Plaza Cinema
Barmouth Road,
Dolgellau,
LL40 2YT
Barmouth Road,
Dolgellau,
LL40 2YT
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Paramount Picture Theatres Ltd.
Styles: Art Deco
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
Guy Baker’s Paramount Picture Theatres Ltd. opened the Plaza Cinema, Dolgellau (aka Dolgelley), Gwynedd, northwest Wales, some time prior to 1944. Sound was by an A.W.H. sound system and 500 seats were provided at rates of 9d to 1/10d. Two dressing rooms were provided for use on the occasional stage performance. Programmes were changed three times per week and performances were continuous in the evenings and from 2.30pm on Saturdays.
The sound system was changed to a British Acoustic one by 1966 and prices had risen to 1/- to 2/6d. CinemaScope had been fitted some time around 1960.
The end came with the death of Guy Baker in 1983 when all his cinemas were closed as a sign of respect, and when no-one came forward to take over the Plaza Cinema, and it was permanently closed. It was converted into a Police Station and has since been demolished to build a new Police Station on the site.
Contributed by
Alun Turner
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
I remember that in 1966 I went along to the Plaza with the 2nd projectionist from the Palladium Pwllheli who was deputising for a week. The film showing was Thunderball. The central heating was out of action and they had a huge fan heater in front of the stage, you could see a flame every now & then,it would never be allowed today, and probably was not supposed to be then either. I remember the fire officers who used to inspect our place (the Town Hall Cinema Pwllheli) were much more thorough that in my latter years before I retired. I liked the Plaza it had no balcony, access to the projection room was from the outside only, I would have found this inconvenient as I quite often liked to pop into the auditorium to check the level of the sound. I think it carried on until 1984, as I beleive the family of Mr Baker decided to run all the cinemas for one year while on sale.
A Police Station is now on site, makes a change to a supermarket I suppose !