Picture House
25 Queen Street,
Tayport,
DD6 9NE
25 Queen Street,
Tayport,
DD6 9NE
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: J.B. Milne Theatres
Previous Names: Volunteer Hall. Tayport Picture House
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In Tayport, Fife, across the Firth of Tay from Dundee, the Volunteer Hall began screen films by the 1920’s. It was puchased by J.B. Milne of Dundee in 1931 and following renovations it was reopened as the Tayport Picture House on 30th October 1931. The proscenium was 20ft wide and a British Thomson Houston(BTH) sound system had been installed. It became what was the 2nd cinema in the J.B. Milne circuit. It was destroyed by fire on 19th June 1946, with only the facade remaining intact. It was repairs and renovated and reopened as the Picture House on 17th March 1947 with Errol Flynn in “San Antonio”.
By 1953 ownership had transferred to Picture House (Tayport) Ltd. J.B. Milne died in September 1968 and the Picture House was immediateley closed. It was later closed and became a store and warehouse. The interior has been gutted.
When I visited, in March 2009, the building was boarded up.
Contributed by
David Simpson
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
The Picture House was the second cinema aquired by J B Milne as he built his circuit into what was eventually one of the largest privately owned cinema chains in the UK. It remained in his ownership up until his death in 1968. By that time The Picture House was open only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with one performance nightly. The projectors were Kalee 8 front shutter. Shortly after Mr Milne’s death the management of J B Milne Theatres Ltd closed the cinema which had been loss making for some time. The whole circuit was later put up for sale and eventually renamed Kingsway Entertainments by the new owners. There is an exterior night view and another of the auditorium in Bruce Peters book Scotland’s Cinemas. Both photos were taken when the cinema was open and thriving.