, the long derelict Regalcould soon be demolished for a housing and health facility development, according to icLanarkshire .
Norrie has also sent additional and updated photos of the Star in Bo'Ness .
The redevelopment work at the Pollok Shopping centre in Glasgow could include a new multiplex cinema, according to the Evening Times .
The Playhouse in Keith has been demolished - photos are available on the Tour of Keith website (link sent in by Ian Grant).
Also confirmed demolished is the Regal in Broxburn , according to Kevin Mullin.
Detailed information about the Vikingaar Cinema in Largs has been sent in by Ryan Moir.

Further afield, pages for Loughborough and Sedgley have been added, thanks to Graham Kelly.
Numerous updates to the Scottish Cinemas database have also been added today, with many thanks to those who have sent in information and corrections - in this case: Ken Anton, Ed Boyle, Janice Clark, John Duddy, Ian Grant, Ray Milne, Tom Wade and Phil Welsh.

07/04/2005

A few news and site updates today... The Lyceum in Govan has been given a temporary facelift in the shape of a large banner showing how the cinema used to look. This is part of an initiative to encourage regeneration in the area. Details in the Evening Times , and on the Govan Housing Association website.
Plans for a new large housing and leisure development in Stirling include a multiplex cinema; this could potentially spell the end for the Allanpark. Details in the Sunday Herald news story here .
According to the Theatres Trust , Historic Scotland and Glasgow City Council toured the ex- Coliseum last June to monitor its condition; at that point the owner was hoping to re-open it as a bingo hall, although it is still currently sitting empty.
Unconfirmed rumours suggest that the UCI multiplex in Clydebank may be to close as a result of the merger of Odeon and UCI. It was one of the first multiplexes to be built in Scotland. Also, now that Cineworld has taken over UGC's UK cinemas, a rebranding of the UGC Renfrew Street can't be far off.

A selection of photos taken in January 2005 during the stripping out of the La Scala in Inverness are available, thanks to David Low (and also to Colin Cumming for building access, and Hector McDonald for archive materials and information).
Thanks to Norrie Mcnamee, some new photos have been added to the Falkirk page.
An archive photo of the now demolished State in King's Park has been added, thanks to John Cooper.
An interior photo from 1914 of The Wee Thee theatre in Hawick was kindly provided by Stewart Donaldson.
Finally, some new colour photos of the County in Craigmillar from 1984 have been added thanks to Eric Gold.

16/03/2005

Added a detailed history and full photographic survey of the Glasgow Film Theatre .

Thanks to John Letham for granting us access and for taking the time to show us around the building.

14/03/2005

The Creme de la Creme restaurant in the ex- Kelvin cinema has now closed; the fixtures and fittings are currently being removed from the building. Given planning permission was granted last year for demolition of the building in order to put flats on the site, it can't be long before the bulldozers move in...

11/03/2005

As reported in the Edinburgh Evening News , a planning application has been submitted to Edinburgh City Council to demolish the auditorium part of the State cinema in Leith , and replace it with a restaurant and flats. The foyer block and snooker hall would remain, with the exterior being repaired and restored to its original colour scheme. The entrance to the flat complex would be through the cinema foyer, in which it is planned to retain some of the original decoration.

03/03/2005

Local residents in Kelso are hoping to use new Scottish Land Reform legislation to purchase the site of the Roxy cinema, with a view to re-opening it as a community film centre - full details on the BBC News website .

28/02/2005

Added a page for the new 12-screen Odeon Braehead , which has begun construction as part of the Xscape leisure and retail development at the Braehead shopping centre near Glasgow.

25/02/2005

Reorganised the slightly to better emphasise the Cinema Database and To-Do List options.

A page for an unidentified cinema in Westburn has been added, thanks to new information from Jim Rodger.
Added an improved picture of the Robert Burns centre in Dumfries , thanks to Mandy Goldie.

21/02/2005

More redevelopment plans - a scheme to demolish the ex- Coliseum cine-ballroom in Edinburgh is to go to a public inquiry, after the developers claim the council took too long to rule on the application. Full details in the Evening News article.

All of the cinemas on the site currently known to be listed buildings now include direct links to the listings information about them at Historic Scotland .

14/02/2005

A planning application has been submitted to Edinburgh City Council to demolish the B-listed New Victoria / Odeon and build student flats on the site, retaining only the facade.

The Odeon Douglasfield in Dundee may remain closed for up to another 6 weeks, while unspecified structural problems in the building are dealt with. It has been closed since the end of January.

Both the ex- Orient in Ayr, and the ex-George in Kilmarnock are currently up for sale, both complete with outline planning permission for demolition for residential and retail use. The George permission appears to suggest retention of the facade; it is not clear if the same is true for the Orient or not. Our main pages for the Odeons in Edinburgh and Glasgow have been revamped, with added detail and some archive photos of their original interiors.

29/01/2005

Updated information and improved photos on the pages for the Mecca / Vogue in Possil, the Norwood in St. Georges Cross, and the Govanhill Picture House .

The second attempt in under two months by housing developers to get the ex- Kingsway in Cathcart demolished on the grounds of 'public safety' has apparently been refused by the council Building Control department.

27/01/2005

A detailed history and photographic survey of the ex- Riddrie / Vogue cinema in Riddrie, Glasgow has been added.
Many thanks to Robert Kelly and the staff of NB Bingo for allowing us access to the building, and for their time and enthusiasm when showing us around!

15/01/2005

Thanks to a lot of effort and hard work by Kenneth Thomson , we're delighted to present a complete, in-depth history of cinema in Kirkwall, Orkney , with a special emphasis on the Phoenix cinema, from its construction, opening, running and closure, to its eventual demolition.

10/01/2005

The La Scala in Inverness is currently being demolished to make way for a housing development; full details in the Press and Journal article.

Friday 14th January at 9pm, BBC2 sees the start of a TV series called The Lost World Of Mitchell and Kenyon . It features archive footage of many British towns, including Edwardian street scenes of Glasgow, plus showman George Green and his travelling Cinematograph show.

A documentary on the Glen Cinema Disaster is to be shown on BBC1 Scotland on February 1st at 10.30pm.
More details can be found at

09/01/2005

Happy New Year!
A very nice feature to start 2005 - we present a complete photo tour and detailed history of the oldest surviving cinema in Scotland - the atmospheric Campbeltown Picture House .

Many thanks are due to Russell Carroll and Joanna Campbell for their time and enthusiasm in showing us around!

A s part of the same trip, the photos on the Ardrishaig and Tarbert pages have also been updated.

Archived Updates
2004 2003 2002 2001

31/12/2004

Happy 70th birthday to the Glasgow Odeon Renfield Street - it opened as the Paramount on Hogmanay 1934.

30/12/2004

A couple of photos of recent developments at the Kingsway in Glasgow have been added - it seems the developers were seeking permission to demolish the building last week on public safety grounds, but were only allowed to 'make safe' the building by cutting down some of the pediments and pull off some loose render on the facade. More news as we get it.

Thanks to Hugh Thomson, some archive photos of the Regal and Queen's cinemas in Stirling are now available.

Interior pictures of the Cameo in Edinburgh have been added, as well as interior photos and detailed information on the Dundee CCA , thanks to Pete Naples.

Stuart Kelly has send a large gallery of interior photos from inside the Haymarket cinema in Edinburgh, as well as some photos from the last night of the Odeon Clerk Street .

Thanks to Gordon Adams of the marvelous www.eastglasgowhistory.com website, we can show you some archive photos of the Orient when on bingo, and on the Demolished Glasgow cinemas page, the Dalmarnock and the Strathclyde Picture Houses.

22/12/2004

Thanks to David Low, have added some additional photos to the Elgin and Callander pages.

21/12/2004

Added the Albert Hall / West End to the Edinburgh cinemas page.

The long gone Hippodrome / Ritz in the Gorbals is now featured on the Demolished Glasgow cinemas page, thanks to Norrie Mcnamee.

A photo of the staff of the Allanpark cinema in Stirling on opening night in 1938 was kindly provided by Stewart Donaldson.

20/12/2004

Thanks to John Millin, have added lots of information and an archive photo of the original facade to the page for the Cumnock Picture House , where he was a projectionist for many years. He's also kindly provided information on the cinema in Auchinleck, which has been added to the database (and hence the to-do list - does anyone know if this building still exists or not?).

Added new photos of the Pavilion in Dumbarton , thanks to Emma Watson, who also has a great page with cinemas in Maidenhead here .

Courtesy of Laura Dudley, we have some photos of the gutting of the ex-Robin cinema in Dunfermline - sadly a textbook case of how not to treat a listed building by the look of it...

Pete Naples has kindly sent some photos of the surviving projection equipment in the long derelict A-listed Hippodrome in Bo'Ness .

Two archive photos from Campbeltown in the late 1970s have been added thanks to Frank Watson - one of the Picture House, and one of the demolition of the Rex.

Information about the Abbey Cinema in Mauchline has been added to the database thanks to Ron Tannock.

The page for the Bombay cinema in Glasgow (formerly the Capitol) has been updated with new photos, some new close ups showing the current dilapidated state of the Lyceum in Govan, and a photo of the current state of the retained facade of the Toledo / ABC Muirend have also been added.

10/12/2004

Right, that should be everything restored and working again! Now for some news and updates from the last week.

Historic Scotland have granted permission to completely demolish the derelict B-listed Kingsway cinema and put housing on the site.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Glen cinema disaster, there is to be a lantern procession through Paisley on December 20th. Details below:

09/12/2004

A power surge on the morning of 6th December knocked out the machine that hosts this website. We've recovered everything up till the 27th November, but some updates made after that have been lost. They will be gradually recreated as I work my through them in the next day or so, but in the meantime, unavailable updates appear in light grey below. Everything else, including the database, should now be ok (hopefully!) - though please let me know if you spot any other problems or anything missing.

Also, if you have sent me any emails between the 27th November and the 6th of December , can you please resend them , as anything from between those dates has unfortunately been lost.

Thanks for your patience over the last few days!

01/12/2004

Updated the Olympia page with photos from yesterdays fire. Todays Evening Times also has an updated story on the fire. Added a previously missed cinema to the Edinburgh page - the Star in Canongate. Added a more recent and improved photo to the Grand Central page in Glasgow, and upgraded and enhanced the page for the ex- Caley cinema in Edinburgh. Also in Edinburgh, the Lyceum Theatre , Traverse Theatr e and the Usher Hall have been split into their own individual pages. New page for Cove thanks to Graham Kelly, plus new and archive pictures from Norrie Mcnamee for the Apollo in Saltcoats , the Arrow in Wishaw , the Radio in Kilbirnie , the Glasgow Coliseum and New Bedford , a new page for Whitley Bay , and on the Demolished Glasgow Cinemas page, the Green's Picturedrome and the Paragon.

30/11/2004

The derelict Olympia in Bridgeton is seriously on fire. Roads are closed - 10 fire engines and 2 ambulances are in attendance, and a man died after being taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
Details in the Evening Times story here .

25/11/2004

A page for Lerwick , with photos of the interior of the 1913 North Star cinema - remarkably still with its projection equipment intact! - has been added thanks to Gillian Boll, with additional acknowledgement due to the manager of the club, Alan McCleod, for his time and enthusiasm.

23/11/2004

Added a photo of The Wee Thee cinema in Hawick , and the Playhouse, Kelso thanks to Joe Skivington.
Picture of the Pavilion Cinema in the Vikingaar Centre in Largs , and the exterior auditorium of the Vogue, Girvan , thanks to Norrie Mcnamee.
Updated photos of the ex-Green's Picturedrome in Irvine thanks to Graham Kelly.

Updated or improved photos have also been uploaded for the Johnstone , Clydebank , and Kilbirnie pages.

19/11/2004

A new page has been added for Hawick , thanks to Ian Miller, Joe Skivington and Norrie Mcname, as well as an additional archive photo of the Pavilion in Galashiels .

Stewart Donaldson has kindly sent an archive photo of the Alhambra cinema in Stirling .

Thanks also to Donald Kirkbryde for some additional information on some Dundee cinemas for the the database .

17/11/2004

It's exactly one year since I first put a counter on the website - and in that time, the main index page has received an amazing 11,100 hits! On average, we've been getting around 70 hits a day recently.
Thanks to the launch of the Cinema Database , yesterday was our busiest day ever, with over 140 hits!
The site has also grown so that we now cover 379 cinemas in 157 towns in Scotland - plus of course many more further afield as well.
Thanks to everyone that has visited in the last year. Please keep visiting - the work so far is just the beginning, and we have big plans for the future... :)

Now - the first two updates from items on the new look to-do list - added a page for Kelty in Fife and some wonderful souvenirs from the now sadly demolished Gothenburg Picture House there thanks to Steve Lynch, and also added the Corn Exchange Picture House in Kelso thanks to Joe Skivington ( via Norrie Mcnamee).

16/11/2004

In a major step forward for the site, I'm very proud to announce the immediate availability of the Scottish Cinemas Database .
This fully searchable interactive resource includes information on every known cinema ever built in Scotland, with (where available) opening & closing dates, architects and owners/circuit affiliations etc.
Searches can be performed on cinema name, town, address, etc. and where appropriate, results include direct links to further information and pictures on the dedicated pages elsewhere on the website.
As with all endeavours of this nature, the database is incomplete and has drawn on a number of sources of varying reliability. If you find any errors, or have any additional information to add, or any other feedback, we would be delighted to hear from you !

A huge thank you must be made at this point to Helen Hopwood, who collated most of the information in the database from lots of sources over several years, and was generous enough to share it with us.

As a nice side effect, the To Do List page is now automatically generated from the database as well, meaning it is always up to date with the latest information we have. If you've not looked through it recently, now is a good time for another browse to see if you have any information or pictures about the buildings we're lacking details on. If so, please get in touch !

15/11/2004

Department of hiding under your very nose: 2 more cinemas added to the main Glasgow page - the Alexandra Parade Picture Palace , and the Empire Electric .

New from Norrie - archive shots of Biddle's Cinema in Annan , the Kelburne in Paisley , Poole's Roxy in Edinburgh and La Scala in Saltcoats , plus new pages for Glenrothes , Galashiels , and some additional cinemas added to the Inverness pages.

10/11/2004

Additions to the Lanark and Rosyth pages, again thanks to Norrie.

08/11/2004

Added the Breadalbane Cinema to the Wick page (thanks to Norrie Mcnamee).

05/11/2004

Added or updated pages for Penicuik , Inverness (pre-closure La Scala), Aberdeen (pre-demolition ABC) and Lochwinnoch , thanks to Norrie Mcnamee.

29/10/2004

As an experiment, we have added a search box to the bottom of the . This allows you to search the entire site for any keyword of interest. If people seem to find it useful, we may keep it there. Feedback welcomed!

New pages for Oban , Newmilns , Granton-on-Spey , Pitlochry , Aviemore and Forfar - thanks to Norrie Mcnamee.

28/10/2004

Thanks to Frank Watson, we have added a program booklet for the Tivoli in Partick (Glasgow's Wonder Cinema!), from May 1930.
(Yes, the Tivoli is not a surviving cinema, but it's far too nice a piece not to add to the site!)
It can be accessed from the Tivoli section on the Demolished Glasgow Cinemas page, or by clicking the thumbnail on the left.

New additions and updates thanks to Norrie Mcnamee for Rothesay (added the Palace cinema), Lockerbie (a photo of the Rex when it was still a cinema), Inverurie (the Victoria cinema), Melrose (the Picture Palace) and Dundee (photo of the ABC / Regal before it closed).

Major thanks are also due to Helen Hopwood, for providing us with a priceless wealth of detailed information on hundreds of Scottish cinemas. Information from this will filter through to the to-do list and other areas of the site over time.

25/10/2004

A newly illustrated and very detailed history of the ex- Salon Cinema on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow is now available. This was another building we had assumed had little of interest remaining due to the many dramatic reconstructions over its lifetime, but some very ornate original Moorish-style plasterwork arches, and much of the original Rooftop Garden Tearoom remain intact!
Many thanks to Sandy Forbes and the management of the Moon nightclub for being such enthusiastic hosts for the evening!

21/10/2004

Continuing the recent hectic pace of updates, a few very nice additions for today:

A gallery of photos from inside the Pavilion, Bathgate - many thanks to Robert Kelly for the invitation and showing us around. With perfect timing, we got there just 3 days before the cinema seats in the balcony are due to be removed to increase the space available for bingo!
Also in Bathgate , some interior shots of the Regal have been kindly provided by Bill Matthews.

A very atmospheric gallery of images taken inside the burnt out and long derelict New Palace cinema in Burntisland , Fife has also been added. You might wonder how much of interest there might be in a building that has been burnt out and had no roof for nearly 20 years, but the answer is - lots!

In news, the Evening Times is reporting that the new owners of the Odeon Renfield Street are in discussion with several casino owners to use much of the leisure space in the converted building as a 'Super Casino' - full story here .

The other derelict cinema in Burntisland , the Porte, is to be largely demolished for flats behind a retained facade. Work appears to have started as of yesterday...

18/10/2004

Major updates and tidy up and rationalisation of the main Glasgow and Edinburgh pages - they should be a lot more user-friendly and nicer to look at now!

Added a newspaper advert showing what films were being advertised in Greenock 's cinemas in 1965.

New photos for Falkirk , Keith , Broxburn , Hamilton , Airdrie , Kilmarnock and Demolished Glasgow Cinemas , courtesy of Norrie Mcnamee.
Also from the mislayed for ages pile of photos - this time from Harry Rigby - I have added new interior shots on the Cowdenbeath , Dunfermline and the Leith Capitol pages.

15/10/2004

Updated the page for the White Elephant cinema in Shawlands, to have more information and the complete scans of a programme booklet from March 1928.

Added some shots Alistair Kerr sent me ages ago, but I managed to mislay until now - late 1970s shots of the County, Craigmillar , the Central, Portobello , the Cinema de Luxe, Lochgelly , and the Astoria and Salon in Edinburgh.
Some more shots from Norrie on the Bellshill , Linlithgow , Perth , Nairn and Forres pages.
Tidied up some information on the To Do List page thanks to Kenny Duncan.

12/10/2004

Added a couple of photos from a recent visit to Prague .
Some additional photos have been added to the Kirkwall page, thanks to Kenneth Thomson.

A local councillor is calling for the facade of the burnt-out and long derelict Palace cinema in Burntisland to be retained in any future redevelopment. Full details from Fife Today here .

11/10/2004

Updated pages for Auchterarder , Wishaw , Hamilton and Dalkeith , and new pages for Dunoon , Castle Douglas , Larkhall , Stewarton , Bellshill and Barrhead , thanks again to Norrie Mcnamee.

08/10/2004

Added pages for Porthmadog and Tywyn , thanks to David Crooks.
More from Norrie: new pages for Alexandria , Kelso , Craigmillar and Dunkeld , as well as additional pictures on the Dumbarton , Kilbirnie , Paisley , Greenock and Motherwell pages.

01/10/2004

More from Norrie Mcnamee: additional cinemas for Aberdeen , Arbroath , Bo-Ness , Peterhead , and new pages for Alva , Ardrishaig , Auchterarder , and Riccarton .

30/09/2004

All thanks to Norrie Mcnamee, have updated the pages for Aberdeen , Arbroath , East Kilbride and Leven , and added new pages for Arran , Banchory , Beith , Crief , Dufftown , Methil , Peterhead , Shotts , South Queensferry , and Tarbet .
Thanks to new information from Mervyn Gould of the Mercia Cinema Society , moved the now identified Pringles Picture Palace from the Unknown page to its rightful place on the Nottingham page.

29/09/2004

More details, models and artists impressions of the proposed Sean Connery Film Centre in Edinburgh have just been published on the Edinburgh Architecture site.

27/09/2004

Added a few photos of the Regent in Brisbane thanks to Cara Strachan, a cinema in Galway , Ireland thanks to Norrie Mcnamee, and ex-Odeons in Bridgewater and St. Albans thanks to Graham Kelly.
Thanks to Ian Williams of the Australian Cinema and Theatre Historical Society there are a few corrections, clarifications and additions to the Melbourne pages - including donating some fantastic interior shots of the Capitol and Regent and Plaza Theatres !

24/09/2004

Time to catch up on some of the backlog of submitted images...

Just in time to mark its complete demolition, a page for the former Cinema House in Edinburgh has been added.

Brand new pages are also added for: St. Andrews , Dumfries , Annan , Lockerbie , Gretna , Moffat , Stranraer , Strathaven , Blairgowrie , Leslie , Pittenweam , Ormiston , Lossiemouth , Buckie , Callander , Elgin , Cirencester , Rushden , Workington , as well as the cinemas in the Secret Bunker in Fife and - further afield - a selection of cinemas in Nijmegen and Amsterdam (including the glorious Tuschinski ).
- many thanks to major contributions from Marie Smith & Sylvain Brugnot, Graham Kelly, Sue Cole, Norrie Mcnamee, and David Low for those.

Updated pages include Brecon (thanks to Peter & Irene Davies for additional photos and information), Inverness (an original interior of the La Scala, thanks to David Low), Ayr (additional Odeon interior pics from Gary Painter, and some shots of the Orient on bingo from Robert Kelly), archive photos of the Parade , Dennistoun, the Rosevale , Partick and a small gallery of archive photos of some long demolished Glasgow cinemas courtesy Norrie Mcnamee), Odeon Clerk Street (with exterior shots of the front and rear of the building), the Glasgow Grosvenor and Edinburgh ABC Lothian Road , the ABC Regal in Falkirk , the Allanpark and other now demolished cinemas in Stirling , and the now demolished Kelburne in Paisley (original archive and projection room photos courtesy Andy Simmonds).

Thats all for today, but there's still more to come...

18/09/2004

Glasgow City Council today granted planning permission for the demolition behind a retained facade of the Odeon Renfield Street , and the conversion of the interior space to leisure and retail use. It must now be only a matter of time before a closure date is announced. The good news is that the plans involve reinstating a neon lighting scheme resembling the original, which once extended much further down West Regent Street than the current one does, and also removing the paint on the granite facade. Also, there is a requirement to strip out all non-original features to search for any plasterwork or other original decoration prior to demolition starting - and despite what people would have you believe, there is a surprising amount of fragments left if you know where to look!

A new website with information on Glasgow's historic cinemas has been set up by Stuart Neville at www.glasgowcinemas.co.uk . This nicely designed site has a lot of archive photos and drawings, and should grow to become a useful resource (and give us a bit of healthy competition! :-) ). It should be especially useful for its coverage of buildings that are now long gone, and hence tend not to be covered on this site.

17/09/2004

In another overdue move, the site now has a proper domain name - from now on, the address www.scottishcinemas.org.uk brings you here. No need to update bookmarks or anything; the site has not actually moved and will remain available at the old address as well. This just makes it easier find, and to tell people the address verbally ! Note that its an .org.uk , not .co.uk or .com - as we're not a commercial organisation, .com would be inappropriate. Technically a .info would describe us best, but they are quite expensive, so .org is the best compromise I think!

16/09/2004

In a long overdue move, long time contributor Gary Painter has been promoted to full joint site editorship! Right, time to put him to work...

15/09/2004

More tidying up in Glasgow: updated the New Bedford , added a couple more shots to the ABC Regal , a newer picture and details for the Odeon Renfield Street , some nice exterior night shots of the Ascot , Anniesland, and much better shots for the Coliseum .
The Glasgow Theatres page has also had the Old Atheneum added to it, along with some interior shots from the Pavilion.
Updated the Edinburgh Odeon Clerk Street page, to show it in its temporary guise as the Pod Deco venue.

14/09/2004

Updated and improved the quality of the photos and information for the ABC Regal , Norwood , Vitagraph / King's , Charing Cross Electric Theatre , Picture House / Gaumont , the Ascot , Anniesland, the Waverley , Shawlands and the Salon , Sauchiehall Street. Various other Glasgow pages have been tidied up a bit as well.
In particular, have finally got a couple of decent pictures of the Kelvin Cinema up as well.

13/09/2004

Read about the proposed Sean Connery Film Centre in Edinburgh here - this 6 screen development would replace the current Filmhouse , and provide a permanent home for the Edinburgh Film Festival .

The former King's Cinema / Vitagraph in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow is amongst 15 buildings in the city that have been proposed for listed building status, according to the Evening Times.

The Buildings at Risk website has now been updated with Glasgow buildings, and features the Kingsway , the Govanhill Picture House , the Britannia Panopticon , and the ABC Toledo amongst many other buildings. I've correspondingly updated this sites own list of Cinemas at Risk .

Glasgow City Council has granted permission to demolish the former Kelvin Cinema - now Creme de la Creme restaurant, to be replaced with flats. No timescale known for the demolition yet (and I really need to get some better photos of it before they do!).

Plans to use the former Glen Cinema in Paisley as the basis for a cinema museum are being explored.

Some dead links have been trimmed from the Links page.

11/09/2004

Just back from a Doors Open Day visit to the Rex, Stonehouse - amazing place! A huge gallery of photos has now been added - well worth a look (trust me on this one!)...

A gallery of interior photos from the derelict and soon to be demolished Olympia, Bridgeton has been added, thanks to gap74 and turbozutek.

08/09/2004

Some cinemas and theatres that are going to be open for the Scottish Doors Open Days in September are as follows:

Aberdeen – 11th September
Beach Ballroom
Tivoli Theatre

South Lanarkshire - 11th September
Rex Cinema, Lawrie Street, Stonehouse
Dundee - 18th September
Whitehall Theatre (ex-Alhambra Cinema)

Fife – 19th September
Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy

Glasgow - 18th & 19th September
The Arches
Britannia Panopticon Music Hall
Cottier Theatre
Gilmorehill G12
Glasgow Film Theatre
Oran Mor
Ramshorn Theatre
Tron Theatre

Edinburgh 25th September
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Traverse Theatre
Royal Lyceum Theatre
King’s Theatre

Full details, opening times etc. at

08/08/2004

Finally got around to plugging some embarassingly large gaps on the site, and added a proper comprehensive page for Dundee , and updated the Perth page to have some more places of interest!

26/06/2004

Added a page for the Glen Cinema in Paisley , thanks to a visit there courtesy of Martyn Robertson of Fablevision.

22/06/2004

The exhibition on the Glen Cinema in Paisley has been extended for another four weeks due to popular demand.
A website about the exhibition is online at www.glencinema.org.uk
Tidied up the References page a bit.

21/06/2004

Some more bits and pieces... - gradually getting through the backlog!
Added some pre-subdivision interior photos from 1982 of the ex- Odeon Clerk St thanks to Alistair Kerr.
A page for Peebles has been added thanks to Gary Painter.
Pictures from inside the Phoenix in Kirkwall prior to closure have been added thanks to Kenneth Thomson.

20/06/2004

First proper update in a while...
Pictures of the Orient during demolition are now available here ; there's not a lot left unfortunately.
Updated the page for the Theatre de Luxe on Sauchiehall Street such that the photo is of the correct building! - thanks to Ronnie Scott for the info there. Added a page for the former Queen's/Tonic cinema in Battlefield Road (now the Mission pub), and the Vaudeville Picture House on Argyle street, both places that were missing from the site before.

New pages have been added for Arbroath , Brechin and Broughty Ferry (thanks to Graham Kelly), and Lochgilphead thanks to Gary Painter.

'TO LET' signs have now gone up on the Odeon Renfield Street , which will now not be closing before February 2005.
Despite the temporary reprieve of Edinburgh Odeon Clerk Street building being used as a venue called Pod Deco in this years Edinburgh Festival Fringe, plans to redevelop the B-listed ex-New Victoria have been continuing. A winning scheme was chosen from three submitted, and will involve the complete demolition of the auditorium, and the building of a series of flats overlooking a central courtyard. The facade on Clerk Street will be retained, and may become a shop or restaurant.

Have added a page of links to pictures of demolished Glasgow cinemas that are featured on other websites.
Finally, a list of cinemas on the Scottish Buildings At Risk list is now available here .

08/06/2004

And another one bites the dust.... outline planning permission has been granted to demolish the Capitol / Bombay cinema for a housing development. No word as yet on timescales for this however.

A free booklet - Cinema City - Glasgow and the Silver Screen has been created to tell the story of some of Glasgow's cinemas, and also highlight places in the city that have been used as locations in feature films. It's available free from the GFT and CCA box office, and several other locations - see www.glasgowcinemacity.com for more information.

04/06/2004

The Britannia Music Hall is having an open weekend on the 26th & 27th of June; a great chance to see inside this fabulous building. For more details, go here .

01/06/2004

Scaffolding and fencing has appeared around the long-derelict Orient cinema in the Gallowgate; looks like demolition is about to take place.

05/05/2004

Quick news update - people may be interested in the following press release:

The Paisley Development Trust and Fablevision Present 'Cinema Buddies' A Cinema Exhibition commemorating the Glen Cinema Disaster of 1929

Spectacular Public Opening, Saturday 22nd of May 2004 at 1.30pm

Opening Times:
Wednesday-Friday until 19th June, 10am - 4pm
Saturdays 1.30pm - 4pm

See local press for programmed discussions and exhibition events.

Admission by Small Donation

Venue: The Gallery Space, 27 School Wynd, Paisley. For more information
please call 0141 425 2020

The Paisley Development Trust and Fablevision are currently directing a project which will culminate with a community cinema exhibition of artefacts and exhibits.
The project focuses on The Glen Cinema, Paisley, Scotland where a terrible disaster occurred in 1929.

We have created an exhibition in order to raise awareness and commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the disaster.
The exhibition project includes an artist residency in the community and children's workshops for the duration of the exhibition (4weeks).

The whole of Britain was horror-struck on Hogmanay 1929 to learn of the dreadful cinema catastrophe in Paisley that afternoon, in which 71 children lost their lives and over 40 were injured.
About 1000 boys and girls, mostly from working-class homes, were witnessing a matinee performance at the Glen Cinema, when dense clouds of smoke, caused by a film which had started to smoulder in the spool-room, were swept into the cinema. The cry of "Fire" was raised, and the children stampeded in panic to the back entrance. This was closed, and in the frantic struggle which ensued many children were trampled and others were suffocated by the fumes.

The BBC will be featuring the Glen Cinema Project on the Restoration Programme later this year.

28/04/2004

Added a page for Rothesay , thanks to Des Gorra.
Pages for Wick , Fort William , Stornoway and Dingwall added thanks to Ian McIver.
Finally, not cinema related at all, but still old and interesting - some people may be interested in seeing Glasgow's remaining Police Boxes ....

27/04/2004

Bit of vintage-themed update today... and while the main thrust of this website is cinema buildings that still exist today, I'm more than happy to feature older, demolished sites if people provide the pictures and information!
On that note, have added pages for the State Cinema in Shettleston, showing its demolition in 1986 thanks to Des Gorra.
Photos of Edinburgh's Ritz cinema just prior to its closure in 1983 have been added thanks to Alistair Kerr.
Finally, added an article on being a projectionist in Edinburgh and Leith cinemas during the 1940s, kindly written and provided by W.L. Hume.

In other news, the ex- Odeon Clerk St in Edinburgh is to be used as a 5-stage comedy festival called The Pod this summer during the Edinburgh festival. This temporary reprieve prior to demolition of the auditorium should provide an opportunity to visit the building while it still exists!

13/04/2004

Updated the Help Wanted list again, thanks to new information from Darren Manson and David Fergus.

11/04/2004

Added a page for Musselburgh , thanks to the kind submissions from Harry Rigby, Alistair Kerr and Norrie Mcnamee.
Added or updated pages for Kirkcaldy , Grangemouth , Inverness , Tain , Hamilton , Newton Stewart , Kilbirnie , Maybole , Coldstream , Alloa , Kinghorn , Leven , Portobello , Rosyth , Lochgelly , Jedburgh , Tranent , Angus , Tayport , Kirkwall , Thurso , Selkirk , Ballater , Dalbeattie and finally Aultbea . Thanks to (amongst others) Graham Kelly, Alistair Kerr, Frank Beattie, Findlay Munro, Harry Rigby, Norrie Mcnamee, Gary Painter and Jenny Yeomans for many of the pictures in the pages mentioned above.
Added a new gallery of photos taken by Frank Watson, during the stripping out of the ex-ABC Muirend / Toledo - they make an interesting comparison to the demolition photos available here .
A link to a gallery of photos from inside and outside the demolition-threatened Kingsway has also been added.

Finally updated the Help Wanted list (mainly by removing things people have been kind enough to send me!), thanks to contributions from a wide range of people.
I think that I've now caught up with all of the backlog of pictures people have sent me in the last couple of months - so if you have sent me something that has yet to appear on here, please do email and prod me into remembering about it!

10/04/2004

Closer to home, the page for the Odeon Clerk St. in Edinburgh has been updated to reflect its sadly closed status, with some new photos (thanks to Alistair Kerr). The Edinburgh page generally has been updated with a few more recent photos - and a bunch of new pictures as well - many thanks to Harry Rigby for kind permission to use those.
Also added a page for the Monseigneur News Theatre in Edinburgh.

09/04/2004

Added a new page for Manchester cinemas, following a nice morning wandering around the city-centre there.
Also added galleries for Sydney , and Melbourne City Centre and suburban cinemas.

Also, my apologies to everyone who has contributed to the site in the last couple of months - your items will make it onto here soon - I'm slowly working my way through the rather sizeable backlog!

03/04/2004

Added special pages for the wonderful Capitol Theatre , Melbourne and Hayden Orpheum , Sydney. Many thanks to Craig Cahill and Stuart Greene respectively for taking the time to show me around.
In local news, it appears that Odeon is negotiating to extend its lease on the Odeon Renfield Street for a couple more years, to take it up until the planned Odeon at the Braehead Shopping Centre opens. However, the recent planning application lodged by the new owners, Duddingston House Properties, to convert it for leisure and retail use behind a retained facade, may well put paid to that.
Also, at least a portion of the ex- ABC Sauchiehall Street . may become a live music venue, incorporating the original entranceway. This is the only section of the building that has yet to find a new use.
Plans are also afoot to redevelop the ex- La Scala cinema in Helensburgh - plans that may even involve partial cinema use. See for more details.

03/03/2004

Another long delay - but a major update is in the pipeline, with photos from Australia and all round the UK. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, here are a gallery of photos from a daytrip to London - including shots from the film night organised at the ex- Astoria, Finsbury Park by the Cinema Theatre Association . All 1300 seats sold out for the showing of Sunset Boulevard - a fantastic night!
Additionally, I've added a gallery of photos covering the sad sight of the Toledo (ABC Muirend) demolition - thanks to Gary Painter and Graham Kelly for many of the photos.

Archived Updates
2003
2002
2001

If you're looking for the most recent updates, they are now to be found at the top of the page!

27/10/2003

After its official launch last night, I've very happily moved the Grosvenor back into the list of 'open' cinemas. In honour of its new look, the Grosvenor page has been entirely revamped and includes a gallery of photos from the Bafta-sponsored launch party - as well as photos of the new look interior!

21/10/2003

Just added a wee photo of the new signage being tested earlier this afternoon at the Grosvenor , due to re-open to the public a week today. The revised layout appears to be almost exactly the opposite of what was outlined in the submitted plans described here ; the two cinemas are back on the ground floor where they were originally, whereas the upper level is entirely given over to the bar/restaurant.
Lots of news coverage of this cinema today, with stories (and photos) in The Herald , The Scotsman , and the Evening Times .

18/10/2003

Another long gap between updates, due to pressure of work. Many apologies!
Quite a lot of news in the meantime...
- The Odeon Clerk St in Edinburgh sadly closed at the end of August; its replacement, the Odeon Lothian Road opened on 5th September.
- An application has been submitted to Glasgow City Council to demolish the B-listed ex- Kingsway cinema, and build housing on the site. The developers are claiming the damage to the building after lying derelict for so long is too great to allow even facade retention to take place.
- Meanwhile, planning permission has been granted to convert the B-listed ex- Olympia theatre/cinema in Bridgeton into flats. Part of the facade is to be retained, with new windows inserted into it.
- The Grosvenor cinema in Hillhead is to reopen on the 27th of November, having undergone conversion to a series of bars and restaurants, which also incorporate two small luxury cinemas. The end result of all this appears to be quite different to the plans described here that were submitted to the local planning department. A full update on the new Grosvenor should be added next week.
- The Coliseum , Eglinton Street is now up for sale, after Count closed down its bingo operations there earlier this year.
- Another part of the ex- ABC Regal , Sauchiehall Street has been let out to a large sports bar. This will fill approximately half of the old auditorium space, and utilise the extended portion of the facade as an entrance. The only remaining unlet unit in the development is the central portion incorporating the original entranceway.

Now - some new stuff at last!
Thanks to a trip to the USA, have added some pictures of cinemas from Chicago , Illinois, Madison , Wisconsin, and Ramona , California.
Also, an interestingly named cinema in Cape Town , South Africa, thanks to Robin Owen and Sophie Dale.
Graham Kelly sent some pictures of the Playhouse , Dalkeith and the Pleasure Island cinemas in Lytham St. Annes.
Courtesy of Norrie Mcnamee and Graham Crawford, the Alhambra Keswick .
Gary Painter has also been busy, allowing me to add cinemas in (deep breath): Fort William , Kilmarnock , Stevenson , Largs , Stonehouse , Girvan , Galston , Kilbirnie , Lanark , and Saltcoats , as well as Brecon in Wales.

07/07/2003

Apologies for the lack of updates recently - I've been busy moving into a new flat (also apologies to anyone whose email I have not yet responded to!). Normal service should now be resumed.

A nice big update today, mainly thanks to the many people who have been sending in contributions.
First of all, a little back-slapping. I have obtained the viewing statistics for these web-pages. They are in the top-thirty most popular pages served from this particular server, and get between 900 and 1500 visits a month, which is quite amazing. Thanks to everyone that is stopping by to have a look!

A new website has just been set up with a selection of historical and interior photos of the Odeon Edinburgh (ex-New Victoria) - click here to visit it (external link).

Updated the To-Do list introduced in May - many thanks to the numerous people who sent comments, clarifications and corrections - please keep them coming. Thanks in particular to: Gordon Blackburn, Kenny Duncan, Ray Dunns, Mervyn Gould, Ian Grant, Graham Kelly, Norman Mcnamee, Jim Mitchell and David Simpson.

New things this month:
A great selection of pictures of the interior of the Glasgow Film Theatre (ex-Cosmo) thanks to Emma Taylor.
Some photos of the interior of the Anniesland Ascot just prior and during demolition, thanks to Frank Watson.
Norman Mcnamee kindly sent a photo of the ex-Cinema, Loughgelly .
Information and photos of the new dual-nightclub conversion of the ex- Capitol , Aberdeen thanks to Tom Widdows.
Last and definately not least, Graham Kelly has sent pictures from Bathgate , Berwick , Boness , Burnham-on-Sea , Burntisland , Cowdenbeath , Dunfermline , Livingston , Bristol , Cardendan and Newport-on-Tay . Phew!

05/05/2003

Bad news first - Graham Kelly reports that the Westway , Cardonald has been demolished. It has therefore been moved to the 'totally gone' section of the Glasgow page.
Also, Pauline O'Neill reports that demolition work is well advanced at the former La Scala , Greenock.
A few corrections and clarifications: Tim Addyman kindly corrected some of my assertions and information about what used to be cinemas on the York page, and so the pictures purporting to be the Regal (actual cinema demolished - picture was of wrong building!) and Scala (actually also demolished) have been removed ; and Donald Kirkbryde has informed me that what I was calling the Kinema cinema in Fife was in fact the Alhambra.
In other news, the Odeon Lothian Road is now expected to open around September, and a new 10-screen Odeon is now planned for Aberdeen.
A page has been added for Seattle thanks to some pictures sent by Colin Alexander.
Finally got around - after some prodding! - to updating the Links page of the site - checked the links, added many more, and removed outdated and broken links. Suggestions for additions or corrections are welcomed!
The last item is a new feature for the site - a To Do List as it were. It lists all the cinemas I have any info about that I do not yet have either pictures on the website, or confirmation that they have been demolished. I would welcome information as to omissions, or incorrect inclusions, or even pictures of anything on the list - any feedback on it all would be welcomed.

21/04/2003

Thanks to a trip there, added a page surveying the surviving cinemas and theatres of York .
Added a page with some photos of the Odeon Rochdale , kindly provided by the manager there, Colin Alexander.
Added a nice picture of the current Grosvenor interior, as seen from across Ashton Lane, as well as some nice interior shots of the Theatre Royal , thanks to Gary Painter.

03/04/2003

Good news first: the Odeons in Glasgow and Edinburgh have both been given a temporary reprieve of at least 6 months each. More details to follow soon...
Bad news: planning permission has been granted to demolish the Toledo , (ex-ABC Muirend) to build flats, retaining only the facade. More soon.
Added a page describing the plans for what the Grosvenor , Hillhead will be like, once it emerges from its current dramatic rebuild...

25/03/2003

Thanks to an anonymous contributor, more pictures of the Grosvenor have been added, this time showing a fascinating glimpse of some surviving internal features.

24/03/2003

More pictures of the Grosvenor have been added, showing the ongoing demolition work, and revealing a few more features of interest.
Several new cinemas, including the wonderful Dominion , added to the Edinburgh page. Much additional dates and information added to existing Edinburgh pages as well.
New pages also added for Leith and Portobello .
Finally, a picture of the ex-King's Cinema, Montrose added thanks to JTK Barr.

16/03/2003

The closing dates for the Glasgow Odeon Renfield St , and Edinburgh Odeon Clerk St , have both been confirmed for April 24th 2003. Watch this space around that time for some major Odeon-related updates we have planned to mark their passing - exclusive to this site!

Added pages for Kilmarnock , Cumnock , Falkirk , and Wishaw thanks to Graham Kelly.
Major update to the Stirling pages, as well as new pages for Cumbernauld , Denny , and Evesham thanks to Alan Bunting and Hugh Thomson. These feature both current and archive photographs.
Demolition work continues apace at the Grosvenor in Hillhead; the only positive side is that it is revealing so much of the original interior decoration as it does so - some more pics have been added showing the front of the circle, and the original roof decoration still in situ (for the moment!).
Added a pic of the remains of the foyer of the ABC Regal , Sauchiehall Street, showing a little of the remaining original decoration uncovered by the demolition work.
Thanks to Roddy Buxton, a page of shots of the projection facilities of the Savoy, Nottingham has been added.
Finally, a few shots of the interior of the King's Theatre , Glasgow.

24/02/2003

Have added a whole new page of photos from inside the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall , and fixed some errors in the building history, thanks to Judith Bowers and the Britannia Music Hall Trust.
Added a photo taken during redevelopment works at the Grosvenor , showing the remains of the original circle above the twin cinemas formed from the stalls.
Added a few details about the Motherwell Odeon, again thanks to Janice Clark.
Added a page for Chester , with some photos by Gary Painter.
Thanks to Ian Grant and James Joss, have positively identified the unknown Kirkintilloch cinema as the Black Bull.

10/02/2003

Major site redesign and re-organisation. A new makes the increased emphasis on cinemas further afield from Glasgow more obvious. All internal links checked for consistency, and major behind-the-scenes tidying done.
The Edinburgh , Aberdeen and Ayr pages are also completely redone, to stop them taking half an hour to load!

Future plans include expanding and adding detail (especially to the Edinburgh page), as well as improving page-loading times - especially on the more image-heavy pages.

Added notes to various pages making clear the latest developments - especially for the Grosvenor, Odeon Renfield St, Odeon Clerk St, Coliseum etc.
Added interior picture of the now-demolished Odeon Motherwell - thanks to Janice Clark.
Added a couple of night-time pics to the Canterbury page.

An update coming soon should include some interior pics from the Savoy, Nottingham, as well as more Stirling pictures courtesy of Alan Bunting.
Stay tuned!

16/12/2002

Added photos from Aberchirder, Aberfeldy, Banff, Huntly, Macduff and Turriff (all accessed from the Scotland page) thanks to Alan Smith.
Added photos from Stirling and Denny thanks to the kind efforts of Alan Bunting.
Updated the Unknown Cinemas page thanks to some new information from various sources.
Fixed a broken link to the UGC cinemas website (thanks to Peter Noble for pointing it out!).

25/11/2002

Added a page with pictures from the ABC Sauchiehall Street redevelopment as promised.
Also made a day-trip to Newcastle to visit the ex- Paramount cinema there (now Odeon), that's sadly due to close tomorrow, plus a couple of other cinemas nearby. Sign the petition here to help prevent the Paramount being demolished!

Back in Glasgow, also added a picture of the interior of the GFT (ex-Cosmo) cinema, plus a pic of the inside of the stained glass window in what was La Scala , Sauchiehall Street (now Waterstones bookshop).

18/11/2002

Thanks to a variety of generous people (see individual pages for detailed credits), have been able to add pages for cinemas in Fife , Jersey , and a selection of Italian cities ( Graz , Milan , Rome and Vienna ).
Next update will include a selection of pictures taken showing the dramatic reconstruction work currently being undertaken at the former ABC Sauchiehall Street...

24/10/2002

Added pages for Greenock , Ardrossan and Saltcoats , thanks to Graham Kelly's new pictures.
Also added a page for the Empire Cinema in Sandwich , Kent thanks to a brief visit there.
Other news: one of my pictures of the New Bedford was used to illustrate an article in the 19th October issue of the Scottish Sunday Mail!

26/09/2002

Updated the Aberdeen pages, added more info, dates and details for several of the cinemas there.

24/09/2002

Thanks to the annual event that is Doors Open Day, added pictures from the interior of the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall . The guided tours of this building were extremely popular, and tickets sold out very quickly!

Also, a big update to the Aberdeen pages, thanks to a recent visit there for its Doors Open Day, allowing a glimpse inside the lovely Tivoli Theatre , hopefully soon to be refurbished and reopened. Many other Aberdeen cinemas added & updated as well.

Thanks to the Aberdeen visit, was also able to add some views from the train of the former BB Cinerama in Perth , currently being demolished...

Last but not least, thanks to Graham Kelly, am able to add some photos for the Plaza in Port Glasgow , the Douglas in Milngavie , and an unknown possible ex-cinema in Kirkintilloch (any info on the latter gratefully received!)

28/08/2002

Added a page for the Cambletown Picture House , as well as an additional picture of the side exterior of the Renfield St Odeon , and the inside of a screen at the UGC Renfield Street .

26/08/2002

Added page for Geneva cinemas thanks to a work visit there.
Since the 'Further Afield' sections keep on growing, reorganised the to be slightly more logical - there are now separate pages for Scotland , the UK , and the World .

If you're reading this, then you'll probably be interested to know that the Glasgow Film Theatre (ex-Cosmo), the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall and the Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen are among the buildings featured in the this years Doors Open Day programme - click here for more information!

12/6/0 2
Added lots of pictures - inside and out - and some more information on the last night for the Grosvenor cinema for some time.
Moved it to the Closed section of the page - hopefully only temporarily!
Sadly also moved the State, Kings Park to the Totally Gone section, as its demolition is complete.
Re-organised this updates page with the most recent stuff more easily found here at the top!
You may also be interested in an exhibition at the People's Palace in Glasgow - called 'A Guid Nicht Oot' it is about Glasgow Music Halls and is organised by the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall Trust - it runs until 20th October.

12/06/2002

Added a new page for Aberdeen , with details of lots of cinemas thanks to Mr Alan Smith.

10/06/2002

Added a few details to the Inverness La Scala .
Added pages for Canterbury in Outside Scotland section.
Added a couple of pictures of the Edinburgh Odeon stalls lounge area.
Added more screen-size and seating details to the UGC City Centre page.

01/06/2002

Added a link to a picture of the interior of the Inverness La Scala .
Added pages for Troon and Irvine .

Finally, updated the ABC Regal page with the latest view of the cinema under redevelopment, now with the readograph removed.

Stay tuned for a big update later this month, with lots of cinemas from the north-east of Scotland, including Aberdeen!

21/04/2002

Updated Coliseum and GFT pages to add a couple more pictures.
Updated Ayr page to add the Gaiety and another theatre.
Reorganised the pictures of cinemas that are outside of Scotland, from a new index page Outside Scotland - this includes pictures from Manchester, Macclesfield, York Nottingham, London Leicester Square and Ann Arbor, USA.
Added page for Inverness and a page for 'Unknowns ' - buildings that may or may not be cinemas. If anyone can shed any light on of any them, please get in touch!
Finally, added a large number of Edinburgh ex-cinemas (on the second page). A lot more information will be added for each one in the near future.

24/03/2002

New page added for Glasgow's other Regal Cinema on the little-known Kelvin Street...
Also, couple of new pictures added to the Glasgow Theatres page - City Halls & Ramshorn Theatre.

18/02/2002

Following a trip to Ayrshire, new pages added for Prestwick and Ayr , featuring an original Mather Odeon. Many thanks to Marie Smith for being my guide on this trip.

06/02/2002

Big update today, thanks to a whirlwind visit of 21 cinemas in one day, courtesy of Mr Gary Painter's excellent driving and navigation.
New pages added for:
Bombay
Showcase Glasgow East
UCI East Kilbride
Imperial
Westway, Cardonald
Mecca, Possil
Elephant
Govanhill Picture House
Hampden Picture House
State
Vogue
Waverley, Shawlands
Black Cat, Bridgeton
Parade, Dennistoun
Premier, Shettleston
Riddrie

Cambuslang - the Savoy
Coatbridge - the Regal
East Kilbride - Cinema 1 & 2
Hamilton - the La Scala and the Regal

The following were also confirmed as having been demolished:
The Empress, Govan St (now Ballater St)
Queen's Cinema, Battlefield Road
Pavilion/Green's Cinema, Stonelaw Road
Govan Cross Picture Palace, Helen Street

27/01/2002

Big important update: thanks to the generosity of Kevin Gooding, now have gorgeous interior pictures of:
The Grosvenor , Hillhead
The Orient , Gallowgate
The Granada , Parkhead
The ABC / Regal , Sauchiehall Street

- all linked to from their main pages.
Also small update to the ABC / Regal , Sauchiehall Street page.

03/01/2002

Happy New Year! Updated page for the UGC City Centre with a couple more screen-size info, and the Odeon Renfield Street with screen sizes for every screen, and a bit more of its history.

17/12/2001

Updated page for the Grosvenor , including details of its forthcoming transformation.
Added page (linked to from Odeon Renfield St page) showing another ex-Paramount cinema - the Paramount (now Odeon) Manchester , and also one for the only remaining cinema building in Johnstone .

18/11/2001

Updated pages and pictures for Granada Parkhead , as it has now been totally demolished. It has been added as the first link in a new 'Totally Gone' section on the , where cinemas that have been totally demolished, but that I have photographic records for from prior to demolition, can go. Added pages for CCA Glasgow (Centre for Contemporary Arts) and Paisley Showcase cinemas.
Added pages for the Kingsway , and the Crosshill Picture House on the South Side.
Also, a page for the Regal cinema in Renfrew.
Finally, updated the pages for the Hillhead Salon to show its new exterior look as the restaurant 'Gong', and added a picture of the closing message on the readograph of the ABC Toledo Muirend .

17/10/2001

Added pages for Edinburgh , Paisley , and Glasgow Theatres .
Also added pictures of the ABC Muirend interior, and a couple new photos of the Odeon Renfield St..
Rearranged the home page and added spacers for pages I've not added yet, but plan to soon.

24/09/2001

Updated UGC city centre with new photos and screen size info.
ABC Muirend closing date confirmed.

24/09/2001

Added page for Gilmorehill G12 .
Moved UGC city centre to Open As Cinemas section, added new info.
Added details of new restaurant to Hillhead Salon page
Added info about possible closing date to ABC Muirend page.

03/09/2001

Rearranged the index page to make it easier to find things.

27/08/2001

Added the following:
Granada, Parkhead
Orient, Gallowgate
Olympia, Bridgeton
King's, Bridgeton
London Road Picture Palace
Lyceum, Govan also extra details about the GFT, and more pictures of the new UGC City Centre.

22/08/2001

Added closing dates for ABC/Regal Sauchiehall St, also re-added missing page of photos of the Regal.

23/07/2001

Pages added for:

Pavilion, Dumbarton
La Scala, Clydebank
La Scala, Helensburgh
and also an update to the Ascot pages with photos of its demolition.

18/07/2001

Pages added for:

City Picture House
Theatre de Luxe
Grand Central
La Scala
Vitagraph
Coliseum
Electric Picture Theatre
Kelvin
New Bedford
New Kent
Norwood
Panopticon
Rosevale
Star Palace
Zoo Electric Picture Palace

May 2001

Website set up, initial pages added. The basic idea is to try to catalogue what remains of the once many cinemas of Glasgow. Consequently, only cinemas which have some form of physical presence remaining are featured.