White Cinema
St Annes Square,
Barmouth,
LL42 1AS
St Annes Square,
Barmouth,
LL42 1AS
No one has favorited this theater yet
The White Cinema was established in Barmouth in silent days, opening in 1923. It had a corrugated tin roof and the proscenium was 18ft wide. In line with a number of venues in coastal holiday towns, it showed films continuously during the Summer but only once nightly during the Winter at prices that ranged from 9d to 1/6d. It converted to sound using a Gyratone Sound system. Its proscenium was 18ft in width. By 1951 it was showing films just one show per day with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at prices ranging from 1/- to 2/7d.
Because of the corrugated tin roof, I have been told of the sound being drowned out when it rained heavily. It closed in the late-1950’s and is currently "Buffs Club".
Contributed by
Alun Turner
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Glad to see that this cinema has been listed, I remember being in Barmouth as a kid on probably a Sunday school trip, and my sister took me to see “White Christmas” ( in the middle of summer"!!). A friend who used to work in the Barmouth area told me that the hand winch for the screen masking which changed the format for Cinemascope was in full view inside the auditorium, and one of the usherettes used to operate it, to loud applause ! The building now seems so small from the outside, it’s hard to beleive it used to be a cinema.
Strange looking Cinema.
Does not look like it would hold 400 seats,thanks for the photo eric.
Next time I’m in Barmouth or Abermaw to give it it’s Welsh name,I’ll try to take a better photo of the White. It’s only an hour’s train ride from Pwllheli, but it won’t be until the summer.
It,s probably obvious due to the size of the building but there was no balcony, I remember this vividly although I was only 11 at the time as I had never been to a single floor cinema before.
Thanks eric.
Please try again here for the photo.
View link