Pictureland
High Street,
Cradley Heath,
B64
High Street,
Cradley Heath,
B64
1 person
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Located in Cradley Heath in the Black Country, to the south of Dudley. The Workers Institute was opened on 10th June 1912. It was soon renamed Pictureland when Howard Bishop leased the building to screen films. It was always a silent cinema and in closed in 1933, possibly due to the opening of the new Majestic Cinema nearby and also due to the lack of new silent films.
It went over to presenting boxing matches and this was followed by use as a billiard hall once the raked floor had been leveled.
Plans were to build a new ring road around Cradley Heath and the Pictureland was quite close to where it would be built. Also Tesco supermarkets had plans for a new store near the site. Sandwell Council decided to carefully demolish the building brick by brick and it was rebuilt into the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The Workmen’s Institute is still listed in the 1944 Kine Year Book, but no details provided regarding address, screen size or seating numbers.
Same in the 1948 edition of Kine Year Book. Gone by 1953. Maybe screening films to members of the Workmen’s Institute?