Magnet Cinema
11 Old Church Street,
Manchester,
M40 2JE
11 Old Church Street,
Manchester,
M40 2JE
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Snape & Ward Circuit
Architects: Jack Arklie Dargie
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Magnet Super Cinema
Nearby Theaters
Located in the suburb of Newton Heath, northeast of Manchester city centre on the corner of Old Church Street and Dulverton Street. The Magnet Super Cinema was built for the Snape and Ward circuit and opened in December 1938, and it was located adjacent to the Pavilion Cinema, which had opened in June 1914.
The Magnet Super Cinema was a typical Art Deco style cinema of its period, with a striking exterior, containing a slender fin tower. Inside the auditorium seating was on a stadium plan, with a raised stepped section at the rear rather than a conventional overhanging balcony. The screen curtains had a woven pattern picturing a scene of gondolas on a lake.
By 1944 it was independently operated but films were booked by the Snape circuit. The Magnet Cinema was closed on 30th June 1962 with James Cagney in "One, Two, Three" and "Incident in an Alley". It was converted into a supermarket and was later demolished. The site is now the roadway to the Lidl Supermarket car-park. The Lidl Supermarket was built on the site of the adjacent Pavilion Cinema, next to the canal.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The Magnet was built for the Snape and Ward Circuit planning work started in September 1937
Plans approved on proviso that the cinema and 2 lock-up shops were completed within 3 years, client named as Magnet Cinema (Newton Heath) Ltd., 1350 seats, stadium plan, references: Builder 19/11/1937.