unit four cinema Wallasey

Comments and faves

1. ★

   PhillipC added this photo to his favorites. (73 months ago)

2. 

   PhillipC (73 months ago | reply)

   This is another extremely nostalgic shot for me. As the 'King's Cinema' it served me over a period of 10 years from open mouthed gawping at recycled WW2 propoganda movies such as 'One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing' to early gropings where the darkness was more important than the film.

   Many thanksfor these last looks at many buidings well known to me long ago.

3. 

   Photonostalgia (64 months ago | reply)

   This really does bring back memories. My father, Harry Gurney, was the manager of the Gaumont Cinema for some 27 years until he died in 1954. It is sad to say that Wallasey which had some 13 cinemas back in the 1950's now has none. I spent many happy hours attending the cinema and well remember the opening of the GB Junior Club during the late 1940's. The cinema was filled to capacity each week on Saturday mornings, the first serial was "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" and was extremely popular with all us youngsters!

   It's great that you have a record of this building and one hope that if flats are built in it's place they will be able to retain the facia which I believe has been stored.

4. 

   4737 carlin (63 months ago | reply)

   Sad to say the facia was never stored and many months after the building was demolished all that remains is a barron lot of disused land.

5. 

   philipgmayer (62 months ago | reply)

   It opened in 1933 as the Gaumont Palace and was designed by W E Trent.
   It was lower than other cinemas of its time because of the adjoining properties' "rights to light".
   It became the Gaumont, then Classic, then Unit Four, and finally Apollo 6.
   It was the last of the pre-war cinemas in the Wirral and closed in the mid 1990s.
   Anybody know when?

   I heard that the panels on the facade were going to be stored, but suspect that was wishful thinking on somebody's part.

6. 

   Liverpool Suburbia (62 months ago | reply)

   Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Northern Suburbs (UK), and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.

   Why? For one it shows how suburbanites used to entertain themselves and it also shows one of many old community cinemas which used to adorn the town. There used to be another cinema in the old Weslian Chapel opposite (now painted bright blue) but that ended decades ago.

   I remember this building well as its just down the road from me! The site is still vacant and awaiting development. This part of Wallasey is starting to go down in my opinion. There is a rather large mansion on the other side of the road built from red pressed brick. It has been boarded up for a while now and is more than likely going to get demolished or converted into flats. There is also a commercial property on the corner of St Brides Road and King Street which has been derelict for a while now, this is for definate getting demolished and the site will be replaced by flats.

7. 

   willowshade1 (59 months ago | reply)

   The developers weren't interested in retaining the stones at all and they were going to be crushed as agregate for the foundations. The demolition contractors wanted a fortune to take them down and one of them was unfortunately damaged during demolition works. The stones were eventually saved and put into storage.Three individuals clubed together to buy them.

   Lots of the cinema was intact, hidden away. There is a huge photo album kept as a record of the interior and its demolition by a local who attented the cinema in his youth. Loads of other items were also saved including original carpet, curtains, plasterwork, huge light fitting, plasterwork, side cloths and the "angel of light" from the left hand side of the pros'. They were offered to the Wirral Museum as a display but they weren't interested in the slightest! Shame really, they would have looked lovely as some sort of display with the other cinema memorabilia they have. Maybe somebody should ask them why?

8. 

   4737 carlin (59 months ago | reply)

   thanks for that information!! glad someone did this

9. 

   celluloid painter (57 months ago | reply)

   This image is just very beautiful. Great indeed!!

   By the way, I intent to do a small pictorial book titled CINEMA. Can I use this specific image in it? Please let me know at your earliest convenience. Your name would undoubtedly be mentioned.

   If it is ok with you, please send me your consent, the image and brief information like the location (road, street/ city, country etc.) or any point you consider worth sharing.

   Regards

   kmanav@yahoo.com

10. 

    cinesimon (55 months ago | reply)

    I worked as a Projectionist here from `82-84 it was a six screen complex using Cinemeccanica Victoria 5 and 9 Projectors. There was minimal long play facilities ie 12000ft Spools so any film over 120 mins had to have an intermission and all spools were rewound on a very large motorised rewinder .Screens 1-5and 6 were run from the original Proj.Box and Scr.2-3 and 4 from a plasterboard box above the middle corridor which got very warm.Cinema 4 was so small only w/s format could be shown and Scr. 3 was fitted with a silver screen for epics like Jaws 3-D .Sorry to see the Magics gone !!!

11. 

    3Goats (49 months ago | reply)

    When you were in the lower Projection booth you could open a hatch in the ceiling and still see the original moldings from the original 1 screen.

12. 

    mssloan (40 months ago | reply)

    I worked here as an usher during the early 80s. My first job! :)

13. 

    lost4words [deleted] (40 months ago | reply)

    Thanks for posting this and keeping me up to date with the changes to Egremont.
    I was a regular patron of the Gaumont as a child and remember the Saturday club as well as seeing such films as A
    Man Called Horse, Easy Rider, 2001 A Space Odessy and A Clockwork Orange.
    I saw Slade In Flame 5 or 6 times and we all turned up dressed in the height of Glam Rock finery.
    I can't tell you how sad I am that this place has gone.
    It was the first place I ever went on a date (to see A Star Is Born with Barbra Streisand).

14. 

    London Taxis For Enthusiasts (33 months ago | reply)

    The Apollo 6 actually closed sometime after July 1999 - I went to see a film there that month so I know for a fact that it was definitely open then.

15. 

    farko2 (28 months ago | reply)

    If you visit facebook at all you will find a group for wallasey/liscard/new brighton. They have posted many phots of the Gaumont and before when it used to be a church. Its a great group of people with great memories of the area.

16. 

    Liverpool Suburbia (28 months ago | reply)

    I've seen that on Facetube...I think a few of me pics are on there too! It always amazes me where some of me pics turn up!

17. ★

    Gene Hunt added this photo to his favorites. (23 months ago)

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