Leicester's 40 lost cinemas: Do you remember any of these?

[davieG]

Leicester's 40 lost cinemas: Do you remember any of these?

By Leicester Mercury  |  Posted: February 27, 2016

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  There used to be 40 cinemas showing films in Leicester

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Before the days of £8.20 tickets, 3D glasses and tie-in merchandise, there were dozens of cinemas in Leicester.

In fact, Oscar-winning director Stephen Frears once told the Mercury "I recall there were 40 cinemas in Leicester. They had to take a half a page in the Leicester Mail for advertising what they had on."

Now there are only a handful in the city - and on the sites which once hosted luxurious auditoriums, grand entrance halls, decorative balconies and booming organs, you are more likely to find petrol stations, office blocks, shops or car parks.

We've taken a look back at the cinemas where you might have seen movie hits from Star Wars, Ben-Hur or The Sound of the Music on the big screen for the very first time.

 

Let us know your memories of visits to these cinemas in the comments section below. Which films did you see here? Do you prefer these picture houses to the modern multiplexes? And which cinemas have we missed off the list and should have included?

The ABC, in Belgrave Gate

This will be remembered by many as the popular ABC cinema - but in its first incarnation it was the Savoy Cinema and also hosted variety shows, musical performances and pop concerts. Leslie Phillips once compered a show here and Julie Andrews also performed at the venue. The cinema featured a small stage and dressing rooms.

It was re-named ABC in 1960 - and also had periods known run by MGM and Cannon leading to several iother name changes over the years.

 

 

But some 60 years after it first opened, it closed its doors on January 16, 1997, with a screening of Star Trek - First Contact.

Ten years later, it was demolished to make way for a development of flats, a casino, restaurant, shops and bars. But the plans never happened due to the recession.

Classic Cameo Cinema, High Street

This opened in August 1910 as The Electric Theatre - but changed its name many times until its closure in 1976. It was also called the Imperial Playhouse, High Street Cinema, Arcadia Cinema, Cameo News Theatre and Cameo Theatre.

 

 

 

The building's post-cinema life saw it become an amusement arcade and a computer store before the auditorium was demolished in 1994.

Now Blacks is on the site.

Odeon, Queen Street

This large cinema opened in 1938 with a showing of A Slight Case of Murder, starring Edward G. Robinson. It originally had seats for 1,307 people in the stalls and another 875 in the circle.

It was tripled in size in 1974, with two extra cinema screens added. And in 1988 it acquired a fourth screen.

 

 

 

The Odeon closed on July 16, 1997, due to the opening of another new Odeon multiplex at Freemens Park. The last films screened were Batman and Robin, One Fine Day, Karma Sutra and The Fifth Element. The building is now used as the Athena events venue.

Picture House, Granby Street

The 1910 cinema's main entrance was in Granby Street, but it also had an imposing facade at the back in Town Hall Square.

It was renovated and rebuilt in 1925 and went on to become a popular cinema for many years, owned by Rank.

 

 

The Picture House in the 1940s.

It was regarded as a very good example of 1920s 'luxury cinema'.

But that wasn't enough to stop it closing in 1973 and it then stood empty for years before being converted to offices.

Its facade at 7-9 Town Hall Square still remains as it is a Grade II listed building.

Odeon Cinema, Marketplace

This started off life in 1924 as the City Cinema, with The Covered Wagon the first film to be screen there. It had 2,200 seats in stalls and circle, an Apollo organ and also a cafe. But it was closed in April 1964 and the auditorium was demolished.

Six months later a new cinema was built behind the original facade.

 

 

 

The ground floor was the shopping arcade that you can still visit today, and the cinema was the on the first floor. It was notable for its 70mm presentations on the curved screen which measured 45ft wide by 26ft high.

 

 

 

It became a 'roadshow' cinema, a term used by the film industry for cinemas where films opened in a limited number of cities for a limited time before they went on national release. And the The Sound of Music had a two year run at the cinema.

But on May 31, 1975, the cinema closed. It then briefly became an independent movie house called the Liberty Cinema which screened Bollywood films. Since then, it has been used as a bingo club, amusement arcade and a music venue.

 

 

City Cinema, Abbey Street

The cinema located on the ground floor of the Abbey Street car park complex opened in 1969 as the Cinecenta. Originally its two larger screens showed the latest releases, while a smaller screen was for uncensored 'adult' films. It was run by Star, Cannon and MGM before it was closed in 1986 and lay empty for several years. It reopened in 1990. In 2006 it became the City Cinema - and had the cheapest ticket prices in the city at £2.90. It closed in 2014.

 

 

Brian Garner, manager of the City Cinema, Abbey Street, Leicester, in 2007

The Trocadero, Uppingham Road

The "Troc", as it was known, seated more than 2,000 people and featured a ballroom, cafe and even an open air swimming pool -Humberstone Lido - at the rear. In 1938 it was taken over by the ABC group, which also ran the Savoy in town, but it closed in 1963.

 

 

 

It became a bingo hall but was badly damaged in a fire in 1967 and the remains of the building were demolished not long after. A petrol station is now on the site of the entrance, while a block of flats is where the auditorium used to be.

Fosse Cinema, Fosse Road North

In the days when every suburb of Leicester had its own cinema, this Art Deco building could be found on the corner of Fosse Road North and Pool Road, in Newfoundpool.

 

 

It was open from 1936 until 1981, when it was turned into a bingo club. But this was demolished in 1998 and a Tesco Express petrol station is now on the site.

The Tudor Cinema

In 1914, the Tudor Cinema held the opening night of The Sea Wolf, a film which the Mercury described as a "A most thrilling and interesting picture."

The Tudor Cinema's advert in the paper bragged: "ALL ROADS in Leicester lead to the Tudor Cinema."

 

 

By the time the Tudor was built, the city had 15 cinemas for a population of just under 230,000.

But like other small surburban cinemas it struggled due to the rise in popularity of television. The last film was screened there in 1958.

 

And there are still more...

Do you remember any of these?

The Evington in East Park Road,

The Sovereign in Wood Street,

The Plaza in Whetstone,

The Cameo in Belgrave,

The Aylestone, in Aylestone

The Lyric in Clarendon Park Road

The Shaftesbury, in Overton Road

The Star, in Belgrave Gate

The Magna in Wigston

The Empress, in Belvoir Street

The Olympia on Narborough Road

Carlton Kinema, in Gypsy Lane,

Floral Hall Picture Theatre, in Belgrave Gate

Knighton Kinema, in Welford Road

Regal Cinema, in Havelock Street

Roxy Cinema, in Fullhurst Avenue

Sangam Cinema, in Belgrave Gate

Scala Cinema, in Granby Street

Sovereign Cinema, in Woodgate

Westleigh Kinema, in Harrow Road

Read more: http://www.leicester...l#ixzz41MSjVSoh 
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[Webbo]

I used to go to the ABC minors on a Saturday morning when I was a kid.

[separator]

Theres the old cinema in Anstey as well...

 

[Buce]

I remember watching the Troc burning down.

[Rocket-Ron]

Used to watch batman at the old fosse matinees every saturday morning.

[foxoffderby]

Remember watching Empire Strikes Back and Grease at the Evington Cinema. I also watched Rocky 4 at the Odeon with my mates. I remember this well as it was the first time mum let me go to town by myself.

 

Not sure what it was called but I watched Batman M Keaton at the cinema near the old Haymarket. I remember this well as the hype was massive and the que was a quarter of a mile long. I also watched Ghostbusters 2 here with my first girlfriend on our first date. Don't remember much about the film

 ​

[BoyJones]

Used to go to Saturday morning cinema at The Oadby in the 60's.

Been a funeral parlour for many decades now!

[fuchsntf]

All cinemas mentioned...simply because at one time I saw films in one of them.

Not mentioned is the Gaumont on the Market (might of become the other Odeon)

The Gaumont was one of the last organ platforms in the country, that descended before start of film.

'Zulu'premier was shown there, with all the trimmings.

Fosse..kids saturdays. There was one film where the US calvary were getting beaten and all the kids were

cheering, and screaming for the indians, louder than the Kop...

The woodgate cinema, I saw one of the last films shown, It was a Tarzan film.

[pSinatra]

Used to go to the Magna in Wigston almost weekly.  Saw Star Wars there.

 

My Nanna lived near the Fosse.  Saw some right crap there.  I never really got a say in what we watched.

 

I seem to remember there being one in Oadby too.  I'm sure I saw Jaws there.

[Webbo]

I went to the Fosse once or twice. It was cheap to get in there but they didn't seem to have films on until about a month after they'd finished elsewhere.

[Len Finsbury]

Always used to go to the Magna as a kid as it was local. When it closed down, it was always a treat to go in to town to the ABC or the Odeon.

 

I'm a traditionalist and prefer certain things the way they were but these multiplex cinemas really have changed the way we watch films. It doesn't matter when you go to the pictures, there's always something on. In the 70s and 80s, you always had to make a special trip to one that was showing the film you want to see of see in on video in about a year's time!

[rico]

Went to see Jaws at The Evington,Star Wars at The Odeon and Grease at The ABC

[Thracian]

My mother-in-law was an usherette at The Evington in her younger days. A truly lovely woman.

[Countryfox]

Used to watch batman at the old fosse matinees every saturday morning.

 

I used to love Batman with Adam West and Burt ward.  I remember when batman was hanging from a ladder over the sea and a shark had hold of his leg ......    he punched it a few times then sprayed it with 'Shark repellant' that he just happened to have in his utility belt till it let go and never even laddered his tights.  Comedy gold !!    

[Izzy]

Went to see Crocodile Dundee in the mid 80's at the old Odean I think. There was a snooker hall/amusement arcade near by and me and some mates went in before the film. I got mugged and the shit kicked out of me by three black dudes while my mates just stood and watched. 'Down to Earth' by Curiosity killed the Cat was playing on the duke box, and every time I hear it now I'm reminded of my useless cvnt 'mates' bailing on me. Cheers lads

[fuchsntf]

Ben hur, cant remember exactly ,either Odeon or ABC. Just one of those films that belong on the cinema

Screen.

ABC, the Guns of Navaronne, last film with my close family, before sisters got married.

Though still went with my or Mam Dad, to see various Tarzan films, westerns, or Carry on films.

[FLAN]

Saturday mornings running down pool road to the fosse for the kids films. Constant threat of pea shooter inflicted injuries with at least one kid a week ushered out under torchlight with a pea in the eye. Our kids don't know they are born...

Remember an upstairs part in there which I think was a bar which obviously kids couldn't go in to. Seemed shrouded in mystery

[pleatout]

Syston used to have a cinema as well, where Tesco is now.  I saw The Sound of Music there twice,  I'm still not sure why.

[Rocket-Ron]

I used to love Batman with Adam West and Burt ward.  I remember when batman was hanging from a ladder over the sea and a shark had hold of his leg ......    he punched it a few times then sprayed it with 'Shark repellant' that he just happened to have in his utility belt till it let go and never even laddered his tights.  Comedy gold !!    

 

That was the movie version. well worth getting on dvd just for the Adam West / Burt ward commentary, pure comedy gold

[goose2010]

The one in Hinckley is still standing apparently still got the seats and screens in and you can still see the 90's popcorn machines and signage through the window. I think the last film I saw there was 'Honey I blew up the baby' if I won the lottery I would consider opening it and just playing retro 70's 80's and 90's films.

[Vacamion]

The Magna in Wigston had a large breast-like light fitting on the ceiling.

I feel that today, I have added to the sum total of the internet's knowledge.

[NewquayFox]

A couple from my childhood not on the list (as far as I could see) were The Melbourne and one at the bottom of our Street on Green Lane Road/Harewood Street.

Memories of The Battle of Britain at The Evington, Exorcist at The CineCentre and Jaws at The Fosse. My late Mam worked at The Odeon and The Picture House, happy memories of my childhood at the flicks.....

Up the City...