Ive now been into the cafe at the Carlton which is fantastic. The cafe is actualy on 2 floors behind the dome window you see in the above pictures. Fantastic ornate ironwork on the staircases and pillars holding t he staircase itself. Beautiful stained glass windows at the rear of the top floor. Very well restored and you can imagine it open in its heyday with cinema goers haveing afternoon tea before a film. I have photos of the cafe which i will post when the function is returned.
May i could take this opportunity to ask the editors of Cinema Treasures when we will be able to enter photos again on the site. Maybe there is another way that some could tell me as i have a lot of photoes i want to post here. Thanks.
This was truely a fantastic theatre, i remember a huge sweeping circle and the decoration was very grand. Its a shame Cardiff didnt fight harder to hold on the Capital. It would have been a great home for Welsh National Opera in the years until the Milenium Centre appeared. Cardiff could now have had an equal to theHippodrome theatres in Bristol, Birmingham and the Mayflower in Southampton. In the 70’s i remember seeing a few movies here as well as a live show- An Evening with Bruce Forsyth. Sitting there you felt like you were at the London Palladium in its heyday. What a shame.
Thank goodness for this renovation or whatever you want to call it but at least it looks like a theatre again. The Shubert and the Golden Gate in San Francisco are the most depressing theatres to see a show! Now lets get The Gate looking grand again!
I have March 2007 pictures of the Odeon as it is today. It looks appauling and so run down parts of the exterior are actualy faling off. Hope to post them soon.
Well guys only just over a week left now until Mecca close the doors on this magnificent building. Im still waiting for the tools to upload the 7 or 8 pics i have of the building inside and out. Also i still intend to be there 3 days after it closes for a more varied set of pictures. Lets hope Swansea announces pretty soon what the Albert Hall will be used for. Its listed so we can sleep at night- for now anyway.
I visited The Castle cinema (Swansea folk still remember it fondly as this and not the Filmcenta) in March 2007. I asked if it was possible to take a look inside and take some photos. I was told that the whole place had been gutted to install the LazerQuest game (what the hell are these things anyway?)with nothing to see and that the only thing still there was the screen. I quized about the rumours that it was going to be demolished and the guy said that it was only a rumour and that the games were sold out everynight. Lets keep our eyes open on this one.
Watermans!!!! do u you need a second store in Swansea? Please!
I took a photo which i will post that shows the frontage in a very very sorry state compared to the above photo when it was a cinema.
Thanks Ian! The above photo is proberbly from the 80’s when the building was left to look dreadful and many people just took it for granted it would disappear soon. BUT NO! – thanks to Watermans its still there, tho as explained above minus the auditorium (just a black room-nothing lost!) This new picture is one i took in March 2007 and shows just what a fantastic building it is. I tried to take a photo of the staircase inside the main entrance but was stopped by a security guard who said ‘its against company policy- no photos’ – i replyed that i wasnt taking photos of books!!!! but he wasnt having any of it. If anything id like to thank Watermans for the outstanding work theyve done. Ian x
PS i WILL get that staircae photo!
The Albert Hall Swansea closes its doors for the last time as a bingo hall on Saturday 31st March 2007.
I was in Swansea a few days ago unaware that it was to close (funny how these things are kept quiet locally!!) and asked if i could possibly take a few photos inside. The guy i spoke to was very interested but the manager said no photos due to gambling laws!!! Then i was told that it was actualy closeing down for good on the 31st March and if i came back after that date i could take as many photos as i liked. I asked what was going to happen to the building and was told that when Mecca vacate on the 31st they have to remove everything because its a listed building. Its being considered as a music venue- perfect setting for classical orchestras etc i think!
Im not sure how so many photos of bingo halls get onto this site -i can can only imagine cameras being sneaked in and when the bingo caller yells ‘eyes down’ the cameras came out! True/False?
ANYWAY. I couldnt handle the thought of maybe never getting some photos of the auditorium so later that day i returned and took out membership. Later still i returned again and entered the Albert Hall for the first time since it closed in 77. Wow wow wow! Firstly i was taken aback by the sheer size of the auditorium and how deep it was. As i proceeded to take a ‘table with a view’ i began to take in the absolute beauty of the place- incedible tal also with fantastic ceiling decor. It’s very similar to an old music hall set up. Where the screen once was is now clearly visable as a very large concert platform with wonderful paneled decor. All mouldings on the circle fronts and everywhere are intact and everthing in perfect condition. If it closed today and was given a paint job of cream and gold it would be nothing short of spectacular. Well i sat there and the games began- this used to seat anything between 2000 & 2500 as a cinema but i counted no more than 30/40 there this night- i had my camera out and started to click away as best i could. I sat remembering seeing a very diverse programe there as a teenager- The Towering Inferno- Benji- Man About The House movie along with other tv show films- The Sound Of Music- Planet of the Apes -Mary Poppins and al those double bills! wow! At the end of the night i just walked around and took as many as i could with nobody looking at me twice including the staff. Now im not sure how to upload the pictures at the moment- a friend is going to help me very soon. I know you will be impressed with inside and i look foreward to all your comments. Ian
PS i needed number 2 to win £2287 !
Thanks Richard. Yea that sounds like the stories i heard of the operation at the Studio. I cant believe it actually stayed open as long as it did, i remember sitting in all 3 screens on many occasions as the only patron!! At that time Swansea had 3 major,large cinemas open which proberbly explains why the Studios were always empty. I know that some of the seats came from the Albert Hall and The Carlton (i loved The Albert Hall-huge old fashioned picture house!)
Virtually all the fittings such as the hanging lighting is still there in the new niteclub, intact and used as a focal point to the evening. I could have stood there for hours, actualy i did!
The decor was dreadful – dark blue with hexagonal panels on the ceiling and walls. It did tho, have a great sweeping stadium auditrium. I remember being facinated by the enourmous ‘floating’ screen which i believe was one of the very first in the country. I still think the Plaza should be standing there today. I knew the projectionist here and he told me that everytime the Odeon Leicester Square had new seating the old ones were installed in the Odeon Swansea
The above picture shows what a grand building the Albert Hall is. I would love to see some interior pictures. I rember the main foyer being very grand and proberbly the height of the building with large double staircase leading to the circle on the right as you entered. The box office and concession shop were directly facing the street. I will try myself to get some interior pics on a future visit but maybe someone already has some??
What condition is the auditorium in with this Laser game thing thats there at the moment? In the above pictures i remember that awful pleated curtain on the walls and by the time it closed most of it was off and in a dreadful state! I remember going to see Grease here on its initial release with my friend Tammy- we went nearly every Saturday for its run. It realy was a flea pit but it have a distinct charm. Amazing to think that a lot of major movies had there premiere release there like E.T , Batman and Raiders Of The lost Ark I miss old cinemas like this so much
Of course they didnt go too far! I hope they took mug shots and ban them from ever entering a cinema again! Maybe a police officer should sit in on every screening! Well done!
……and may you get another 15,000 more!! I enjoy visiting the site about 4 / 5 times a week and always find something of great interest. I travel the world and always find it intersting to check out the movie palace history of the citys im about to or have just visited. Ive entered a few houses myself that i hope people will elaborate on (Swansea is where i added info!-help anyone!)
Guys, may i take this opportunity to ask a related question to this site. Does anyone know of a site like this that is dedicated to theatres -open-closed-demolished- in the UK as in lyric theatres, opera houses etc that is?? Ive visited a few theatre sites but they can be rather messey and time consuming NOT at all like the set up of Cinema Treasures. At the moment its a list of UK theatres i was interested in.
So. once again, i wish this site all the best for the future!
Hey jason, thanks for that! I had a pretty good idea it was this one but as there are so many old cinemas in Chelsea i just wanted to make sure. I saw Rocky when it went to the West End but i know a few people who saw it at the Classic. They said it was amazing it was ever allowed to open cos the ceiling was comeing down, wallpaper falling on the audience- how very atmospheric for Rocky! The show lost all its raw fun when it went to the 800+ Comedy, but at least it had a good few years in the West End. Great to be in touch with you on this amazing site
You couldnt ask for a better preservation than whats been done here! OK OK its not in its original use but at least its still there! Go to Funny girls and you will see the front of the auditorium wonderfully preserved. When i stood at the back of Flamingos Niteclub which is in the circle area my breath was totally taken away. Even after turning the space into one of the best clubs in Europe i could stand there and see virtually all the old auditorium retained in the clubs use. Original,wonderful hanging ceiling lighting etc. I stood at the very back and thought ‘wow, how big was this place when seen as a complete auditorium- huge!“ Congratulations to Mr Basil Newby and the team
Isnt this the Classic cinema where The Rocky Horror Show played for awhile after premiering at the Royal Court up the road before it went to the West Ends Comedy Theatre??
Hello! does anyone have any info, large or small on the other great cinemas that swansea no longer has. There was The Castle, The Carlton and The glorious Plaza. I know the foyer area of the Carlton is now a bookshop (auditorium demolished!). The Castle is complete but is a lazer game place!!!!!!. The Plaza on the Kingsway was demolished sometime in the 60’s to be replaced by the very grand Odeon wich in turn has now closed. Swansea now only has the Odeon Parc Tawe which is multiplex and the Vue which opened in Oct 06, again a multiplex. As i said any info however little would be fantastic. I spent my childhood Saturdays at these picture palaces (well except the Plaza as i was a little too young) Ian Howells
Ive now been into the cafe at the Carlton which is fantastic. The cafe is actualy on 2 floors behind the dome window you see in the above pictures. Fantastic ornate ironwork on the staircases and pillars holding t he staircase itself. Beautiful stained glass windows at the rear of the top floor. Very well restored and you can imagine it open in its heyday with cinema goers haveing afternoon tea before a film. I have photos of the cafe which i will post when the function is returned.
May i could take this opportunity to ask the editors of Cinema Treasures when we will be able to enter photos again on the site. Maybe there is another way that some could tell me as i have a lot of photoes i want to post here. Thanks.
This was truely a fantastic theatre, i remember a huge sweeping circle and the decoration was very grand. Its a shame Cardiff didnt fight harder to hold on the Capital. It would have been a great home for Welsh National Opera in the years until the Milenium Centre appeared. Cardiff could now have had an equal to theHippodrome theatres in Bristol, Birmingham and the Mayflower in Southampton. In the 70’s i remember seeing a few movies here as well as a live show- An Evening with Bruce Forsyth. Sitting there you felt like you were at the London Palladium in its heyday. What a shame.
Thank goodness for this renovation or whatever you want to call it but at least it looks like a theatre again. The Shubert and the Golden Gate in San Francisco are the most depressing theatres to see a show! Now lets get The Gate looking grand again!
I have March 2007 pictures of the Odeon as it is today. It looks appauling and so run down parts of the exterior are actualy faling off. Hope to post them soon.
Well guys only just over a week left now until Mecca close the doors on this magnificent building. Im still waiting for the tools to upload the 7 or 8 pics i have of the building inside and out. Also i still intend to be there 3 days after it closes for a more varied set of pictures. Lets hope Swansea announces pretty soon what the Albert Hall will be used for. Its listed so we can sleep at night- for now anyway.
I visited The Castle cinema (Swansea folk still remember it fondly as this and not the Filmcenta) in March 2007. I asked if it was possible to take a look inside and take some photos. I was told that the whole place had been gutted to install the LazerQuest game (what the hell are these things anyway?)with nothing to see and that the only thing still there was the screen. I quized about the rumours that it was going to be demolished and the guy said that it was only a rumour and that the games were sold out everynight. Lets keep our eyes open on this one.
Watermans!!!! do u you need a second store in Swansea? Please!
I took a photo which i will post that shows the frontage in a very very sorry state compared to the above photo when it was a cinema.
Thanks Ian! The above photo is proberbly from the 80’s when the building was left to look dreadful and many people just took it for granted it would disappear soon. BUT NO! – thanks to Watermans its still there, tho as explained above minus the auditorium (just a black room-nothing lost!) This new picture is one i took in March 2007 and shows just what a fantastic building it is. I tried to take a photo of the staircase inside the main entrance but was stopped by a security guard who said ‘its against company policy- no photos’ – i replyed that i wasnt taking photos of books!!!! but he wasnt having any of it. If anything id like to thank Watermans for the outstanding work theyve done. Ian x
PS i WILL get that staircae photo!
The Albert Hall Swansea closes its doors for the last time as a bingo hall on Saturday 31st March 2007.
I was in Swansea a few days ago unaware that it was to close (funny how these things are kept quiet locally!!) and asked if i could possibly take a few photos inside. The guy i spoke to was very interested but the manager said no photos due to gambling laws!!! Then i was told that it was actualy closeing down for good on the 31st March and if i came back after that date i could take as many photos as i liked. I asked what was going to happen to the building and was told that when Mecca vacate on the 31st they have to remove everything because its a listed building. Its being considered as a music venue- perfect setting for classical orchestras etc i think!
Im not sure how so many photos of bingo halls get onto this site -i can can only imagine cameras being sneaked in and when the bingo caller yells ‘eyes down’ the cameras came out! True/False?
ANYWAY. I couldnt handle the thought of maybe never getting some photos of the auditorium so later that day i returned and took out membership. Later still i returned again and entered the Albert Hall for the first time since it closed in 77. Wow wow wow! Firstly i was taken aback by the sheer size of the auditorium and how deep it was. As i proceeded to take a ‘table with a view’ i began to take in the absolute beauty of the place- incedible tal also with fantastic ceiling decor. It’s very similar to an old music hall set up. Where the screen once was is now clearly visable as a very large concert platform with wonderful paneled decor. All mouldings on the circle fronts and everywhere are intact and everthing in perfect condition. If it closed today and was given a paint job of cream and gold it would be nothing short of spectacular. Well i sat there and the games began- this used to seat anything between 2000 & 2500 as a cinema but i counted no more than 30/40 there this night- i had my camera out and started to click away as best i could. I sat remembering seeing a very diverse programe there as a teenager- The Towering Inferno- Benji- Man About The House movie along with other tv show films- The Sound Of Music- Planet of the Apes -Mary Poppins and al those double bills! wow! At the end of the night i just walked around and took as many as i could with nobody looking at me twice including the staff. Now im not sure how to upload the pictures at the moment- a friend is going to help me very soon. I know you will be impressed with inside and i look foreward to all your comments. Ian
PS i needed number 2 to win £2287 !
Thanks Richard. Yea that sounds like the stories i heard of the operation at the Studio. I cant believe it actually stayed open as long as it did, i remember sitting in all 3 screens on many occasions as the only patron!! At that time Swansea had 3 major,large cinemas open which proberbly explains why the Studios were always empty. I know that some of the seats came from the Albert Hall and The Carlton (i loved The Albert Hall-huge old fashioned picture house!)
Mr Roe you are amazing!
Virtually all the fittings such as the hanging lighting is still there in the new niteclub, intact and used as a focal point to the evening. I could have stood there for hours, actualy i did!
The decor was dreadful – dark blue with hexagonal panels on the ceiling and walls. It did tho, have a great sweeping stadium auditrium. I remember being facinated by the enourmous ‘floating’ screen which i believe was one of the very first in the country. I still think the Plaza should be standing there today. I knew the projectionist here and he told me that everytime the Odeon Leicester Square had new seating the old ones were installed in the Odeon Swansea
The above picture shows what a grand building the Albert Hall is. I would love to see some interior pictures. I rember the main foyer being very grand and proberbly the height of the building with large double staircase leading to the circle on the right as you entered. The box office and concession shop were directly facing the street. I will try myself to get some interior pics on a future visit but maybe someone already has some??
What condition is the auditorium in with this Laser game thing thats there at the moment? In the above pictures i remember that awful pleated curtain on the walls and by the time it closed most of it was off and in a dreadful state! I remember going to see Grease here on its initial release with my friend Tammy- we went nearly every Saturday for its run. It realy was a flea pit but it have a distinct charm. Amazing to think that a lot of major movies had there premiere release there like E.T , Batman and Raiders Of The lost Ark I miss old cinemas like this so much
Of course they didnt go too far! I hope they took mug shots and ban them from ever entering a cinema again! Maybe a police officer should sit in on every screening! Well done!
……and may you get another 15,000 more!! I enjoy visiting the site about 4 / 5 times a week and always find something of great interest. I travel the world and always find it intersting to check out the movie palace history of the citys im about to or have just visited. Ive entered a few houses myself that i hope people will elaborate on (Swansea is where i added info!-help anyone!)
Guys, may i take this opportunity to ask a related question to this site. Does anyone know of a site like this that is dedicated to theatres -open-closed-demolished- in the UK as in lyric theatres, opera houses etc that is?? Ive visited a few theatre sites but they can be rather messey and time consuming NOT at all like the set up of Cinema Treasures. At the moment its a list of UK theatres i was interested in.
So. once again, i wish this site all the best for the future!
Ian Howells
‘'Keep 'em comeing, STOP knocking 'em down"
Hey jason, thanks for that! I had a pretty good idea it was this one but as there are so many old cinemas in Chelsea i just wanted to make sure. I saw Rocky when it went to the West End but i know a few people who saw it at the Classic. They said it was amazing it was ever allowed to open cos the ceiling was comeing down, wallpaper falling on the audience- how very atmospheric for Rocky! The show lost all its raw fun when it went to the 800+ Comedy, but at least it had a good few years in the West End. Great to be in touch with you on this amazing site
You couldnt ask for a better preservation than whats been done here! OK OK its not in its original use but at least its still there! Go to Funny girls and you will see the front of the auditorium wonderfully preserved. When i stood at the back of Flamingos Niteclub which is in the circle area my breath was totally taken away. Even after turning the space into one of the best clubs in Europe i could stand there and see virtually all the old auditorium retained in the clubs use. Original,wonderful hanging ceiling lighting etc. I stood at the very back and thought ‘wow, how big was this place when seen as a complete auditorium- huge!“ Congratulations to Mr Basil Newby and the team
Isnt this the Classic cinema where The Rocky Horror Show played for awhile after premiering at the Royal Court up the road before it went to the West Ends Comedy Theatre??
Hello! does anyone have any info, large or small on the other great cinemas that swansea no longer has. There was The Castle, The Carlton and The glorious Plaza. I know the foyer area of the Carlton is now a bookshop (auditorium demolished!). The Castle is complete but is a lazer game place!!!!!!. The Plaza on the Kingsway was demolished sometime in the 60’s to be replaced by the very grand Odeon wich in turn has now closed. Swansea now only has the Odeon Parc Tawe which is multiplex and the Vue which opened in Oct 06, again a multiplex. As i said any info however little would be fantastic. I spent my childhood Saturdays at these picture palaces (well except the Plaza as i was a little too young) Ian Howells