Scottish Cinemas - Stirling
Arcade off King Street
Photo above courtesy of Harry Rigby, as is this rear view
Information and interior photographs courtesy of Murray Thomson and Sam Hayward.
Many thanks to George Pollock of Arcade Developments for access to the building.
The
Stirling Alhambra Theatre was designed by John McLean and opened as the
Arcade Theatre in 1882. It formed part of a larger complex built
between 1879 and 1882 for William Crawford, a local China Merchant,
encompassing a shopping arcade and the Douglas Hotel. The Arcade
remains open to this day and bears the name Crawford Arcade.
The
theatre was used for Variety shows for the first 50 years of its life,
changing its name to the Stirling Alhambra Theatre in 1912.
During this time it played host to many of the best acts on the circuit
including Sir Harry Lauder and was the resident theatre of the Val
Gurney Dramatic Company for a time.
The auditorium consisted of
stalls seating 465 with a foyer to the rear and a wrap round
balcony. The stage area was located above the arcade and both
stalls and balcony were reached from a staircase to the rear of the
theatre…
Scottish Cinemas - Stirling
Arcade off King Street
Photo above courtesy of Harry Rigby, as is this rear view
Information and interior photographs courtesy of Murray Thomson and Sam Hayward.
Many thanks to George Pollock of Arcade Developments for access to the building.
The
Stirling Alhambra Theatre was designed by John McLean and opened as the
Arcade Theatre in 1882. It formed part of a larger complex built
between 1879 and 1882 for William Crawford, a local China Merchant,
encompassing a shopping arcade and the Douglas Hotel. The Arcade
remains open to this day and bears the name Crawford Arcade.
The
theatre was used for Variety shows for the first 50 years of its life,
changing its name to the Stirling Alhambra Theatre in 1912.
During this time it played host to many of the best acts on the circuit
including Sir Harry Lauder and was the resident theatre of the Val
Gurney Dramatic Company for a time.
The auditorium consisted of
stalls seating 465 with a foyer to the rear and a wrap round
balcony. The stage area was located above the arcade and both
stalls and balcony were reached from a staircase to the rear of the
theatre with a further staircase from the entrance to the rear of the
stalls only. The dressing rooms were located in what is now the
Balaclava Ex-Serviceman’s Club.
The auditorium roof was an
impressive affair with curved plasterwork leading to a central dome
constructed by local decorator William Johnston of Friar Street,
The Alhambra was converted to a full time Cinema in
1931 by the Stirling Alhambra (1930) Limited who were based at 2
Dumbarton Road, Stirling. The plans were lodged with the Council
on the 8th of October that year and involved removal of the stalls
foyer to increase the stalls capacity to 505 and the construction of a
projection box and winding room to the rear of the building on tall
brick supports, accessed by an external iron staircase.
The
projection box was to be just 3.6m wide by 2.4m deep and the winding
room 1m wide by 1.4m deep. Both were 2.4m high. The
external staircase would also give access to a generator room, which
was to replace a set of toilets.
Plans for stalls
Plans for gallery
Plans for booth
There were alternative
plans lodged for an internal box but these were not required. The
landowner of the ground to the rear of the Alhambra, baker James
Miller, lodged an objection to the external projection box as he had
not come to an agreement with the company regarding use of his
land. This was withdrawn on the 12th of October following an
agreement with Mr Muirhead, a Director of the company.
The
Alhambra Cinema was managed by Mr WP Young and ownership passed to
Stirling Cinema and Variety Theatres Limited in 1932. Its life as
a cinema was short lived and it closed in 1939, due to the outbreak of
war and the emergence of more modern cinemas in the town centre,
including the Regal , which had 2,200 seats and lay just 2 minutes walk away.
In
1963 local department store Menzies converted the Alhambra for retail
use. The staircase at the rear of the stalls was removed and the
auditorium converted into the furniture department. The balcony
terracing was altered from eight to three levels at the rear and used
to display furniture, with the sides being flattened and used as a
gallery. The Cinema’s lavish ceiling was also removed at this
point.
Stalls plans 1963
Gallery plans 1963
The external staircase was removed and a new door located
at the front of the projection box, opening directly onto the
balcony. The box was used for French polishing and the winding
room converted into a store. The generator was removed and once
again converted to a toilet. The front of the stage was used as a
display area with the rear used as a ladies wear store on the ground
floor and an upholstery store at balcony level. The dressing
rooms had by now been sealed off from the rest of the building.
Later
Menzies created a floor between the balcony sides to convert the main
auditorium into 2 levels with stairs down from the new floor to the
stage level. Menzies’ retail empire shrunk towards the end of the
century and the former Alhambra was returned to the Arcade
owners. It is now used by both the Arcade Management and several
of the shops as a storage area, although new potential uses are being
investigated.
Theatre entrance
Arcade showing lowered stage area
Arcade entrance
Rear of theatre showing projection box and original access doors
RHS of auditorium exterior
Entrance stairway from main entrance to stalls
Detail of ceiling above stalls entrance
Rear LHS of stalls
Stalls view from LHS to RHS of auditorium
Stairs from stalls to stage
View of stalls from stage
RHS of stage
View from stage to balcony
LHS of Stage
Windows at rear of stage
Curve of original RHS balcony
Windows at rear of RHS balcony
Balcony view from LHS to RHS of auditorium
Balcony view from rear LHS to RHS of auditorium
Rear LHS balcony showing original floor joists with notches for tiers
Top of entrance stair at balcony level
LHS of balcony from rear of balcony
RHS of balcony from rear of balcony
Stage from rear of balcony
Void at rear RHS balcony
Entrance to projection box including blocked projection holes
Winding room
RHS projection box
Rear LHS projection box
View to stage from projection box
Original projection holes
winding system in projection box
IMG_0262
View of arcade from LHS balcony
Curved wall at rear of stage
View of balcony from upper level above stage
Winding system on stage
Supports for original balcony joists
Emergency exit from RHS of balcony
Staircase to arcade from RHS of balcony emergency exit
Staircase to arcade from RHS of balcony emergency exit
Staircase to arcade from RHS of balcony emergency exit
Staircase to arcade from RHS of balcony emergency exit
Staircase to arcade from RHS of balcony emergency exit
Staircase to arcade from RHS of balcony emergency exit
Staircase to arcade from RHS of balcony emergency exit
Now empty above shops. The Arcade - including the Alhambra - is Category B-listed .
An archive photo can be seen
courtesy of Stewart Donaldson.
