The long disused site of the ABC Cinema on Vicar Lane.

[Leodian]

The site of the long demolished (2006?) ABC Cinema (previously the Ritz) on Vicar Lane has been boarded off probably ever since and was hard to see inside and even harder to take photos. I noticed on February 21 2023 that some boarding by the slip road off the Leeds Inner Ring Road was down. I presume it was blown down by the recent strong winds. These are 3 of the photos that I took. The first is looking across the slip road and the second is from that side. The third is from the Vicar Lane side taken through a small gap in the unaffected boarding on that side. The boardings though have clearly never bothered the graffiti painters getting in at some time likely in the past! The sheeting and scaffolding seen in the first and third photo is behind a large advertisement board on the Templar Street car park

SiteOfABCCinemaLeedsFeb212023(1)..jpg (109.57 KiB) Viewed 1951 times

SiteOfABCCinemaLeedsFeb212023(2)..jpg (170.52 KiB) Viewed 1951 times

SiteOfABCCinemaLeedsFeb212023(3)..jpg (207.2 KiB) Viewed 1951 times

[Jann]

I often used to go to the ABC cinema, I remember once going about 1968/1969 to see‘The Exorcist’ - load of rubbish really! We had to queue outside and there were some people giving out leaflets about why no one should watch it as it was evil

[Haapala]

That sounds like quite an experience! I'm sure it must have been quite a shock to see something like The Exorcist back then.

[Jann]

The worst ‘special effect’ was when the Regan’s head turned completely around as she was possessed by the demon ! Suppose nowadays it would be a C.G.I and look completely life like !