A memory from when I lived in the area in the 1960s. When 70mm was installed, the back six rows of the stalls could not be used because you couldn’t see the top of the screen as it was cut off by the front of the circle. I once went to a Saturday kids' matinee of ‘War Games’ in 70mm. The 70mm was great but the kids running around was a nuisance. I saw many other 70mm stuff there.
Further to Terry’s comments below about articles in the Northern Echo, here is a posting in that newspaper last September from ‘Charter123’
It would be good if we could locate the gentleman who posted this comment on the Northern Echo’s website in October last year, though perhaps he is already one of us!
Charter1232 8th September 2020 01:30 pm
User ID: 1799630
1I worked on the Management side of ABC for over 20 years and George Skelton, Manager of the 2,429 capacity ABC Globe, was a very good friend during the 1970’s and 1980’s. George often spoke about his years at the Globe where he transferred in 1962 from the ABC Ritz Huddersfield. He NEVER referred to any plans of ABC to dispose of the theatre in the mid 1960’s when it was their top live venue (after the ABC Blackpool) and whilst films continued to perform well.
When the 1970’s arrived, various schemes were considered for the Globe including a subdivision which would have retained the stage. There were various others mooted at the time. When, however, the adjacent Department Store, Debenhams wanted to expand their premises they offered ABC an eye watering sum which they accepted and with this capital they purchased the Essoldo Newcastle to give them a long term foothold in that city where their own theatre, the ABC Haymarket, had been compulsorily purchased by Newcastle University and leased back to ABC on very short term tenure.
For some reason Debenhams never proceeded with their expansion plans and after briefly leasing the Globe to the Lipthorpe Brothers (Fiesta Club etc) they sold it to Mecca who did indeed maintain it to a high standard until they moved to new purpose built premises in 1997.
Most ironically, Debenhams recently closed whilst the Globe prepares to reopen following a £27.9 million refurbishment.
Incidentally, the photo of the Globe as the ABC Stockton (ABC dropped individual names at most of their theatres in the 1960’s) showing ‘The Ten Commandments’ was taken in 1973 when the film was on re-release. When in 1958 (in the UK ) Paramount originally launched the film it played on the Rank Organisation Circuit (Odeons and Gaumonts) and in certain independent cinemas (in Stockton it played at the Essoldo on the High Street) but that film corporation later switched their product to ‘Associated British Cinemas’.
From ‘Irish Cinemas’ by Jim Keenan - with permission:
Founded by John M Murphy, the Stella Cinema opened on 26 April 1927. It seated about 500 and the first film shown there was The Midshipman, Under the heading ‘A rat goes to the pictures’, the Irish Press reported on 27 October 1955 that “Women screamed in Bantry’s Stella Cinema when a rat got into the parterre during a showing of Sabrina Fair.” Early on the morning of 15 July 1942, a serious fire occurred at the cinema, which completely destroyed it, leaving only the outer walls standing. It was rebuilt but by the late 1970s the cinema had deteriorated badly and the roof leaked. It closed for a major renovation and opened again on 25 July 1980 with The Empire Strikes Back The newly-refurbished cinema seated 203 (124 in the stalls and 79 in the balcony). It continued to operate throughout the 1980s but was put up for sale in 1990. In recent years the building was used as a furniture store then offices for the Bantry Show. it had no connection to the Stella in Rathmines in Dublin.
It seems likely that the auditorium was completely demolished [flats] but the foyer block and frontage was modified to become Puccini’s Italian Restaurant. Look at the wall facing the side road [Janson Road] - the openings are the same.
A block of flats called Kings Court now stands on the site. GPS ref:
54°52.328'N, 1°36.788'W, actually not far from where the estimated postcode puts it.
Looking at Google StreetView, the façade seems to have been demolished and a NEXT store is in its place. Dates from the earliest view dated 2008. It was still there when I photographed it in July 2004.
Was the cinema demolished to build the fitness centre or converted? The fitness centre is shown on Google Streetview until March 2017 but had been demolished by June 2018.
Link to a high-res photo at Getty Images tinyurl.com/yyjo4x3t
Link to a low-res photo at Science Museum tinyurl.com/y6g8h4ef
Both photos copyright relevant organisations
The auditorium was demolished a couple of years ago and residential accommodation built. In 2018 the foyer is being converted into flats. I understood there was already a flat above the foyer, let on a long lease.
Somersetlive.co.uk gives the opening date as January 1921 as the Playhouse. In July 1946 the name changed to Maxime and films ceased in September 1989.
Google StreetView has been inside the Mayfair and the pictures are excellent. Go to [www.google.co.uk/maps] and search for “Mayfair Chadwell” then drag the orange man to the street or the blue circles on the building.
A pdf with several pages of information about the building can be downloaded at:
http://dcc-live-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/FH0241-Esh-Winning-Miners-Hall_opt.pdf
HE gives the building as Grade II listed https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1103471
Google Streetview dated September 2020 shows the building gone completely.
A memory from when I lived in the area in the 1960s. When 70mm was installed, the back six rows of the stalls could not be used because you couldn’t see the top of the screen as it was cut off by the front of the circle. I once went to a Saturday kids' matinee of ‘War Games’ in 70mm. The 70mm was great but the kids running around was a nuisance. I saw many other 70mm stuff there.
Further to Terry’s comments below about articles in the Northern Echo, here is a posting in that newspaper last September from ‘Charter123’ It would be good if we could locate the gentleman who posted this comment on the Northern Echo’s website in October last year, though perhaps he is already one of us! Charter1232 8th September 2020 01:30 pm User ID: 1799630 1I worked on the Management side of ABC for over 20 years and George Skelton, Manager of the 2,429 capacity ABC Globe, was a very good friend during the 1970’s and 1980’s. George often spoke about his years at the Globe where he transferred in 1962 from the ABC Ritz Huddersfield. He NEVER referred to any plans of ABC to dispose of the theatre in the mid 1960’s when it was their top live venue (after the ABC Blackpool) and whilst films continued to perform well.
When the 1970’s arrived, various schemes were considered for the Globe including a subdivision which would have retained the stage. There were various others mooted at the time. When, however, the adjacent Department Store, Debenhams wanted to expand their premises they offered ABC an eye watering sum which they accepted and with this capital they purchased the Essoldo Newcastle to give them a long term foothold in that city where their own theatre, the ABC Haymarket, had been compulsorily purchased by Newcastle University and leased back to ABC on very short term tenure. For some reason Debenhams never proceeded with their expansion plans and after briefly leasing the Globe to the Lipthorpe Brothers (Fiesta Club etc) they sold it to Mecca who did indeed maintain it to a high standard until they moved to new purpose built premises in 1997. Most ironically, Debenhams recently closed whilst the Globe prepares to reopen following a £27.9 million refurbishment. Incidentally, the photo of the Globe as the ABC Stockton (ABC dropped individual names at most of their theatres in the 1960’s) showing ‘The Ten Commandments’ was taken in 1973 when the film was on re-release. When in 1958 (in the UK ) Paramount originally launched the film it played on the Rank Organisation Circuit (Odeons and Gaumonts) and in certain independent cinemas (in Stockton it played at the Essoldo on the High Street) but that film corporation later switched their product to ‘Associated British Cinemas’.
From ‘Irish Cinemas’ by Jim Keenan - with permission: Founded by John M Murphy, the Stella Cinema opened on 26 April 1927. It seated about 500 and the first film shown there was The Midshipman, Under the heading ‘A rat goes to the pictures’, the Irish Press reported on 27 October 1955 that “Women screamed in Bantry’s Stella Cinema when a rat got into the parterre during a showing of Sabrina Fair.” Early on the morning of 15 July 1942, a serious fire occurred at the cinema, which completely destroyed it, leaving only the outer walls standing. It was rebuilt but by the late 1970s the cinema had deteriorated badly and the roof leaked. It closed for a major renovation and opened again on 25 July 1980 with The Empire Strikes Back The newly-refurbished cinema seated 203 (124 in the stalls and 79 in the balcony). It continued to operate throughout the 1980s but was put up for sale in 1990. In recent years the building was used as a furniture store then offices for the Bantry Show. it had no connection to the Stella in Rathmines in Dublin.
It seems likely that the auditorium was completely demolished [flats] but the foyer block and frontage was modified to become Puccini’s Italian Restaurant. Look at the wall facing the side road [Janson Road] - the openings are the same.
Google StreetView dated August 2018 shows it demolished.
A block of flats called Kings Court now stands on the site. GPS ref: 54°52.328'N, 1°36.788'W, actually not far from where the estimated postcode puts it.
Looking at Google StreetView, the façade seems to have been demolished and a NEXT store is in its place. Dates from the earliest view dated 2008. It was still there when I photographed it in July 2004.
Was the cinema demolished to build the fitness centre or converted? The fitness centre is shown on Google Streetview until March 2017 but had been demolished by June 2018.
Link to a high-res photo at Getty Images tinyurl.com/yyjo4x3t Link to a low-res photo at Science Museum tinyurl.com/y6g8h4ef Both photos copyright relevant organisations
The cinema was equipped for 70mm.
It was demolished in 1994
Google Streetview shows building taking place on the site in May 2016 and by May 2018 the building is complete – shops and flats, I assume.
According to Google Streetview it was a Tesco Express in 2009 and still is in 2019.
in 2019 it had become a private house – see uploaded photo.
The map is wrong but the postcode is right.
The auditorium was demolished a couple of years ago and residential accommodation built. In 2018 the foyer is being converted into flats. I understood there was already a flat above the foyer, let on a long lease.
Somersetlive.co.uk gives the opening date as January 1921 as the Playhouse. In July 1946 the name changed to Maxime and films ceased in September 1989.
Google StreetView has been inside the Mayfair and the pictures are excellent. Go to [www.google.co.uk/maps] and search for “Mayfair Chadwell” then drag the orange man to the street or the blue circles on the building.
This is as the Vogue so it is likely to be in the 1970s. The neon-lit tower has already gone.
[ely.ccan.co.uk/content/tag/the-rex-cinema-ely] A page from the Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network on the Rex Ely.
A pdf with several pages of information about the building can be downloaded at: http://dcc-live-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/FH0241-Esh-Winning-Miners-Hall_opt.pdf
January 1967
Details and a picture in the Kimberely Heritage Trail booklet at http://kimberleynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/KHT-Full-Booklet-Low-Res.pdf