South Shields Sanddancers Forum

One of my interests is in researching the history and location of old cinemas,(the buildings, architects and owners rather than the films which were shown there) particularly those no longer with us. My links with the North East and South Shields is through my wife's family but we rarely get to visit South Shields.
I recently purchased Doris Johnson's book "The cinemas of South Tyneside" and it really is a gem. The only drawback as far as I am concerned is that she does not always specify the location of the cinemas and as I am trying to plot them all I have some difficulty with some of them. Some I can make educated guesses at.
A number of questions now arise for which I am seeking help.
Where exactly in Ocean Road was the Grand Electric.
Is the Regent still standing at Westoe and where exactly is the location.
Black's Regal/Odeon Regal etc etc. What was the significance of Black's

Finally one for Sherri. Can you tell me what has been done, if anything , about The Palais in St Kilda?

Thanks

Jeff

jeff wrote:One of my interests is in researching the history and location of old cinemas,(the buildings, architects and owners rather than the films which were shown there) particularly those no longer with us. My links with the North East and South Shields is through my wife's family but we rarely get to visit South Shields.
I recently purchased Doris Johnson's book "The cinemas of South Tyneside" and it really is a gem. The only drawback as far as I am concerned is that she does not always specify the location of the cinemas and as I am trying to plot them all I have some difficulty with some of them. Some I can make educated guesses at.
A number of questions now arise for which I am seeking help.
Where exactly in Ocean Road was the Grand Electric.
Is the Regent still standing at Westoe and where exactly is the location.Black's Regal/Odeon Regal etc etc. What was the significance of Black's

Finally one for Sherri. Can you tell me what has been done, if anything , about The Palais in St Kilda?

Thanks

Jeff

The Regent is and has been for many years a bingo Hall. It is at the top of Dean Road near to the roundabout and Imeary Street,it is opposite the Armstrong Hall. On the entrance wall is a plaque to commemerate the ARP personnel who were killed when it was bombed during the war.

Not to sure about the Grand Electric,was that later the Picture House. The picture House was on the opposite side of the road to the Savoy and was halfway between the Savoy and the Marine Pub.

The Picture House was also called the Essoldo.
The Regent is now a Mecca bingo hall opposite the Hedworth Hall not the Armstrong Hall.
The Odeon situated in King Street was always called Blacks Regal by my grandmother because prior to being taken over by Rank which owned the Odeon chain that was what it was called.

Sorry for misleading anyone,my mistake in getting the Hedworth Hall and Armstrong Hall mixed up.

Was it the Odeon or was it the Gaumont that was also referred to as the Scala.

It wasn't the Odeon, I thought it was the Savoy, but my memory is not
what it should be.

Mr Smith wrote:It wasn't the Odeon, I thought it was the Savoy, but my memory is not
what it should be.

Don't worry it's a senior thing.

The Gaumont was the Scala.
My favourite was the Plaza in Denmark Street. Real old fashioned place. Think it may have been a church. I saw the Dracula film with Bela Lugosi there. Nearly died when something furry landed on my neck but it was only the stuffing out of the seats that some lads were throwing around.
My grandma loved the pictures and we would go at least three times a week in the pre telly days. The Palace in Frederick Street was our local cinema.

The Palace was my local cinema as well, I lived a hundred yards from it. We also
used to go to the Pavilion and every Saturday morning the Chi.
I went to the Plaza once only, couldn't hear the film because
of the noise from rowdy kids, I walked out after half an hour.

Mr Smith wrote:The Palace was my local cinema as well, I lived a hundred yards from it. We also
used to go to the Pavilion and every Saturday morning the Chi.
I went to the Plaza once only, couldn't hear the film because
of the noise from rowdy kids, I walked out after half an hour.

Used to go to the Savoy and be a member of the ABC minors club,used to love the films made by the children's film institute. One film still sticks in my mind after nearly sixty years is "soap box derby" after watching that we all built "bogies" using any wheels we could pinch and scrounge. We would have races from the top of the high road down the hill to the Marsden Inn, none of them would have a brake, you had to depend on the sole of your baseball boot pressing against the tyre to stop yourself.

You might find something of interest on this site http://www.bornyesterday.org.uk/theatres.html

Have repros of 2nd world war newspapers and I have the Sunday Sun dated July 23rd 1944.

They have the listings for the week

Shown at the Savoy (ABC) was Demobbed with Nat Jackley and Norman Evans and Busses Roar (u) with Richard Travis.

Shown at the Regal Tender Comrade with Ginger Rogers and Robert Ryan (u) and Tornado with Nancy Kelly and Bill Henry (a)

Shown at the SCALA Purple Heart with Dana Andrews, Richard conte and Sam Levene (a) and Weird Woman with Lon Chaney and Anne Gwynne (a).

Cinema was very popular her are some of the cinemas in the local area some which have been consigned to history.
Ritz Sunderland
Havelock Sunderland
Savoy South Shields
Scala South Shields
Regal South Shields
Royal Sundeland
Regal Sunderland
Shipcote Gateshead

Ruined when they became multi cinemas and multiplexes

My mam used to tell me how during the war she and my dad were watching a film at the Palace when the air raid siren sounded. Before they had time to leave the doors were blown open as the first bombs fell. They had to run to the air raid shelter and never did see the end of the film.

There used to be a very large water tank in Havelock Street during the war
and for a short while after it. It was alongside the exits at the Palace. I
assume that it acted as an emergency water supply in the event of the
mains being damaged. Oposite the Palace at the same point there was a
butcher who sold horse meat, tripe, trotters and cow heel.

I remember that shop Mr Smith it used to cause me much amusement with the sign 'tripe dresser'.

There used to be two or three in Jarrow, I think one was the Picture House and also the Gaumont but I can't remember any more names.

What about the PALLADIUM at the NOOK i can remember when as kids we used to get enough money together to get one of us in.and when he was in he used to go to the gents and open the emergency door and the rest of us went in

denis wrote:What about the PALLADIUM at the NOOK i can remember when as kids we used to get enough money together to get one of us in.and when he was in he used to go to the gents and open the emergency door and the rest of us went in

I think that happened at more cinemas than just the Palladium.
Not that I ever did anything like that of course,

denis wrote:What about the PALLADIUM at the NOOK i can remember when as kids we used to get enough money together to get one of us in.and when he was in he used to go to the gents and open the emergency door and the rest of us went in

Most kids at Marsden did that,the toilets and emergency door were to the right of the screen in the corner. My mother got a job as an usherette there when I was about 10 so used to get in free after that. They eventually rigged a light up in the corner that lit up when the emergency door was opened.

I think it was the Gaumont where you went downstairs to open the fire exit I know because thats where I had my first kiss with a girl I used to go to the Green Hut with before moving to a proper Junior School Whiteleas.