Annan Lonsdale
Lady Street / Moat Road
www.lonsdalecitycinemas.co.uk
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Modern images courtesy of Alan J Towers. Now split with bingo in the rear stalls, and two small cinemas - seating 107 and 57 - in the original front stalls; accessed via the rear of the original building. A picture of the front of the cinema - now used just for bingo access - is available here, courtesy of Graham Kelly. A gallery of photos from June 1986 is below, taken prior to the building being split, all courtesy of Paul Francis.
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Albert Hall
Photo taken June 1986 courtesy of Paul Francis.
Gracie's Banking / Annan Kinema / Biddles Cinema
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This
was built by the Government in an attempt to reduce
public spending on
alcohol in an area where the huge munitions works at
Gretna was
inflating individual earnings to a unprecedented
extent. Apart
from controlling the production and sale of beer in the
area (which
went on until the mid-1970s), some attempt was made to
offer workers'
alternative leisure activities.
Now long demolished. Seated 350; open in 1917.The result was a billiards' lounge, beer hall, restaurant and bowls (or putting?) green complete with high monkey-puzzle tree. Biddells' must have bought the franchise on the new Kinema, in November 1916. "Biddall's Ghost Illusion" had previously been a popular touring cinema in the area. The site is now part of the bus station. Archive photo courtesy of Norrie Mcnamee |