Very interesting video of the ritz cinema birkenhead. I think this was located at the bottom of Claughton Road, roughyl were the Wilkinsons and bus station.
There are pictures and information on the Ritz earlier in this thread here.
Bennyboy The New Theatre Royal was a bit further along almost opposite Lorn Street. 1911 Is it the same one?? Will try and have a pint in The Old Colonial tomorrow, was in the Blue Bell week before last and forgot about TOC
Couple of maps showing the location of the New Theatre Royal.
Never went to Wallasey much. The only one I remember was the Continental, which showed esoteric stuff, like opera. You used to be able to order coffee & they would bring it to you during the interval.
My cousin worked at the Continental. When we were quite small my twin and I would go on a Saturday afternoon and we thought we were very important when we had coffee brought to us. I think this is where I got my love of Art House and foreign films.Was only about age nine when we saw there 'Macbeth' in Japanese with subtitles, and even now I remember him dying in the snow-perhaps hari kari-It was along time ago!
We both used to go on Saturday mornings to The Liscard Palace in Seaview Road and when we got an autograph book each it was a must to get the autograph of the Manager, as to us he was God. When the film went off we loved to stamp our feet.The Cisco Kid and Tonto, and Flash Gordon were my favourites.
The ABC at The Liscard roundabout (now removed) had the ABC Minors Club, and we got badges and had fancy dress and other competitions. It seemed a bit more sofisticated but both cinema's were good in their own way.
I pretended to be age sixteen and saw 'The Long the short and the tall' at age 12, and did the same with schoolfriends to see 'Psyco'which scared the living daylights out of us, when Anthony Perkins was creeping around about to stab the girl in the shower. This was at the Gaumont in King Street.
We also liked to go to the cinema in Victoria road in New Brighton and one by the station, and also one by the Salvation Army in Poulton Road.
When older the Hoylake Cinema was ok.
Very sad those days are gone because we did have great times there.
My parents bought the old Gaumont Cinema park road east Birkenhead about 14 years ago and turned it into a furniture shop. over the past few years there has been alot of strange things going on in and around the building but none so strange as the little girl the staff have now seen on several occasions, there was a customer that came in some time ago who worked there while it was a bingo hall an said when she was there their were some strange goings on back then she mentioned a little girl who wanders the ground floor but also a women that is in the dress circle. Does anybody know who these people are or of any accident or incidents that might have happened to make these lost spirits roam the old place. I myself have never seen anything and have often been down in the old cellars and up in the top projection rooms alone, and although they were very eerie i just always put it down to the dimness and dankness of the old building. We know at some time there was a fire as the back stairwell walls are still very smoke damaged and when we brought the building the dress circle and top circle seats were still in place but burnt. can anybody help. thanks
My parents bought the old Gaumont Cinema park road east Birkenhead about 14 years ago and turned it into a furniture shop. over the past few years there has been alot of strange things going on in and around the building but none so strange as the little girl the staff have now seen on several occasions, there was a customer that came in some time ago who worked there while it was a bingo hall an said when she was there their were some strange goings on back then she mentioned a little girl who wanders the ground floor but also a women that is in the dress circle. Does anybody know who these people are or of any accident or incidents that might have happened to make these lost spirits roam the old place. I myself have never seen anything and have often been down in the old cellars and up in the top projection rooms alone, and although they were very eerie i just always put it down to the dimness and dankness of the old building. We know at some time there was a fire as the back stairwell walls are still very smoke damaged and when we brought the building the dress circle and top circle seats were still in place but burnt. can anybody help. thanks
