Western Talkie Theatre
Branch Road,
Leeds,
LS12 3AQ
Branch Road,
Leeds,
LS12 3AQ
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Functions: Restaurant, Supermarket
Previous Names: Pictureland, Armley Picture Hall, Western Talkie Cinema
Nearby Theaters
A former Primitive Methodist Chapel, converted for cinema use in 1910. Opened 25th April 1910 owned by American Bioscope Co. Ltd. Ownership passed to Tommy Thompson and Charles Metcalfe in July 1910.
The name changed to Western Talkie Cinema on 9th November 1933.
It was closed from 26th May 1956 to 21st October 1957, when it reopened. It closed and went over to bingo on 30th December 1960.
The above information is from “Leeds Cinemas Remembered” by Robert E. Preedy.
Kinematograph Year Book for 1914 has no Pictureland in Leeds. There is an Armley Picture Hall on Branch Road, with 600 seats; owned by Thompson & Metcalf.
KYB 1931 has no mention of this cinema under any name. KYB 1942 and 1947 have it as the Western Talkie Theatre (Western Electric sound) with 450 seats and a 24ft proscenium. In KYB 1954 seating has reduced to 427 (for CinemaScope, perhaps?).
On Google Streetview (2014) the building is still standing and sports signs for the Pleasuredrome Amusement Centre (“Launderette, Café, Airconditioned”) and the Noocafe. By 2019 it was in use as a supermarket and Baltic Restaurant.
Contributed by
H J Hill
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 2 comments)
“Leeds Cinemas Remembered” by Robert E. Preedy lists this cinema as opening under the name of ‘Pictureland’.
As KYB 1914 lists it as ‘Armley Picture Hall’, could it be that ‘Pictureland’ was the operating name whilst owned by American Bioscope Co Ltd from April to July 1910?
Last operated by the Shann family, according to the website memorylane.co.uk which has a great selection of internal pictures of the family at work during its final year of operation as a cinema.