Coliseum Cinema

stephenwischhusen on November 24, 2008 at 11:17 pm

In the 1960’s when I worked for British Cinematograph Theatres, this hall was booked by Willie Morris although I beleive it was owned by Frank Okin. I remember Willie asking me once about spares for the Nevelector Rectifiers and I told him that we had picked up a second-hand one for Enfield Town (Florida) for £50.00 and Willie telling me that the Coliseum was a hall on which he did not want to spend £50.

Ken Roe on March 30, 2007 at 5:14 pm

ken mc; actually there are several other theatres located in Stoke Newington, London on Cinema Treasures……Vogue, Astra, ABC, Coliseum etc.

Regarding the photograph in the link you posted….the text to it is partially correct. It is located in Church Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in an area in the Midlands of England known as the Potteries. Originally the Eagle Music Hall (1880) it became the Music Hall (1882) and by 1900 Queens Palace. It opened as the New Queens Palace (a cinema) in 1910 and closed in 1921. After this it became unused and derelict and was demolished.

In its place, in 1929, was built the building in the photograph; the New Rialto Ballroom and Cafe which opened on 31st December 1929. So sorry, not a theatre/cinema as stated.

exciterlamp on May 15, 2006 at 1:51 pm

Behind the large semicircular window at the front of the buiding was the rewind room / workshop. The projectors were BT-H SUPA Mk.Is, which after closure were visible from the street through the open side door of the projection room. Like other buildings in the area, such as the Dalston Odeon just up this road, this lovely cinema was vandalised by the scum, who now infest this part of North London.

Ken Roe on January 14, 2006 at 2:33 pm

I have now found that this opened as the Electric Coliseum Cinema in January 1913. It had dropped the ‘Electric’ from its name by 1922.