| 31/12/05 Happy 71st Birthday to the Paramount / Odeon in Renfield Street in Glasgow!  26/12/05 Thanks to more 1980s images from Chris Doak, we've been able to add new pages for Dalmuir, Dalry, Glenboig, Gourock, and West Kilbride, as well as adding new images on the Barrhead, Clydebank, Greenock, Kilbirnie, Kirkintilloch, Largs, and Strathaven pages. 24/12/05 Two nice early Christmas presents - firstly, thanks to a fantastic cache of photos from the early 1980s from Chris Doak, we've added over 30 new pages in the newly expanded Glasgow Demolished cinemas section -- including the Astoria, Blythswood, BB Cinerama, Scotia and many more (and there are lots more photos from him to come in the new year!)... Also, City Screen have withdrawn [.doc file] their current planning application for the Cameo in Edinburgh - the reasoning behind this and the future for the building are still uncertain however; check back regularly for the latest news in the new year... 9/12/05 Despite claims to the contrary, City Screen have not yet withdrawn their planning application for the Cameo. Article in today's Scotsman: City leaders set to play a Cameo role A new cinema opened on Stornoway, in the new An Lanntair Arts Centre, on the 1st of December. 1/12/05 The Evening News finally admits we're not a pressure group in a letter published today! I have twice in recent days been referred to as representing the "Surviving Cinemas pressure group" (News, November 27, 28) with regard to my speaking at the Save the Cameo public meeting. I'm afraid there is no such thing - the www.scottishcinemas.org.uk website I edit is not a pressure group, but simply a website dedicated to recording and archiving our historic cinema architectural heritage, and to act as a information resource for people interested in that often overlooked part of our social history. The final closing date for the Glasgow Odeon Renfield Street has been revealed - it will close its doors on the 7th of January 2006, just a week after its 71st birthday on Hogmanay. The new Odeon multiplex at Braehead in Renfrewshire is scheduled to open in March 2006. 30/11/05 Edinburgh Evening News: Cinema chiefs announce a pub U-turn 27/11/05 Edinburgh Evening News: Cameo owners to face public over pub plan (and no, we didn't know we were a 'pressure group' either!). The RCAHMS have put up a page on cinemas highlighing some of the archive material in their collection. 25/11/05 Further coverage of the proposed rescue plan in today's Herald: Film festival backs moves to save historic Cameo cinema Edinburgh Planning has so far received over 2000 objections to the application, and has also requested an official Change of Use application from Cameo owners City Screen, according to their acknowledgement letter. 24/11/05 Some suggestion of a possible rescue plan for the Cameo involving it and the Filmouse joining forces in this Evening News article: Cameo's International rescuer 23/11/05 There will be a public meeting to discuss the future of the Cameo on Tuesday 29th November at 7pm; click here for full details. Both Cameo owners City Screen, and the Save the Cameo campaign have produced press releases; click here to read them. The Scotsman continues coverage of the story, including the latest developments that City Screen have put the Cameo up for sale: Historic cinema for sale in face of outcry over superpub plans and the Evening News has a similar story: Cameo pub plan is doomed, admit the cinema's owners and another letter on the subject. 22/11/05 Edinburgh Evening News: Trailers released for new Cameo - now featuring an artists impression of the plans. 21/11/05 Weekend Cameo coverage: Saturday's Evening News: Curtains for Cameo and Royal High? Not to mention being featured on MSP Sarah Boyack's homepage - including a petition to sign, and coverage on Ain't It Cool News! Today's Evening News also has a short letter about the Cameo. Thanks to David Simpson, added a photo of the old Palace in Huntly, and a picture of the Lighthouse in Aberdeen rebranded as the Vue. He has also kindly provided other various facts and figures to add to the Database for that part of the country. A gallery of cinemas from various small towns in Australia has been added, thanks to Bill MacKay. 18/11/05 More coverage in the Scotsman: New scene in cinema row as superpub claims denied 17/11/05 Today's Edinburgh Evening News: 'Trojan Horse' superpub fears at Cameo Cinema Yesterday's Evening News: Campaigners reel out a website to save cinema The campaign to save the Cameo was featured on yesterday's Good Morning Scotland program on BBC Radio Scotland. 15/11/05 More letters in today's Scotsman about the Cameo. Comment feature in today's Edinburgh Evening News: Cinema sale would be a terrible scene A stunning new 1920s archive photo of the Eglinton Electreum has been added to the Demolished Glasgow cinemas page - courtesy of Andy Carberry (via Norrie Mcnamee). 14/11/05 A new website has been launched to increase awareness about the threat to the Cameo - www.savethecameo.org More news coverage of the situation: Saturday's Scotsman: Directors and top actor join fight to save Cameo cinema Sunday's Scotland on Sunday: More than a Cameo in film history Monday's Herald: Points of View Monday's Scotsman: MSP and directors protest at threat to Cameo cinema Monday's Edinburgh Evening News: Film producer joins battle to save Cameo's big screen and Civil servants are putting the whole scheme in jeopardy In other news, the Scotland on Sunday had details of a possible move to refurbish the Dumfries Theatre Royal rather than demolishing it; the full article can be found here. 11/11/05 Cameo Edinburgh Under Threat
10/11/05 A
planning application has been lodged with Edinburgh City Council to
radically alter the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh. Under the plans the
current bar area would be converted to a small 31-seater screen, and
the current 250-seat Screen 1 - the original, largely unaltered and
never subdivided 1914 original auditorium (photo above) - is to be
converted to a large bar and restaurant (licensed to hold around 450 people).
You can see a full history of the building - and lots of photos of the stunning interior here. Despite that this is quite clearly a change of use from a cinema with bar attached to primarily a bar with a cinema attached, the applicants appear to be hoping to get it through under their existing licenses. Unfortunately the cinema itself is not properly listed; however the surrounding buildings are C(s)-listed. We are writing to Historic Scotland to ask them to consider spot-listing the cinema itself. Detailed documents of the planning application (ref. 05/03696/LBC) can be viewed online here and here. The closing date for objections to the application is 9th December 2005. News coverage of the application Today's Herald has a large article and comment piece; the Scotsman also has an article on the plans. If you'd like to consider objecting to this application, you can do so online through the 'Submit Comments' link on either of the Edinburgh Planning links above, or (preferably) in writing, quoting the reference number 05/03696/LBC to City Development Department Planning and Strategy 1 Cockburn Street Edinburgh EH1 1BJ Note that you must give your full name and address for the comment to be officially registered. A page of Glasgow cinema newspaper adverts from 1945 has been added, thanks to Norrie Mcnamee. The pages for Paisley have been tidied up and have many improved and updated photos on them. More recent photos have also been added to the pages for the Toledo in Muirend, the Mecca in Possil, the Hampden Picture House in Govanhill, the BB Cinema in Greenock, and the ABC in Falkirk.
9/11/05
Two new archive shots of Elgin cinemas have been added, courtesy of David Low. Thanks to Norrie Mcnamee, we've created new pages for Thornhill and Sanquhar. Courtesy of Derek Mathieson, new colour shots have been added to the pages for Forres and Nairn, and several new pieces on the Inverness page, including the Playhouse cinema and Empress theatre. 8/11/05 Kenny Thompson has found more archive photos of the Phoenix, Kirkwall. Thanks to Derek Mathieson's archive shots, we now have a gallery of the inside of the Kelburne in Paisley undergoing subdivision, new exterior shots of the City and Cosmo2 in Aberdeen, a new page for Carnoustie, and new photos on the Fraserburgh, Montrose and Arbroath pages. A new gallery of photos from the closing night of the Odeon Clerk Street in Edinburgh has also been added, thanks to Graham Hughes. Last but certainly not least, Kevin Gooding has very kindly supplied a colour interior shot of the Hamilton ABC Regal from around the mid-1950s. 6/11/05 More Aberdeen updates thanks to the archive and interior photos courtesy of Jim Brooks: the Capitol, Picturedrome, Regent / Odeon, Queen's Cinema, Star, Picture House / Gaumont, Kingsway, Palace, and His Majesty's Theatre. Additional thanks to Derek Mathieson for providing modern photos for some of these updates, as well as the archive shots of the Casino. 4/11/05 Courtesy of Genni Poole, we've been able to add a couple of archive shots of Poole's Roxy and the Cameo in Edinburgh. Thanks to David Low, we have plans of the now demolished Lyceum cinema in Forres. A page of photos from the party held by C Venues to celebrate the 75th birthday of the Odeon Clerk Street can be found on www.ifEdinburgh.co.uk - thanks to Events Manager Brooke Laing for the link. The planning application to largely demolish the Dumfries Theatre Royal and rebuild a new theatre behind a retained facade was turned down, according to BBC News. This leaves the future of the theatre in some doubt. Work to convert the ex-ABC Cinema in Falkirk into a bar, restaurant and bowling alley has apparently commenced, according to the Scotsman. It is not clear if this is a new build on the site of the cinema, or a conversion of the existing building. 2/11/05 Added a new page covering Oxford's cinemas and theatres. 27/10/05
24/10/05
23/10/05
In other news, the Evening Times reports permission has been granted for a nightclub to use some of the upper floors in the entertainment complex that the Odeon Renfield Street is to be converted into. No date is yet known for its closure as a cinema, but it is likely to be early 2006 at the very latest. The Dublin-based Ward-Anderson group has bought up the UCI and Odeon sites that are having to be sold because of competition concerns; this includes the UCI Clydebank. Thanks to the collection of archive photos very kindly provided by Jim Brooks, we have been able to create pages for the Picture House in Stonehaven, and add additional photos of the Victoria, Inverurie, the Picture House, Thurso, and the Picture House, Banchory. Graham Kelly has kindly sent in some interior photos of the A-listed ex-Waverley cinema in Glasgow (now Tusk Restaurant). A small collection of photos of cinemas in Florence has also been added. A few additions and corrections have been made to the Cinema Database, thanks to information from Archie Foley, Pete Naples, David Stewart, Ronnie Campbell, Scott McCutcheon, Edgar Trestrail, Derek Mathieson, David Anderson, Brendan Macneil and Des Gorra. 29/9/05 A planning application has been passed by South Lanarkshire Council to demolish the B-listed ex-La Scala in Hamilton, and build an entertainment complex behind the retained facade. The first of the tenants in the planned redevelopment of the Odeon Renfield Street have been announced, according to the Evening Times article here (and they are still incorrectly claiming it is Glasgow's oldest cinema!). No closure date for the cinema is yet known, but sometime towards the end of this year seems most likely. Unfortunately, due to insurance reasons, the Rex in Stonehouse was unable to open for Doors Open Day as planned; however it is believed that the owners are looking into the possibility of showing a film there are some point in the future. The website about the Helensburgh La Scala has been relaunched and now features discussion forums and more detailed plans of a possible future use of the building: visit it at http://www.lascala-cinema.com The buildings on either side of the ex-Star Palace in Partick have been demolished to allow for a new housing development; it is not clear if the existing entrance is to be retained and incorporated into the new buildings on either side, or if it will be replaced by a modern entrance. The page for the UGC Parkhead Forge has been updated to show it in its newly rebranded form as the Cineworld Parkhead Forge. 31/8/05 Lots of news in the last week or so... A planning application has been submitted to Glasgow City Council to totally demolish the B-listed Govanhill Picture House, and replace it with flats. Bearing in mind that any application to demolish a listed building legally has to pass three tests - of importance, condition and possible alternative uses - no evidence whatsoever appears to have been provided with the application with regards to any of the above. Although deteriorating, the main facade looks to be in reasonable condition, and there are no signs that the building has been offered for sale or has been considered for alternative uses. The planning application reference is 05/02663/DC, and any objections can be emailed before 16th September to: planning.representations@drs.glasgow.gov.uk. Fencing has been erected around the former Capitol / Bombay cinema, suggesting that its total demolition for flats is about to begin. A large article in the Evening Times of Saturday the 27th of August featured several of Glasgow's neglected cinema buildings; the article is unfortunately not available online, but you can read the full Cinema Theatre Association press release that sparked the piece here. Doors Open Days - September 2005 Some of the cinema/theatre related highlights in this year's Scottish Doors Open Days are: 4th September - Ayrshire Kilmarnock - Palace Theatre 10th September - Aberdeen Beach Ballroom and Tivoli Theatre 10th September - Lanarkshire: The ex-Rex Cinema in Stonehouse is open, but only for 2 guided tours at 2pm and 3pm 17th/18th September - Dundee Whitehall Theatre (ex-Queen's Cinema) 17th/18th September - Glasgow Britannia Panopticon Music Hall; Citizens Theatre; City Halls/Fruitmarket; Glasgow Film Theatre; King's Theatre; The Loft/Grosvenor Cinema; Tron Theatre; Tusk (ex-Waverley Cinema) 24th September - Edinburgh Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Royal Lyceum Theatre & King's Theatre 24/25th September - Dumfries Theatre Royal More details and times for all of these at www.doorsopendays.org.uk 18/8/05
17/8/05
The Evening Times featured an article on the A-listed Old Athenaeum theatre, and new plans to turn it into retail space. Full details here. Good news: the wonderful Rex cinema in Stonehouse has finally been listed Grade B by Historic Scotland. Additionally, the Vogue Rutherglen has also now been C(s) listed. The page for the Calton Studios in Edinburgh has been updated to show the correct building - correction and new photo courtesy of Adam Fuller. The ex-Bungalow cinema in Portobello has now been completely demolished. A new photo survey of the B-listed and long derelict Kingsway in Glasgow has now been added, circa July 2005.
12/8/05 Yesterday's Herald newspaper also featured a story on the Odeon Renfield Street redevelopment plans - it is very similar to the Evening Times story, right down to the same glaring factual errors about the history of the building! Today's Evening Times published a letter from me commenting on the story; in typical fashion they completely removed the main point of the letter which referenced the mistakes in the article, and left just the throwaway comment at the end; the full unedited version is below.
The Odeon itself has been closed since Tuesday due to electrical problems; it is believed it will re-open on Monday. 10/8/05 The plans for the redevelopment of the Odeon Renfield Street have been dramatically revised; instead of a large casino, it is now going to be a multi-use entertainment venue, with bars, restaurants, nightclubs and shops. Sadly no cinema though! Full details in the (somewhat factually inaccurate) Evening Times article here. In terms of the differences to the building, the original scheme involved the addition of an extra glass floor above current roof-level; this is thankfully no longer part of the plan. Unfortunately, a much larger expanse of brickwork on the West Regent Street side is to be replaced with glass than before. The new planning application references are 05/02453/DC and 05/02454/DC. 14/7/05 Some interior photos of the ex-Pavilion / Rialto cinema in Dumbarton have been added, thanks to Robert Gollan. Further afield, David Anderson has submitted some photos allowing the creation for pages for Leeds, Islington and Dublin. 13/7/05 Thanks to the fantastically generous gift of a large cache of archive photos of Aberdeen from Jim Brooks, we can finally start to improve our coverage of the Silver City. To start with, new pages for the now-demolished Grand Central and Majestic cinemas. Lots more will be added in the next few weeks... 12/7/05 Some good news for once... Very happy to be able to report that the planning application to demolish the New Victoria / Odeon Clerk St in Edinburgh has been withdrawn by the developers, after Historic Scotland and Edinburgh City Council made very clear that demolition of the auditorium was not justified at present, would therefore not be supported. Details are on the planning website. To celebrate, here are two new rather nice panoramic shots of the current interior of Screen 1:
11/7/05 With the Kelvin now sadly reduced to rubble, it has been moved in to the Demolished section of the Glasgow cinemas page. Thanks to Graham Kelly for recording its demise. 5/7/05 The Odeon Clerk St in Edinburgh has been added to the official Scottish Buildings at Risk list. 4/7/05 More photos from the Kelvin. Improved photos on the Glasgow pages for the Odeon at the Quay, the ex-Imperial and the Imax cinemas. The Playhouse cinema in Berwick-Upon-Tweed is currently up for sale as a going concern; offers over £180,000 if anyone is interested! The ex-Rialto in Lochee, Dundee sold at auction for £66,000. 1/7/05 The Broadway cinema in Prestwick has been listed Grade C(s) by Historic Scotland; although squash courts have been inserted into the auditorium, the interior is almost entirely intact. Photos of the Picturedrome in Elgin have been added, thanks to David Low for the photos, MA Grant for access, and Jimmy Falconer for background information . More Kelvin demolition photos, thanks to Graham Kelly. Not a lot left now... The ex-Tivoli cinema in Dundee is up for sale after the current owners plan to retire; also the ex-Rialto in Lochee was up for auction earlier this week. Bill Reid has a fascinating web site heree describing his time working at the Tivoli theatre in Aberdeen; he has also kindly contributed photos and information about the Argosy cinema in Bucksburn, Aberdeen. 23/6/05 More Kelvin photographs added, and a lot of the older Scottish pages have been tidied up. 22/6/05 As part our our ongoing spring-cleaning, today we introduce our new look home page, which promotes Dundee and Aberdeen to the front. Comments welcome! 21/6/05 More pictures from the latest developments at the Kelvin demolition have been added, courtesy Graham Kelly. Added a picture of the surviving organ console from the Odeon Renfield Street, currently housed at Summerlee Heritage Park in Coatbridge. Tidied up the index pages for Dundee and Aberdeen. The ex-Central in Leith, now Destiny Church, is hosting Edinburgh's first religious film festival. Details in the Evening News article. 16/6/05 The page for the Salon in Hillhead has been updated with new and better photos (including an archive photo from John and David Anderson), and a lot of the older Glasgow pages have been tidied up a bit as well. Two new summary pages have been added for easy reference - complete lists of all the demolished cinemas in Glasgow and Edinburgh. 15/6/05 Thanks to new archive photos from John and David Anderson, the Glasgow La Scala page has been updated. The page for the Old Athenaeum theatre in Glasgow has also been enhanced, and now includes a full photo survey of the A-listed building, which has been empty since 1997. 14/6/05 Updated the pages for the Vitagraph, the Grand Central and the Lyceum with better pictures and a more detailed history. The Gateway Theatre in Edinburgh, originally Pringle's Picture Palace, has been forced to close its main performance space for safety reasons. Details in the Scotsman article. The Bombay cinema closed in December and has therefore been moved to the 'Closed' section of the Glasgow page - thanks to Stuart Kelly for confirmation of the date. No word yet on when its demolition is due to begin. Updated information in the Database and To-Do list, thanks to information from Helen Lowe, Peter Aitchison, Jim Allardyce and Elizabeth Russell. 7/6/05 Updated the pages for Helensburgh, Dumbarton and Alexandria with improved photos and better information. More demolition photos of the ex-Kelvin cinema have also been added, including some interior shots. The Clydebank UCI is amongst the several cinemas that are to be sold off to prevent competition concerns, following the merger of Odeon and UCI. It is not yet known if it will be sold as a going concern or not. The redevelopment of the Pollok shopping centre in Glasgow may include an Odeon multiplex cinema. The Odeon Dundee will be re-opening after several months closure on June 10th. More coverage of the plans to demolish the Odeon Clerk Street in today's Scotsman. 29/5/05
The latest shots from the Kelvin demolition are now up; with a big hole in the back of the building giving access for a bulldozer... Further afield, a page for Harrogate showcasing the stunning original Odeon there has also been added. 27/5/05 An exhibition on the architecture of Glasgow's cinemas is to be held at the Lighthouse. Called Cinema City, it runs from June 9th - June 20th. Click here for more information. The Bo'Ness Hippodrome was damaged by an arson attack in April, according to its entry on the Buildings at Risk register. The building is believed to still be structurally sound, and attempts to re-open it as some kind of community venue are continuing. The list of Scottish cinemas to benefit from the Lottery money towards the cost of outfitting for digital projection can be seen below: Cineworld Falkirk
The full UK list of 209 cinemas can be
found from this page
of the UK Film Council.
Filmhouse Edinburgh Glasgow Film Theatre Macrobert Centre, Stirling New Picture House, St. Andrews Pavilion Cinema, Galashiels Perth Playhouse The Cameo Edinburgh The Grosvenor Cinema Glasgow UGC Aberdeen UGC Dundee UGC Edinburgh UGC Glasgow Renfrew Street Vue Hamilton Vue Inverness 19/5/05 Demolition is continuing at the ex-Kelvin cinema in Glasgow. New photos courtesy of Graham Kelly. The planning application to demolish the ex-State cinema in Leith has been withdrawn. It is not yet clear if the application will be modified and resubmitted or not. Thanks to Donald Kirkbryde for the information. A plan to convert the ex-Edinburgh Odeon into a contemporary arts complex, led by the woman behind the Festival Gilded Balloon venue, has fallen through due to funding issues - full details in the Scotsman article. We are still awaiting the outcome of the planning application, currently being considered by Edinburgh City Council, to demolish the B-listed building and put student flats on the site. Another story about the imminent opening of the ABC has appeared, this time in the Sunday Times. In particular it mentions: "...
some of
the original
features have been rescued. Decorative
scroll work in the foyer, for example, as well as marble floors and the
old 9ft-tall ABC cinema sign remain. The false ceiling has been
stripped away to reveal the huge original girders and a magnificent
barrel-vaulted wooden roof."
12/5/05 More photos of the new ABC logo on the soon-to-open ABC music venue on Sauchiehall Street have been added to the ABC Regal page. In other news, scaffolding has gone up at the ex-Kelvin, as demolition proper begins. 6/5/05 A news feature on the music venue taking shape in part of the ex-ABC Regal on Sauchiehall Street has revealed it will open on June 8th, and will retain the ABC name. The Evening Times article also says some original features including deco-style cinema signs, marble floors and a 'wooden dome roof' were uncovered during the building works, but it is not clear if these are being retained or not. More detailed photos from the exterior of the Kelvin have been added, and the picture of the New Kent has been updated. 5/5/05 With the removal of the canopy, it appears demolition of the Kelvin has begun. Thanks to Graham Kelly for the photo. A fire in a nightclub has badly damaged what was the Picture Palace, Ayr's first purpose built cinema. Full details in the Evening Times. 25/4/05 According to the Edinburgh Evening News, the Edinburgh Odeon is to once again be used as a venue in this years Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Additional photos have also been added to the Loughborough page, and new pages have been created for Whitehaven, Brighton and Reading. 22/4/05 A selection of then-and-now photographic comparisons of the interior of the Odeon/New Victoria have been added, showing what original features still survive intact to this day. Many thanks to Iain Stewart of Duddingston House Properties for allowing us access to the building. Derek Massarella has also corrected some of the dates for internal alterations on the New Victoria page. The Hamilton page has been updated, with new photos of the Playhouse, and additional photos of the La Scala and Regal, thanks to Norrie Mcnamee. In a related news item, the long derelict Regalcould soon be demolished for a housing and health facility development, according to icLanarkshire. Norrie has also sent additional and updated photos of the Star in Bo'Ness. The redevelopment work at the Pollok Shopping centre in Glasgow could include a new multiplex cinema, according to the Evening Times. The Playhouse in Keith has been demolished - photos are available on the Tour of Keith website (link sent in by Ian Grant). Also confirmed demolished is the Regal in Broxburn, according to Kevin Mullin. Detailed information about the Vikingaar Cinema in Largs has been sent in by Ryan Moir. Further afield, pages for Loughborough and Sedgley have been added, thanks to Graham Kelly. Numerous updates to the Scottish Cinemas database have also been added today, with many thanks to those who have sent in information and corrections - in this case: Ken Anton, Ed Boyle, Janice Clark, John Duddy, Ian Grant, Ray Milne, Tom Wade and Phil Welsh. 7/4/05 A few news and site updates today... The Lyceum in Govan has been given a temporary facelift in the shape of a large banner showing how the cinema used to look. This is part of an initiative to encourage regeneration in the area. Details in the Evening Times, and on the Govan Housing Association website. Plans for a new large housing and leisure development in Stirling include a multiplex cinema; this could potentially spell the end for the Allanpark. Details in the Sunday Herald news story here. According to the Theatres Trust, Historic Scotland and Glasgow City Council toured the ex-Coliseum last June to monitor its condition; at that point the owner was hoping to re-open it as a bingo hall, although it is still currently sitting empty. Unconfirmed rumours suggest that the UCI multiplex in Clydebank may be to close as a result of the merger of Odeon and UCI. It was one of the first multiplexes to be built in Scotland. Also, now that Cineworld has taken over UGC's UK cinemas, a rebranding of the UGC Renfrew Street can't be far off. A selection of photos taken in January 2005 during the stripping out of the La Scala in Inverness are available, thanks to David Low (and also to Colin Cumming for building access, and Hector McDonald for archive materials and information). Thanks to Norrie Mcnamee, some new photos have been added to the Falkirk page. An archive photo of the now demolished State in King's Park has been added, thanks to John Cooper. An interior photo from 1914 of The Wee Thee theatre in Hawick was kindly provided by Stewart Donaldson. Finally, some new colour photos of the County in Craigmillar from 1984 have been added thanks to Eric Gold. 16/3/05
14/3/05 The Creme de la Creme restaurant in the ex-Kelvin cinema has now closed; the fixtures and fittings are currently being removed from the building. Given planning permission was granted last year for demolition of the building in order to put flats on the site, it can't be long before the bulldozers move in... 11/3/05 As reported in the Edinburgh Evening News, a planning application has been submitted to Edinburgh City Council to demolish the auditorium part of the State cinema in Leith, and replace it with a restaurant and flats. The foyer block and snooker hall would remain, with the exterior being repaired and restored to its original colour scheme. The entrance to the flat complex would be through the cinema foyer, in which it is planned to retain some of the original decoration. 3/3/05 Local residents in Kelso are hoping to use new Scottish Land Reform legislation to purchase the site of the Roxy cinema, with a view to re-opening it as a community film centre - full details on the BBC News website. 28/2/05 Added a page for the new 12-screen Odeon Braehead, which has begun construction as part of the Xscape leisure and retail development at the Braehead shopping centre near Glasgow. 25/2/05 Reorganised the main page slightly to better emphasise the Cinema Database and To-Do List options. A page for an unidentified cinema in Westburn has been added, thanks to new information from Jim Rodger. Added an improved picture of the Robert Burns centre in Dumfries, thanks to Mandy Goldie. 21/2/05 More redevelopment plans - a scheme to demolish the ex-Coliseum cine-ballroom in Edinburgh is to go to a public inquiry, after the developers claim the council took too long to rule on the application. Full details in the Evening News article. All of the cinemas on the site currently known to be listed buildings now include direct links to the listings information about them at Historic Scotland. 14/2/05 A planning application has been submitted to Edinburgh City Council to demolish the B-listed New Victoria / Odeon and build student flats on the site, retaining only the facade. The Odeon Douglasfield in Dundee may remain closed for up to another 6 weeks, while unspecified structural problems in the building are dealt with. It has been closed since the end of January. Both the ex-Orient in Ayr, and the ex-George in Kilmarnock are currently up for sale, both complete with outline planning permission for demolition for residential and retail use. The George permission appears to suggest retention of the facade; it is not clear if the same is true for the Orient or not. Our main pages for the Odeons in Edinburgh and Glasgow have been revamped, with added detail and some archive photos of their original interiors. 29/1/05 Updated information and improved photos on the pages for the Mecca / Vogue in Possil, the Norwood in St. Georges Cross, and the Govanhill Picture House. The second attempt in under two months by housing developers to get the ex- Kingsway in Cathcart demolished on the grounds of 'public safety' has apparently been refused by the council Building Control department. 27/1/05
15/1/05
10/1/05 The La Scala in Inverness is currently being demolished to make way for a housing development; full details in the Press and Journal article. Friday 14th January at 9pm, BBC2 sees the start of a TV series called The Lost World Of Mitchell and Kenyon. It features archive footage of many British towns, including Edwardian street scenes of Glasgow, plus showman George Green and his travelling Cinematograph show. A documentary on the Glen Cinema Disaster is to be shown on BBC1 Scotland on February 1st at 10.30pm. More details can be found at http://www.glencinema.org.uk/ 9/1/05 Happy New Year!
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