Scottish Cinemas and Theatres

The name was displayed centrally above the arch, and above the whole of this was a full-width balcony, with even more elaborate scrollwork adorning both its front, and above the 9 tall windows which looked onto it. Finally, the roofhead was lined with a row of small castle-like pediments, shaped like crosses, which continued around the sides.

The cinema operation does not appear to have been very successful, with the building gaining something of an ill-reputation, and it is reported to have closed after less than 10 years of operation, in May 1923 [1]. The fate of the cinema after that is detailed in a rather vague and confusing set of plans dated 1924/5 [2]. These include plans of the building as it was at that point, as well as the proposed plans for its conversion for retail use. Some of these  are intriguingly attributed to a W. Inglis – could this have been Glasgow architect William Beresford Inglis, designer of the Beresford Hotel, and several atmospheric cinemas in the city, including the Toledo in Muirend?

Sadly, the cinema auditorium itself was also obliterated at this time, with the stalls floor leveled and three new floors inserted above it. The cafe and Winter Garden, however, seems to have escaped lightly, and this area survives today as the least altered part of the original 1913 design.

The alteration plans have the name “Lumley” as the commissioner, and after the conversion, the building seems to have taken the name Lumley House. Interestingly,  an early photograph of the cinema when it was still in use [3] show Lumley’s to be the adjacent premises, above what is now Lauder’s pub. This would suggest that they took the opportunity to expand when the cinema became vacant. The top floor cafe area, however, appears to have been a separate concern, and is shown in photographs in the 1930s as The Piccadilly Club [4]. This was entered from the newly formed close at the ground floor, and is also advertised on signage at the rooftop level.

The history of the building after the 1930s is, ironically, less well-documented. As of October 2004, the ground floor is occupied by a Rangers store. A Chinese restaurant is on the first and second floor levels. A nightclub, now called Moon, has been operating from the upper floors for many years now, although its older name of Rooftops is still displayed in the windows. This uses the uppermost of the 1920s inserted floors, as well as the two level original tearoom. As has been the case since the mid-20s, access to the upper floors is still from the close at the side of the ground floor, where the staircase winds its way up around a lift shaft.

It has previously been thought that no original decoration from the cinema was intact, but thanks to dedicated efforts of the staff in the nightclub, some surprising survivals have come to light! On the lowest level occupied by the club (which is on the uppermost of the new levels built in the 20s), a false ceiling hides a rather unusual ceiling of decorated panels made from what appears to be pressed copper or brass. This level would have been the original auditorium ceiling, but it is not clear whether these panels are from then, or date from the 1920s alterations. Best of all, however, the upper club floors now occupies the space where the cafe once was – and this area has much of interest going back to the original 1913 design, if one is prepared to look beyond the gaudy mirrored tiles and lights of the current decor!

Pressed metal ceiling at original auditorium ceiling level

As mentioned, this area was The Piccadilly Club in the 30s, and is also said to have been a casino at some later point. Amazingly, it still retains the balconies at either side, and the upper bays have curved, decorative metal railings, although it is unclear whether these are from 1913, or the later 1920s rebuild. Pillars in this area also sport highly decorated tops, including two supporting an otherwise plain arch at the southern end.

Balcony front detail Pillar top detail Original curved roof trusses of glazed roof portion Void between the two glazed roof tiers Moorish-style archways Archway detail Archway base detail Surviving ceiling portion

Once again, though, it is above false ceilings that the best evidence is found. At the northern end, a magnificent, parallel pair of Moorish arches are still to be found, hidden behind wooden paneling and the clutter of modern electrical wiring. A larger central arch strongly echoes the original Moorish arch on the facade, although this one is much more detailed, lined internally with a double row of teeth, and is flanked by two similar, smaller arches. Presumably this would originally have been mirrored by similar arches at the southern end, where the now plain archway is. In between the two northern sets of arches, a small portion of the barrel-vaulted ceiling also survives, lined with decorated panels. Tantalising glimpses of the decoration that must have once continued down to floor level are also visible. As for the main, glazed ceiling of the cafe area, sadly this has largely been destroyed. All around the roof void bubbled paint, charred timbers and melted lead attest to the destruction of this ceiling by fire at some unknown point, although the main curved plaster ribs are still in situ, and appear to show signs that they once had small, decorative features attached to them. Even some coloured glass is still evident in the corners of some of the roof trusses, although the main exterior roof glazing has been painted over and covered with metal sheeting since the fire. Externally, the facade of 1924/5 has been simplified further at some more recent point, with modern glazing introduced, and the twin mini balconies at the top of either side removed, with the result that the building today has changed so dramatically from its original appearance that unless you look up and see the high peaked roof of the auditorium, you would never guess that it was once one of Glasgow’s earliest, most individual cinemas.

A large gallery of photos from various parts of the interior of the Salon may be seen here.