Comments from Richard Louis Havard

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Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about Tivoli Cinema on Oct 29, 2015 at 3:36 pm

The Electra Cinema High St. Gorseinon with original frontage as built. The remains of this cinema must be one of the oldest cinema buildings in Wales.

Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about Dorothea Cinema on May 5, 2012 at 7:35 pm

THis cinema still stands at the rear and at first floor level of the Dorothe Cafe. Its now a secondhand book store.

Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about Grand Theatre on May 5, 2012 at 7:32 pm

I was with Swansea Little Theatre in the 1960’s assisting with stage lighting their plays at the Palace Theatre. We moved out around 1962 and staged plays at the Royal Insitution with a fit up and also one, Little Women, at the Grand Theatre. The sage lighting board was by Atlas and they used tubes for the footlights and batterns, the dips were either tungstan or fluro. tubes. The only other board I ever saw like this was at the Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Cardiff. Adverts were screened at the Grand with the house lights up during the interval on some very rough Kalee 20'sand projected onto the safety curtain.

Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about La Charrette Cinema on May 5, 2012 at 7:24 pm

Street View shows West End Square Gorseinon, Lido was on right beyond Bank building, new red brick flats mark the cinema site.

Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about La Charrette Cinema on May 5, 2012 at 7:21 pm

THis private cinema was run by Gwyn Phillips who at some time had been projectionist at the local Lido Cinema on the West End Square in Gorseinon. This Lido cinema was run by Richards & Firth and was fitted with Kalee 20’s and scope in the early 1950s. The building was a skating rink before conversion. End as a Bingo Hall and in the last few years has be demolished and flats built on the site.

Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about Pavilion Cinema on May 5, 2012 at 7:16 pm

I was at school in Pontardawe from 1955-1961 and our Head Boy and Girsl, brother and sister, were the children of J Walter Bynorth who ran the Lyric and Public Hall cinemas. There was also a “tin shed” which was a Berlie Bra factory which I understood from local school friends( I was from Gorseion, outside of the local area) was the old Pavilion cinema. It was on the left going up the main road to Brecon after passing over the Square, set back in a side street almost opersite the church and before you got to the police station. I understand it had started as a skating rink, then a dance hall and only then a cinema.Listed in Kine Year Books around 1950-53 but with no details apart from the name. J Walter Bynorth ( how could you forget such a name!) is also shown running various cinemas in the South Wales in earlier editions prior to his move to Pontardawe. Hope this helps Editha. Richard Havard.

Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about Palace Theatre on Feb 11, 2008 at 9:27 am

I started in stage lighting at the Palace Theatre around 1960 as a member of Swansea Little Theatre. The theatre had be re equipped a few years earlier by Maudie Edwards who intended to run rep there,it failed. There was a Strand Sunset switchboard in the flys stage right,which controled three colour footlights and two batterns, 3 dips stage left and right and about 6 spots on No1 bar. The projection room was used for the ice cream fridge but still had two sets of steel pipes set in the floor with bolts at the top to take the 3 legs of the projectors. There was a managers flat at the back of the gallery, used for our wardrobe. An original gas sun burner was still in the roof space to ventilate the hall. A very large motor generator set was in a room at ground floor level at the rear which must have powered the projector arcs. A very scary basement under the building was used to store flats and props, some said it had been used as a morgue during the blitz on Swansea in the 1940,s. The ground floor was a pub not shops, and was flooded once by the drenchers being set off in the dark rather than the safety curtain on the way out of the building one night and they ran all night!! Lots more I could tell about Swansea Little Theatre at the Palace, we moved out around 1962/3 when lease ran out and owners wanted to demolish the building. I understand its up for sale again 2/2008.
Richard Havard.

Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about Plaza Cinema on Feb 8, 2007 at 2:44 pm

The architect was also responsible for the hugh PLAZA Swansea and used the same concrete design along the front of the canopy.Both cinemas were owned by the same chain.

Richard Louis Havard
Richard Louis Havard commented about Studios 1-2-3 on Feb 8, 2007 at 2:41 pm

Lyn Thomas was son of Harry Thomas who built and ran the TIVOLI Cinemma at Gowerton near Swansea. This burnt down during WWII and was rebuilt and opened by Lyn Thomas in the early 1950’s. He also ran the ELECTRA Cinema Gorseinon, and the TIVOLI Cinema pontardulais and I think the Price of Wales Cinema Glyn Neath. The church conversion was very well done but VERY DIY! The crypt screen was projected from a box at the rear of the church at ground floor level via an inverted periscope ( again home made) The 3rd screen projected across the alter area of the church via a projector that was just left to run. Fingers crossed the flim did not snap! Projectors in the main box were set up on steel file cabinets laid on their side to get the beam above people’s heads. A lash up but it worked!
Richard Havard