Many thanks to Syd Bird for this weeks Friday Photo. It’s a view of the inside of the old Kingsway Cinema on Market Street (where Home Bargains is) and was taken around the 1920’s or 1930’s. I don’t know, but maybe the interior of the cinema was revamped over the years so it might not look as you remember it?
I wonder whether a slightly alternative/ niche cinema showing arthouse as well as regular films could make a go of it in Hoylake again? Possible use for Hoylake Central Hall as the School of Dance has a planning application in for moving to John David’s empty premises? The Central Hall was closed in the ’70s due to the fire regulations being inadequate but presumably investment could put that right.
So sad that it is gone, I remember them knocking it down. But if you count the seats it looks like about 900 and I dont think the area could support it considering there was competiton from The Winter Gardens, the Tudor and the Phoenix in Moreton. (The Phoenix had glazed baby rooms at the back and an interval tea trolley!). The Parade School held some of their Speech Days at the Kingsway.
Sid’s photo must be a very early one, as I am sure the KW was decorated Art Deco with square lamp arrays direct on the ceiling and oblong ones on the wall.
When they went Cinemascope early 50s the pupils of Hoylake Primary School (including me) were allowed to watch “The Robe” (rel. 1953 – first film in ‘Scope)
Which conviniently leads me to wish all you browsers a Happy Easter
Very glad to see this picture. It is pre-1935 as that was when the cinema was re-vamped, extended and the pillars supporting the balcony removed. Subsequently the light fittings etc. were as Ian P. remembers. In this picture the windows can be seen, which were blocked off during the renovation although the outline was still visible from outside (as per a recent photograph on this site). I believe the original capacity was about 900, but was increased to 1010 during the modernisation.
The Kingsway converted to CinemaScope in October 1954, “The Robe” being indeed the first Cinemascope film shown there. I understand it was the cost of this conversion which sealed its fate some five-and-a-half years later. Apart from the Winter Gardens and the Tudor, the nearest opposition was in fact the Moreton Picture House,on Pasture Road just near Moreton Cross. The Phoenix was in Wallasey, two or three miles further on. The Moreton PH closed in 1964 and the Tudor in early 1965, leaving just the Winter Gardens in the immediate area.