SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I was at the Lyric Cinema in Armley on closing night to see Good Morning Vietnam.It was very sad as there were quite a few in and the neon light outside that hadn't been lit for some time was shining brightly.We all knew in our heart of hearts that this would be the last film to show there and we were proved right im afraid.Does anyone else have such memories of visiting a cinema on a closing night ?

nightrider wrote: Does anyone else have such memories of visiting a cinema on a closing night ? The red neon sign at the Lyric has often been lit over the years since the cinema closed. Presumably the present owner/occupiers have a bit of a feel for local nostalgia which is a nice thought.

I used to love the Lyric, they kept on showing Saturday matinee movies right into the 80s, even if it was all the old CFF stuff!

Yes I do remember the neon light being on a long time after the cinema closed. When John and Pat Kingston reopened the Lyric in December 1979 hopes were high that a decent future was ahead of it. Star Wars was shown on that opening night with BBC TV and Radio in attendance. By the mid 1980's though it was a different story with very small audiences (sometimes in single figures). The cinema was very original even then and whilst clean, did need a lot doing to it. In the end I don't think the money was there and John and Pat had to give up. John died not that long afterwards.I visited the Lyric in the mid 1990's when it was used as a warehouse and a large entry door had been punched through where the screen was but there was still a lot of the old cinema there including the ticket box, still complete with tickets in the machine and the projector still in situ. Its probably still there ! The Saturday matinees were still popular but I dont think they continued right up to the end.

This is off-topic insofar as it's not about the Lyric, but it is about cinemas on their last legs. I had the experience of being the only patron in the Essoldo, Newcastle. It was embarrassing when the ice-cream seller walked down the aisle, and I didn't want one. On another occasion at about the same period I was at a cinema in King's Lynn when the performance had to be abandoned owing to power cuts during the miners'/power workers' strikes and the three day weeks. There were only about 6 patrons in there, and the manager offered free tickets for subsequent performances. Because I was "passing through" that was no use to me, but I hadn't the heart to ask for a refund - the manager looked defeated enough as it was.

I dont think I can claim to be the only one in a cinema but I can remember me being one of four in the Lyric !!!Its interesting as I spent 35 years in Leeds and now live in Newcastle upon Tyne and have been here since 1995.Does any one remember the Clifton Cinema at Bramley ?

nightrider wrote: I dont think I can claim to be the only one in a cinema but I can remember me being one of four in the Lyric !!!Its interesting as I spent 35 years in Leeds and now live in Newcastle upon Tyne and have been here since 1995.Does any one remember the Clifton Cinema at Bramley ? Yes. Opposite the bus garage at Bramley Town End. After closure it became Forest Products, a timber & DIY superstore. I did see films at the Clifton, but I can't remember which.