Leeds lost cinemas

Leeds-lad · Post by **Leeds-lad** » Sat 26 Jul, 2008 6:00 pm

Might be wrong here but wasn't the Cat's Whiskers at Meanwood once a picture house?How come there were so many Picture Houses in Armley?LyricCrownWestern PalaceCarr Croft cinemaAlthough the Carr Croft cinema was before my time,I lived in Strawberry Rd off Tong Rd and could walk to all these picture houses in 10 minutes or less.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 27 Jul, 2008 12:54 am

Leeds-lad wrote: Might be wrong here but wasn't the Cat's Whiskers at Meanwood once a picture house?How come there were so many Picture Houses in Armley?LyricCrownWestern PalaceCarr Croft cinemaAlthough the Carr Croft cinema was before my time,I lived in Strawberry Rd off Tong Rd and could walk to all these picture houses in 10 minutes or less. Yes, I'm sure it was the Capitol Cinema and Ballroom - now a Co-op store on the site, and I believe even that modern building is to be demolished to make way for some kind of new shopping centre.

johnnyg · Post by **johnnyg** » Thu 31 Jul, 2008 3:38 am

Hi just caught this thread. Here is one that doesn't seem to have appeared so far, the Newton Picture Palace on Cross Stamford Street (Roseville Road). (The New Roscoepub is just behind it.) It has hardly changed from the way Leodis shows it.

johnnyg · Post by **johnnyg** » Thu 31 Jul, 2008 3:40 am

Sorry, hit wrong button before I added the pic.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Thu 31 Jul, 2008 11:14 am

Nice one Johnny. I've just been commenting on that pic on flickr

Loiner Paul · Post by **Loiner Paul** » Mon 04 Aug, 2008 2:48 pm

Talk of the cinemas in Armley reminds me of the day that the Crown was reopened after a conversion from picture house to bingo hall in the late 60s.Everyone in the area turned out to see Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix) from Coronation Street arrive by limousine, mount the steps of the entrance, turn and wave to the crowds outside. I remember she was wearing a sparkly gown and looked like a real life film star, well to a 5 year she looked like one!!! That night I couldn't understand how she was in Coronation Street and Armley at the same time!!!!

johnnyboy · Post by **johnnyboy** » Tue 05 Aug, 2008 10:33 pm

The building opposite the shaftesbury cinema which now sells bikes was the coop for as long as i remember,and the western was on the left coming from compton road,it was then the vogue,it burnt down in thelate 50s the film that was showing at the time was dean martiin & jerry lewiss KEEP IT COOL,i was there that night and mr french was the chief fire officer at the time who attended in his pyjamas while getting dressed into his uniform,id many a happy time in the vogue (BUG HUTCH).

Penz · Post by **Penz** » Sun 17 Aug, 2008 2:33 pm

BLAKEY wrote: Leeds-lad wrote: Might be wrong here but wasn't the Cat's Whiskers at Meanwood once a picture house?How come there were so many Picture Houses in Armley?LyricCrownWestern PalaceCarr Croft cinemaAlthough the Carr Croft cinema was before my time,I lived in Strawberry Rd off Tong Rd and could walk to all these picture houses in 10 minutes or less. Yes, I'm sure it was the Capitol Cinema and Ballroom - now a Co-op store on the site, and I believe even that modern building is to be demolished to make way for some kind of new shopping centre. In the late 60's I was the electrician & relief projectionist for The Tower Cinema Group. The main offices were above the foyer at the Capitol cinema & ballroom at Meanwood on the site you describe. The cinemas where I worked were:Capitol, Meanwood .... GoneCottage Road, Headingley ... Still there I thinkTower, New Briggate ... GoneCrescent, Dewsbury Road ... GoneOpera House, Ripon ... I converted that to a Bingo HallPlus The Capitol Ballroom, Meanwood ... goneand The Astoria Ballroom, Roundhay Road ... goneand The Grand Arcade ... which I rewired on a set of wooden ladders. Scary! The Company was owned by the Wincup family. I think they still own a large chunk of the city centre.

confused · Post by **confused** » Wed 29 Oct, 2008 8:33 pm

[quotenick="arry awk"]Hi GeoffBGoing back to 1936. (WHAT dinosaurs? Oh! Me!, yes!),Being aged 6, we had a few changes of venue in those days.(One step ahead of the bailiffs!). We lodged in a basement 'buggy' flat in Wellclose Mount (No13!)for several months,until we found a house in the Rosebanks. See threads (and pix of.) and don't yawn too much! Still reading? Well, Carlton Hill was down the bottom of the Street from what I remember, and it contained the Carlton Cinemaand also Carlton Barracks where we used to go on the shootingrange when I was in the Blenheim Army Cadets 1942-'47.I can remember that Carlton Hill used to split in two, coming up fromWoodhouse Lane. Left hand side formed a steepish hill that had the cinema on it, and the bottom right hand lane led to the Barracks.Those are my memories of the Carlton, Wellclose Mount, BlenheimSchool and Blackman Lane.Suppose it's much different now?CheersArry AwkPS Wasn't Bray's factory in Education Rd, off Meanwood Rd?Hi I wonder if you can help me - I noticed you lived at Wellclose Mount. My mums was born at 55 Wellclose Terrace in Leeds in 1933. I've been to the Library today and the electoral books only show the even numbers of Wellclose Terrace. Looking at the map, there were definitely two sides to the street and I also looked at "Back Wellclose Terrace" just in case - but there isn't one listed though.Do you know the history to this. Or when Wellclose Terrace was pulled down and why the electoral books only show 1 side of a street.or any ideas of where else I could look?thankssarah

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Thu 30 Oct, 2008 12:49 am

As an aside, IIRC the Cottage Road was converted to a cinema from stables and garages for one of the big houses And the garage on the site of the Cardigan Road Lyceum still goes by that name on its till receipts.