Leeds lost cinemas

zip55 · Post by **zip55** » Wed 28 Nov, 2007 1:25 am

My memory's a bit vague and I haven't lived in Leeds for over 30 years, but I seem to recall a cinema on the corner of Roundhay & Harehills Roads.I never went there though, I used to get dragged by my mam to The Clock to see the latest Elvis or 007 film. Can anyone confirm there used to be one and when it closed, or am I just dreaming?

drapesy · Post by **drapesy** » Wed 28 Nov, 2007 10:01 pm

zip55 wrote: My memory's a bit vague and I haven't lived in Leeds for over 30 years, but I seem to recall a cinema on the corner of Roundhay & Harehills Roads.I never went there though, I used to get dragged by my mam to The Clock to see the latest Elvis or 007 film. Can anyone confirm there used to be one and when it closed, or am I just dreaming? There certainly was zip55! it was discussed on page 8 of this thread.it was called 'The Picture House' - but always refferred to as the'Harehills'It closed a cinema in 1963(5/10/1963 - showing 'the last days of Pompeii') It was then Bingo until demolished in 1968.This pic is from Robert Preedy's 'Leeds Cinemas 2' and dates from c 1966 when the premises were staging bingo.

Post by **cnosni** » Wed 28 Nov, 2007 11:28 pm

Jimbo5553 wrote: Ian R P wrote: Hi,I visited the Rex Cinema near Tommy Wasses, Beeston just before it closed in 1976 to see Peter Pan ( I was 4 ) My dad had to tear me away from Hong Kong Fooey ha haIt was a shame it closed, It was replaced by houses. opposite Tunstall Road was The Pavilion ( building still there), on Dewsbury Road was The Crescent ( eventually became Whinston's ), opposite TGI Fridays was The Wellington ( now a car park ), The Tatler was originally where The Birdcage is now, The Plaza ( Assembly Rooms ) on New Briggate ( now part of The Grand Theatre ), and what was The Town & Country Club on Cookridge Street was originally The Gaumontjimbo The tatler was where Bondi beach is/was in city square,at least it was in the seventies.Went to see Superman there i think,or was it Superman 2.Any way as i remember it was mainly a cinema that showed films for the "long Rain Coat brigade" if you get my drift.http://cinematreasures.org/theater/2721/

Bramley4woods · Post by **Bramley4woods** » Mon 10 Dec, 2007 10:18 pm

[quotenick="drapesy"] raveydavey wrote: Here's one for you that I don't think has been mentioned yet.On York Road, diagonally opposite the Shaftesbury Cinema is Dyrons motorbike showroom - looking at it, it doesn't half look like it was a cinema at some point. Big fancy steps at the front leading to a very cinema-esque entrance.Can anyone shed any light on it? My cousin who had a shop on Gipton Approach nearby said it was a CO-OP.Or Kwop in our vernacular dialect.

Bramley4woods · Post by **Bramley4woods** » Mon 10 Dec, 2007 10:54 pm

Quote: Cheers for the sorting out of that Arry, never realised there was a Saab garage there. Fancy that, someone selling Saab's in Armley! Wonders will never cease eh?Spence's was still in the middle of the Armley gyratory though, on the left as you go into Leeds.. Edit to add. Brydons is still there, never knew they dealt in Saab's mind There's a garage on the site but I don't reckon it's Bryden's.Bryden's was a SAAB dealer but SAAB did the dirty on him because they had fields full of unsold SAAB's, which they sold off cheaply through their wholly owned dealership in Manchester. Thereby depriving the local Leeds dealership of their commission.'Twas ever so.It was in the days of very variable (=Unstable) exchange rates, and the change in 3 months (Or 1 single day !) could wipe out a dealers margin. I know because I was importing machines from Switzerland at the time weighing 1 tonne each, and the bank was making more out of our efforts sat on their "behinds", than we were selling them, getting them in, commissioning them and giving 12 months warrantyThat said, I've dealt with Bryden's. IMHO Bryden's would never have survived, looking at what constitutes a dealership for a high class motor car nowadays, look around Sheepscar and the Leeds Ring Road West of the M621 to see what I mean.

Post by **chameleon** » Mon 10 Dec, 2007 11:01 pm

I've driven past there many times now and always wonder if it is the same brydens which used to sit at the corner of York Road and Crossgates Road opposite what was 'the Melbourne roundabout'?

kierentc · Post by **kierentc** » Mon 14 Jan, 2008 5:55 pm

tyke bhoy wrote: The Plaza from leodishttp://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?resourceIde ... AY=FULLnow part of the extended Grand Theatre and the cinema that showed almost exlusively x-rated (18+) films. According to Leodis I would have been old enough to see its last 3 years of x-rated films legally.Further up Briggate now Europa? and previously Mr Craigs the Tower which also closed in 1985http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?resourceIde ... SPLAY=FULL now these are the ones i remember being a child of the 70s. i don't remember the merrion odeon though, although my husband does and he's only a year older than me. maybe we never went shopping there? does anyone remember the main one being the odeon 5? number 5 was about the size of a cupboard and had a scene about the size of our tv now, lolthe tower was where you went if you missed a film the first time, it would be shown at the tower about a month later. it was a bit of a flea pit iirc. i'd love to see a picture of the grand arcade when it was still a twin but the best i've seen so far just shows a tiny bit of the second arcade :-(i also remember going up the steps of the plaza to look at the pictures from the films, and my mum dragging me away very sharpish!

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Mon 14 Jan, 2008 10:48 pm

I haven't read all this thread, but the ones I remember from the City Centre were: Majestic, the Scala which always had the same film on as the Majestic and in the Yorkshire Evening News (that dates me) adverts was always billed as "Scala and Majestic" the Scala was somewhere off Lands Lane I think (up a flight of stairs obviously) there was the News Theatre adjacent to the Queens Hotel, and then across the road at on Boar Lane where the Bond Street Centre is now was the original Plaza. On Upper Briggate was the original Odeon, the Ritz (Plaza) the Tower (next to the Grand) On Vicar Lane was the ABC Regal. On Infirmary Street was the Gaumont. And in the Merrion Centre was another Odeon, which of course everyone knows is still there. I think I saw Oklahoma! there with my wife (then girlfriend) I spent a whole 10/- on a night out with her - a fortune in those days! There may have been more but those are the only ones I remember. The Scala has been closed for probably over fifty years and the Majestic started running long seasons of big films - South Pacific, (in Todd AO) Lawrence of Arabia, The Sound of Music (which seemed to be on for ever) Oliver! are the ones I remember

arry_awk · Post by **arry_awk** » Tue 15 Jan, 2008 5:42 pm

Hi TrojanWell remembered 'flicks' old lad but I think you'll findthat the Gaumont (Coliseum or 'Colly' as we called it!)was on Cookridge Street..The Scala I think, was on Albion Place, bottom (Briggate) end.Have a skeggy thru the previous pages (When you have a coupleof hours free!). All locations have been listed therein!PS Infirmary Street ran alongside the old GPO building leadingfrom City Square to East Parade.CheersArry Awk

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Tue 15 Jan, 2008 9:17 pm

arry awk wrote: Hi TrojanWell remembered 'flicks' old lad but I think you'll findthat the Gaumont (Coliseum or 'Colly' as we called it!)was on Cookridge Street..The Scala I think, was on Albion Place, bottom (Briggate) end.Have a skeggy thru the previous pages (When you have a coupleof hours free!). All locations have been listed therein!PS Infirmary Street ran alongside the old GPO building leadingfrom City Square to East Parade.CheersArry Awk Thanks 'arry I always mix Cookridge Street and Infirmary Street up.